Aerospace research and development is at a turning point. New technologies like electric actuation, advanced automation, and software-driven testing are exposing the limitations of aging infrastructure and manual workflows. This growing gap between technological progress and the physical and organizational systems meant to support it is creating a bottleneck for the industry. To navigate this challenge, manufacturers must make strategic investments and adopt flexible design thinking, moving beyond legacy approaches that can no longer support the innovations driving the industry forward. These are all critical trends in aerospace industry technology.
ACS experts, Greg Larson, Equipment Project Manager, and Darryn La Zar, Senior Director, Business Development, recently explored this topic in their article, “When Innovation Outpaces Infrastructure: R&D’s New Reality in Aerospace,” published in the SAE publication Aerospace & Defense Technology. In the piece, they dive into how technological advances are making traditional testing methods obsolete. A shrinking workforce and growing complexity are accelerating the shift toward aerospace automation, transforming it from a strategic advantage to an operational necessity. Legacy setups that once relied on experienced technicians for hands-on testing are giving way to automated systems that reduce manual intervention, meet higher safety standards, and collect significantly more data with greater fidelity. This is one of the key trends in aerospace industry technology that they discuss.
The article also highlights a key industry trend: the transition from hydraulic to hybrid and electric actuation. This move away from mechanical linkages requires a new level of real-time digital coordination, with software now responsible for timing, balance, and fault tolerance. To manage this increased complexity, companies can adopt an abstraction model that separates control software from hardware. By inserting a communication dispatcher between the two layers, teams can swap hardware without needing to rewrite or revalidate core functionality, saving time, reducing risk, and extending the system’s life while mitigating hardware obsolescence.
According to Capgemini’s 2023 research report, “Will Digital Twin Revolutionize the Aerospace and Defense Sector?” 73% of aerospace and defense organizations have digital twin roadmaps, with 61% viewing them as a strategic objective. These virtual replicas are becoming central to the testing, validation, and refinement of integrated aerospace systems, allowing engineers to simulate performance and test integration scenarios virtually. This capability significantly reduces the upfront costs and risks associated with physical prototyping. Digital twins are a significant development in aerospace automation.
The push for sustainable aviation fuels and the exploration of new propulsion technologies like hydrogen and electric power are creating regulatory challenges and requiring flexible testing infrastructure. Manufacturers must accommodate multiple potential technology paths without requiring complete facility redesigns. To address these issues, many are strategically upgrading their aging facilities with modular, containerized systems. This approach allows them to adapt to new requirements without a complete and costly overhaul of their infrastructure. It provides a scalable, flexible, and economical way to keep pace with technological advancements, ensuring that aerospace facilities can continue to meet modern demands without the need for complete infrastructure overhauls. This strategy is vital for aerospace research and development.
The article also provides a glimpse into other important trends in aerospace industry technology, such as the focus on sustainability and the need for new propulsion technologies. It showcases how modern aerospace research and development depends heavily on advanced technologies.
Read the full article here to learn more about how aerospace automation and other key trends are shaping the future of the industry.