Why a sustainable future in Aerospace and Defense rests on Engineering and R&D

When was the last time you got on a flight? Whenever it was, I wonder, did you consider the carbon emissions that the flight produced? Or beyond that, did you think about the environmental impact of designing, testing, and eventually creating that aircraft?

I recently attended Paris Air Show 2023 at Le Bourget and while the industry has several challenges it’s working hard to navigate – such as inflation and ongoing supply chain disruptions, to name a few – sustainability and reaching the goal of net-zero by 2050 was a phrase I heard repeated over, and over again.?

But despite the positive talk, sustainability currently remains a sticking point for the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) industry.

Traditionally a carbon intensive segment, in 2021, the aviation industry alone accounted for over 2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions [1]. In fact, according to a clever little tool created by The Guardian back in 2019, before the pandemic, taking a flight from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to London (Heathrow) and back generates about 92 kg CO2. According to the same tool, back in 2019 there were seven countries where the average person produces less CO2 than that in a year.

Even if other industries generate more CO2, it’s clear, decarbonizing the aerospace and defense industries is imperative if we’re to reduce global warming and limit the effects of climate change. The challenge is that this is one of the world’s most carbon-intensive sectors and it is also one of the hardest to decarbonize.

So, what role can engineering and research and development play in helping to build a more sustainable future in the industry?

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Sustainable by design

At the crux of Aerospace and Defense industry’s sustainability problem is the propulsion system. Or in other words, the engine, and the fuel it uses. As it stands, burning aviation fuel currently represents an estimated 99% of ‘Scope 3’ aviation emissions. Meaning that the search for green sources of propulsion is by far the biggest and most important lever for decarbonizing aviation.

The easiest and most promising near-term solution for this, is the use of synthetic or agro-fuels – otherwise known as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) [2]. In fact, SAF is estimated to contribute around 65% of the reduction in emissions needed by aviation to reach net-zero in 2050 [3]. But whilst a good deal better than existing, kerosene based-fuel, SAF is not a completely green solution. If the industry is to carve out lasting, sustainable change – it must look at other options too.

Echoing efforts underway in the automotive industry, Aerospace and Defense firms are already looking towards alternative propulsion systems to tackle this. But alternative propulsion systems like electric, hydrogen or even hybrid electric require more development. In an industry where a new product takes years to come to market, testing prototypes takes longer still, and all these assets cost tens of millions of dollars – experimentation with alternative power systems is no mean feat.

Digital twins offer a unique opportunity here, allowing engineers to virtually validate each step of the design process. This in turn can streamline prototyping as well as testing time and cost. In fact, according to a recent report by the Capgemini Research Institute 75% of A&D organizations say that digital twins add value from the outset of the development process.

Advanced digital design tools, model-based system engineering (MBSE), and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems are continuously evolving. However, the true value lies in joining them up, allowing engineering design to be done smoothly and collaboratively in the cloud. Cloud-based engineering provides engineers around the globe with a unified view of the entire system. By supporting comprehensive system-level simulations, it empowers designers to explore virtual scenarios and assess their impact on design, supply chains, and – most importantly – emissions. Additionally, by promoting a continuous flow of data, this can also facilitate rapid design iterations to move us more swiftly to propulsion systems with lower Scope 3 emissions.

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The road to decarbonization

While alternative power systems might be the end goal for the Aerospace and Defense industry – there’s a long way to go until electric and hydrogen propulsion systems are an everyday reality. In the meantime, new industry entrants will be able to build aircrafts from scratch, with greener fuels or electric motors placed firmly at their core. They’ll still face challenges of course, for example developing electric charging infrastructure at a global level. But legacy organizations – face a mammoth task: overcoming the technical and cultural challenges of retrofitting digital technologies into existing systems and in some cases, this may require a wholesale redesign of the plane.

To ease the transition and aid the industry in the march towards decarbonization OEMs will need to look at ways to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions in the short term – and then implement these improvements at scale. For example, increasing the energy efficiency of aircraft airframes is likely to mean the next generation of aircrafts will yield CO2 savings of more than 20%. While this may be thought of as a marginal gain, even 20% is still significant considering the criticality of the challenge.

We can approach aircraft efficiency from a number of angles. Improving aerodynamics to deliver ‘smart wings’ can help aircrafts glide through the air more efficiently – mimicking the science of a bird. Using new, lightweight materials like carbon fibre composites can significantly reduce the overall weight of an aircraft – meaning less fuel needed to fly it. Additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) can help create lighter, more durable airframes, also equating to less fuel consumption.

Digital twin technology again plays a crucial role in aiding these endeavours, helping to virtually monitor, test and analyse the efficiency of existing systems. Leveraging this data, engineers can then improve existing systems, assessing energy utilization to suggest new, innovative and less carbon-intensive solutions.

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Expanding horizons

While progress is steady, within the Aerospace and Defense segment, there’s still more that needs to be done to deliver on sustainability imperatives. R&D will be critical in exploring other revolutionary technologies to speed up progress. Take quantum computing – which can significantly speed up existing calculations and processes, or the search for new and innovative biofuels and synthetic fuels that can help accelerate the greening of the sector. Improving circularity within the industry is also for sure a part of the answer to reach ambitious targets.

Aerodynamic scientists and researchers with bold ideas and nimble processes are already working at the forefront of innovation. In fact, the technologies that will help make the aircraft of tomorrow more energy efficient may already exist in the lab. Ergo, collaborations with academic institutions, research organizations, government agencies, and industry stakeholders should be welcomed with open arms.

To aid the cross-pollination of ideas and expertise the Aerospace and Defense landscape must lean into a digital future. A unified data platform will enable knowledge-sharing globally and will expedite the adoption of sustainable practices. A prime example of this is the Lifecycle Optimization platform which we recently developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Providing a comprehensive view and understanding of the usage of aircraft parts over time, the platform aims to help the entire, global Aerospace ecosystem – from owners, operators, and OEMs – to collaborate and improve worldwide utilization of existing products.

Conclusion

Aerospace and Defense is an exciting landscape right now. Yes, the industry faces an uphill battle, but the journey towards net-zero invites major innovation from all players. To fuel this innovation and speed up sustainable development, organizations must utilize the innovative technologies at their disposal, baking intelligence into every step of the value chain. Doing so will make the future of flight look very different from today, but hopefully, much more sustainable.

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[1] IEA (2022), Aviation, IEA, Paris: https://www.iea.org/reports/aviation

[2] Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) is a category of fuels derived from biomass or from carbon capture, which remove CO2 from the air or emissions and chemically process it into precursors of kerosene.

[3] IATA, Net zero 2050: sustainable aviation fuels: https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/pressroom/fact-sheets/fact-sheet---alternative-fuels/