A developing situation

摘要

The technological shadow of the giant Airbus A380 may be spread over a very large part of the European aerospace industry, but even before it flies for the first time next year, companies are starting to look further into the future. Developmental priorities for commercial aircraft companies and suppliers remain those of creating and maintaining safe, cost-effective, and environmentally clean designs while those involved in military aviation are focusing increasingly on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) potential. With regard to UAVs, there is increasing potential of an overlap between military and civil applications. The recent development and application of new materials, electronic systems, and processes by European companies has been extensively reported in the pages of Aerospace Engineering, but an emerging development trend involves the application of research and more radical thinking, indicating a possible step-change in the broad span of aerospace engineering on a scale not seen for decades.