By GlobalData Thematic Research 19 Apr 2021 (Last Updated April 19th, 2021 08:42) Advanced materials offer significant opportunities to provide an operational advantage for the aerospace and defence industry. Credits: Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock.com. Share Article Advanced materials have great potential to address defence challenges and better enable armed forces to respond to future opportunities and threats. They can provide cost-effective and reliable solutions to improve mobility, survivability and efficiency. Regulatory Trends Listed below are the key regulatory trends impacting the advanced materials in aerospace and defence theme, as identified by GlobalData. Lack of guidance for large composite vessels There is a lack of guidance on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for large composite vessels. Although composites offer many advantages for shipbuilding against steel, the challenges of fire safety and regulations have posed barriers to use.