29th January 2021 11:05 am
Three UK projects exploring the future of green aviation will receive a combined total of £84.6m from government and industry to pursue zero emissions flight.
Part of the ATI (Aerospace Technology Institute) Programme, the hydrogen and battery-electric projects will see government providing half of the investment total, with industry matching it.
H2GEAR – the largest of the three endeavours – will see a GKN-Aerospace-led consortium of partners seeking to develop a hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2026, creating a potential 3,000 jobs over the next decade. The team will initially develop a liquid hydrogen propulsion system for short-distance flight, which could later be scaled up for larger aircraft and distances.
29 January 2021
A swarm of 20 drones has recently completed the largest collaborative, military focused evaluation of swarming uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the UK.
The exercise was the culmination of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)’s ‘Many Drones Make Light Work’ competition, funded under the MOD’s Science and Technology Portfolio through the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA).
Following 2 earlier phases, the £2.5 million contract for Phase 3 was awarded in January 2019. This was for an Integrated Concept Evaluation activity to explore the technical feasibility and military utility of a swarm of up to 20 small UAVs operating collaboratively. This was awarded to an industry team led by Blue Bear Systems Research including Plextek DTS, IQHQ, Airbus and Durham University.
UK consortium launches InCEPTion project to develop integrated electric aircraft propulsion module
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) specialist Blue Bear Systems Research, a UK Small to Medium Enterprise, has formed a seven-strong consortium to develop a next-generation, all-electric propulsion module to enhance aircraft performance while reducing operating costs. The propulsion module is a scalable design and is the first in a range of products that can be used for aircraft less than 5 tonnes in the near term.
The project Integrated Flight Control, Energy Storage and Propulsion Technologies for Electric Aircraft (InCEPTion) is supported and co-funded by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK and was launched this month. The 24-month project will deliver a highly power-dense, quiet and efficient propulsion module with zero emissions out.
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Innovate UK: £84M of funding to develop green technologies for zero-emissions aviation flights
Three pioneering projects have been supported to power zero-emissions flights and unlock up to 4,750 jobs across the UK.
They will use alternative energy sources of hydrogen or electricity to reduce the aerospace industry’s reliance on polluting fossil fuels.
They have been supported with £84.6 million of funding through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme.
Winners were selected by:
ATI
Funded projects
The three projects receiving funding are:
GKN Aerospace-led project H2GEAR will receive £27.2 million to develop an innovative liquid hydrogen propulsion system (a component that propels the aircraft forward) for regional air travel. This could be scaled up for larger aircraft and longer journeys