Project ALFA (Advanced Laminar Flow tAilplane) is initiated by an industrial partner (Fokker) and a research centre (NLR), in response to the 2nd Call for proposal of CS2, under the topic “Laminar Horizontal Tail Plane full scale ground demonstrator”. The objective of ALFA is to push forward laminar flow technology by developing, designing and manufacturing a full scale demonstrator of a Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) Horizontal Tail Plane (HTP). The reduction of the aerodynamic drag of the aircraft by application of NLF on the HTP will offer a potential of a 1% decrease of fuel burn. ALFA will introduce advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to meet the stringent NLF surface quality demands. New structural concepts will be developed and discussed with the topic manager taking into account all requirements regarding operations, safety, cost and environmental impact, to ensure the implementation on future business jets. ALFA’s NLF HTP demonstrator will validate the selected structural concept. The comprehensive experience of the ALFA partners working on the demonstration of laminar flow in various R&T projects (e.g. EU AFLoNext, BLADE) and joint national and European collaboration on multiple aircraft programs motivate their common application. Fokker has a strong track record in designing and manufacturing complete tail sections for US and European Business Jets. As a former OEM of aircrafts, Fokker still engineers and manufactures with know-how of the entire aircraft. The complementary capabilities and competences of NLR to provide innovative solutions for composite structures is key to the project’s success. The ALFA total grant request to EC is 1,610,395 € for the whole consortium. The project will be conducted in close alignment with the topic manager, and with related topics in LPA and other IADP’s and ITD’s.

The aerodynamic configuration definition of the NGCTR needs to be confirmed by a large scale powered wind tunnel experiment, with the aim to verify and confirm the key choices of the configuration and to provide guidelines and proposals for potential additional improvement to be implemented. Within the EU 6th framework programme NICETRIP a 1/5th scale full-span, powered wind tunnel model has been designed and manufactured by NLR and tested in DNW-LLF and ONERA S1, with support of DLR. In order to fully exploit the FP6 research program, NEXTTRIP is a 30 month- 2.77 MEuro valued project based on re-using the existing NICETRIP powered model and key-partners responsible for the successful execution of the NICETRIP low speed test. The NEXTTRIP partners, NLR, DNW, DLR, Hit09 & Fokker will work together to modify the NICETRIP model, perform the wind tunnel test in DNW-LLF and define an optimal Empennage configuration based on the wind tunnel test results and given boundaries. NLR will coordinate the NEXTTRIP project and will perform wind tunnel model design and manufacture, test preparations (including GVT), advanced flow visualisation during wind tunnel test and wind tunnel data analysis. DNW will support test preparation and perform the wind tunnel test. DLR will support test preparation and perform data-acquisition and piloting. Multi-objective aerodynamic empennage optimisation will be performed by Hit09 after wind tunnel data analysis. Fokker will, together with NLR, perform a verification of compliance with feasibility and industrial constraints during the empennage optimisation process. For all three empennage configurations, both powered and unpowered test will be performed and for a selected configuration advance flow visualisation will be performed for a better understanding of the interactional aerodynamic phenomena.

The overall objective of ACASIAS is to contribute to the reduction of energy consumption of future aircraft by improving aerodynamic performance and by facilitating the integration of novel efficient propulsion systems such as contra-rotating open rotor (CROR) engines. The aerodynamic performance is improved by the conformal and structural integration of antennas. The installation of CROR engines is facilitated by installation of an Active Structural Acoustic Control (ASAC) system in the fuselage. The integration of such a system in fuselage panels will annoying noise in the cabin caused by multi-harmonic sound pressure level which is radiated by CROR engines. CROR engines are able to realize up to 25% fuel and CO2 savings compared to equivalent-technology turbofan engines (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19890003194.pdf). The ACASIAS project focuses on challenges posed by the development of aero- structures with multifunctional capabilities. The following concepts structural concepts are considered: • A composite stiffened ortho-grid fuselage panel for integrating Ku-band SATCOM antenna tiles. • A fuselage panel with integrated sensors and wiring for reduction of CROR cabin noise. • A smart winglet with integrated blade antenna (integrated substrates into special foam, partly covered by a 1 mm glass/quartz epoxy layer). • A Fibre Metal Laminate GLARE panel with integrated VHF communication slot antenna. The 36 months action with a project cost of 5.8 MEuros will bring together 11 partners from 6 countries covering the three main disciplines required: (composite) structures, advanced antennas and miniaturized sensors in a multi-disciplinary project. The project innovations facilitated by integration of these disciplines, as well as resulting in operational cost reduction and decreased emissions for airlines, will also lead to a more competitive supply chain in the aviation sector, which increasingly uses composite structures.

COLOSSUS paves the way for future European aviation products and services which are designed in a truly holistic approach and to thus provide a major contribution to the digital transformation of aviation and air transportation in order to enable European competitiveness in a key industrial sector. The expected outcomes of COLOSSUS provide Europe’s aviation sector with the platform to develop new and breakthrough product and technology in a holistic system-of-systems approach. Main technical objectives of COLOSSUS are: (1) To create a Transformative Digital Collaborative (TDC) Framework that allows European aviation to perform research, technology development and innovation in a holistic system-of-systems approach. The TDC Framework shall support modelling, analysis, optimisation and evaluation of complex products and services under consideration of real-world conditions. (2) To expand and test the capabilities and performance of the TDC Framework with two Use Cases, both of which address needs identified in the Work Programme and thus possess a value of their own: Use Case 1: Creating a business model for sustainable 4D-intermodal mobility and evaluating the concept for performance, competitiveness, environmental impact and life cycle footprint. Use Case 2: Developing an integrated fast-response approach for preventing, detecting and fighting wildfires by combining latest developments in the fields of aircraft design and technology, automation, AI and digitalisation. (3) To perform conceptual studies for two products which could be transverse technology enablers for multi-modal mobility and affordable decarbonisation of aviation: a multi-role seaplane with hybrid propulsion and a product for eVTOL-based advanced air mobility of passengers and goods.