GKN Aerospace is a key partner in the Wing of Tomorrow composite spar project. The UK Aerospace Technology Institute funded programme led by Airbus UK aims to provide technologies for a sustainable Future Single Aisle Wing.

A composite wing is the most significant opportunity 
for the Single Aisle airframe to improve aerodynamic performance, reducing global CO2 emissions by many millions of tonnes every year.

The work is being undertaken in GKN Aerospace’s new Global Technology Centre in Bristol, UK, with the business investing more than £25 million in the programme over three years.

Our world-leading additive manufacturing capability has led to the introduction of lighter and more efficient Fan Case Mount Ring (FCMR), leading to a reduction of 20% in emissions and has accelerated the inaugural flight testing of lightweight, recycled thermoplastic components with Bell on the V-280 Valor helicopter.

Our fan blade housing structure allows significant reduction in source material use, energy consumption and product weight, with a view to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in both the manufacturing process and across the product life cycle.

Technological advancements were made in 2020 using unique Laser Metal Deposition (LMD-w) fabrication techniques, enabling us to secure our position as supplier of choice to Pratt & Whitney for the PW1500G engine, which will be used on the Airbus A220. The project is currently in its production start-up phase with first serial production expected in 2021.

GKN Aerospace’s new fabricated FMCR promotes resource efficiency by reducing the buy-to-fly ratio from 15 in the original design to five. This represents a 60% reduction in material waste, which will save over 90 tonnes of forged titanium annually.

Additionally, the FCMR reduces fuel burn by 20%, which translates to an estimated saving exceeding three million tonnes of CO2 on products manufactured to date.

This project illustrates how we are using our unique fabrication capabilities to reduce costs to our customers and provide broader societal benefits by accelerating the reduction of aircraft fuel consumption.

We are also leading the development of a ground-breaking liquid hydrogen propulsion system for aircraft. The c.£55 million collaborative H2GEAR programme will push hydrogen technology and accelerate aerospace decarbonisation with the goal of zero CO2 emissions hydrogen-powered sub-regional aircraft entering the skies as early as 2026.

The H2GEAR programme will create more than 3,100 jobs across the UK and reinforces the UK’s position at the forefront of aerospace technology research and development, as well as putting GKN Aerospace at the heart of the technology developments needed for the future of more sustainable aviation.

Eviation and GKN Aerospace continue their quest to deliver the world’s first electric commuter aircraft (Alice). In development since 2015, Alice will be capable of operating in the lower end of the regional market carrying nine passengers and two crew members on journeys up to 800km. Regional and domestic air travel account for a large part of aviation’s CO2 emissions, with CO2 produced per km per passenger for flights of less than 500km almost double that of flights over 1,000km.

Battery-powered aircraft are a key part of the journey towards zero-emission aviation. We are providing our expertise across the integration of large-scale components including the complete wing, the complete tail including empennage, and electrical wiring interconnection systems.

Design and manufacturing activities are already ongoing on-site at Eviation in Israel and in several of our engineering centres across Europe, and we are targeting an Entry into Service date of 2022.

In 2019, we signed the Joint Declaration of European Aviation Stakeholders related to Clean Aviation in Horizon Europe, committing to a European Partnership towards achieving goals of the Paris Agreement.

GKN Aerospace has committed to achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050 and designing products that enable its customers to develop aircrafts that emit net zero GHG emissions throughout their life cycle by 2050.

To meet these longer term goals, we have set an interim target of reducing our Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 5% annually.

GKN Aerospace Sweden is leading in the testing of Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Ground-breaking development in the use of biofuels in aviation could lead to huge reductions in carbon emissions.

Test flights using the Gripen RM12 engine powered 100% by biofuel have so far shown excellent performance both in flight and on the ground.

The biofuel used is fully interchangeable with normal jet fuel and no engine changes or modifications are required.