In recent years, the aerospace sector has faced a period of opportunity and rapid technological innovation.

Innovative technologies and manufacturing processes are being developed on a seemingly constant basis and manufacturers are reaping the benefits as aerospace companies look for niche suppliers to help expand their supply chain.

In order to shape the future of this sector, the regulatory system is also evolving to improve safety and quality best practices and address some of the key challenges facing the industry. These include the transition to cleaner aircrafts the huge task of embracing digitization, and the rise in the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

Going Green

Whilst fossil fuels are still an important part of aviation, the rapid evolution of alternative battery technologies and advances in electrification are set to change the future of aircraft propulsion.

In 2020, Airbus even revealed three concepts for the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft which could enter service by 2035. These concepts each represent a different approach to achieving zero-emission flight, exploring various technology pathways and aerodynamic configurations, and would rely on hydrogen as a primary power source.

In order to rise to these challenges, the aerospace industry will require significant infrastructure changes to meet the needs of day-to-day operations.

The implementation of standards will be key to meet these ambitious objectives with increased adoption of technology, digitalization, and mechanisms that encourage the use of sustainable fuels and the renewal of aircraft fleets to allow airlines to retire older, less environmentally friendly aircraft earlier.

Eco-design in this sector also requires further thinking about the full life cycle from the design stage to the end-of-life.

Standards are guiding businesses on how to manage the cycle and benefit from legislative compliance, reduction in resource usage, wastage, and cost-saving whilst improving their organizational profile and brand reputation:

• BS 8887-1:2006 specifies requirements for technical product documentation for the manufacture, assembly, disassembly, and end-of-life processing (MADE) of products.

• BS 8887-220:2010 specifies requirements for the process of remanufacturing. It lists the steps required to change a used product into a new product, with at least equivalent performance and warranty of a comparable new replacement product.

• BS 7000-2:2015 is a guide to managing the design of manufactured products. It deals with every stage of the design process from product concept through to delivery, use, and end-of-life processing.

• BS EN IEC 62430 specifies requirements and procedures to integrate environmental aspects into the design and development processes of electrical and electronic products.

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Increasing Digitization

With increased digitization across the entire Aerospace sector, we will also see not only efficiencies in operation but a need for a very different skill set.

Technicians will be using VR to better visualize a problem and find the best solution while an aircraft is in flight or find a more efficient way to assemble by “stepping inside” or viewing the aircraft from multiple angles. Add to this the need to remove the trusted paper manual, understand if components are failing or have been poorly installed, or if further training is required, and it’s clear to see traceability is key to information resilience.

Being able to call up relevant data by the simple swipe of a finger on a handheld device, and data to be as quickly transmitted back to a single Common Data Environment (CDE), will become more critical.

However, much of the vast quantities of data will need to be kept secure. This will be done by standards, which, when implemented, will set a stringent protocol for organizations looking to protect their data. Only then can the digitization of aerospace fully flourish and continue to grow.

The Rise of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Commercial, state, and defense applications for unmanned aircraft systems, or, as they are more commonly referred to drones are growing rapidly.

As well as widespread photography and surveillance tasks, drones and their accompanying control software are being developed to provide rapid response assistance for emergency medical services. They are also used to detect latent disease in fields of crops for farmers and assess the cleanliness and state of repair of the outside of office tower blocks.

The industry has been rapidly expanding in recent years and there are many new entrants to the marketplace. Several airlines are already using drones to detect surface damage, thus reducing the time taken to inspect each aircraft and freeing up technicians for other tasks. To shape this future development, standards will be created so that the industry can use them to set quality benchmarks around safety and reliability. Standards are needed to address UAS flight performance, to make sure drones can operate safely under any environmental conditions. For example, to ensure that batteries do not fail when exposed to certain air temperatures.

Also, many drones are connected to the internet to send or stream data. Therefore, the development of drone software security standards will be vital to protect against the potential for hacking; both in terms of taking control of the UAS and accessing the data which it may be streaming online.

Quality standards, such as the AS/EN 9100 series, will also have a powerful influence on the future development of the UAS industry from a commercial point of view. In time, as new standards are created implemented by manufacturers, consumers will be able to see which drones are certified to safety and quality standards (and are applying best practices) and which ones are not.

Drones represent an exciting and positive development for society going forward, comparable with the rise of both the automobile and aeronautical industries of the last century. Standards will help to ensure that the sector has the protocols to enable them to safely realize this enormous technological potential.

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