Photo Credit: NCC
The National Composites Centre (NCC, Bristol, U.K.) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl, Salisbury, U.K.) have formed a partnership to explore next-generation combat aircraft composite structures through the Advanced Design of Composites Structures for Future Combat Aircraft (ADCoSCA) program. This will range from innovative approaches, overall structural layout, manufacturing and assembly, as well as the combination of detail features, and material selection.
Leading this through their joint steering group, the program will include a balance of intramural research at NCC, and extramural research, both of which the NCC and Dstl plan to have influenced by the community. The goal is to bring together people from academia, leading defense primes, SMEs and other parties outside of the traditional defense sector. Gearing opportunities such as matched funding and collaboration are also areas the steering group would like to explore.