Transforming aviation for a sustainable future: The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking

Introduction

The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) is at the forefront of the European Union’s research and innovation efforts to revolutionize aviation for a sustainable and climate-neutral future. As a European public-private partnership, CAJU aims to integrate and demonstrate disruptive aircraft technological innovations that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% compared to 2020 state-of-the-art technology, supporting the European Green Deal and the goal of climate neutrality by 2050. This blog will explore the objectives and initiatives of CAJU, as well as the role of digital manufacturing and vertical integration in achieving a more sustainable aviation industry.

Decreasing emissions and supporting the European Green Deal

One of CAJU’s primary objectives is to develop and showcase aircraft technologies that will significantly decrease net emissions of greenhouse gases. By leveraging disruptive innovations, CAJU aims to achieve a minimum 30% reduction in emissions compared to 2020 technology. This reduction is crucial to support the European Green Deal and the EU’s commitment to climate neutrality by 2050. The aircraft developed through CAJU will enable CO2 reductions of up to 90% when combined with Sustainable Aviation Fuels, or zero CO2 emissions during flight when using hydrogen as an energy source.

Enabling the replacement of Civil Aviation Fleet

In addition to reducing emissions, CAJU aims to ensure that the technological and industrial readiness of innovations can support the launch of disruptive new products and services. The goal is to enable an entry-into-service by 2035, allowing for the replacement of 75% of the world’s civil aviation fleet by 2050. This ambitious objective aligns with the European Green Deal’s vision and showcases the commitment of CAJU to drive the transition towards a sustainable aviation industry.

Innovation in aircraft structures and manufacturing processes

To achieve the emission reduction targets, CAJU focuses on innovation in fuselage and empennage structures, as well as optimized wings and integrated thermal management systems. By reducing fuel burn and emissions, these innovations play a vital role in transforming the aviation industry.

Digital manufacturing and vertical integration

CAJU recognizes the importance of digital manufacturing in achieving sustainable and efficient production processes. By integrating tools such as virtual PLM-MOM planning, CAJU aims to shorten time-to-market by up to 90%, reduce root cause identification from weeks to hours, and decrease engineering change incorporation to the shop floor from weeks to less than a day. This digitalization of manufacturing processes not only improves efficiency but also contributes to overall sustainability by reducing waste and optimizing resource utilization.

Challenges in aircraft assembly

The precise control of part-to-part gaps in the assembly process of aircraft skin panels is a significant challenge. Excessive pre-tensions of fastening elements can impair the durability and response under dynamic loads of the entire skin assembly. The current practice involves multiple manual measurement-fit-adjust quality loops, which are time-consuming and costly. To address this challenge, CAJU proposes a novel methodology that combines in-line measurement systems and physics-based simulations to predict part-to-part gaps and minimize the need for multiple quality loops. This methodology has demonstrated significant time savings of 75% during the assembly process of a vertical stabilizer for commercial aircraft.

The role of vertical integration in manufacturing

The integration of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms is crucial for efficient and synergistic management of all phases of the product life cycle and the production process. This integration offers benefits such as reduced product development time, real-time production optimization, error reduction, increased visibility and transparency, adaptability to market needs, and reduced operating costs. Vertical integration enables A&D manufacturers to achieve new levels of manufacturing productivity and excellence.

Leonardo & Siemens collaboration

One of the most intriguing projects within the Clean Aviation global program is the Hybrid-Electric Regional Architecture (HERA). HERA aims to study and develop disruptive Regional Turboprop aircraft configurations that will carry 50 to 100 passengers over routes up to 1000 km long, with an expected Entry in Service from 2035.

Leveraging its validated expertise in Aerospace & Defense, Leonardo was selected to design the new wing for this regional aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion and validate the associated manufacturing process. (HERWINGT Project)

Project HERWINGT has received funding from the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, under the European’s Union Horizon Europe research and innovation Programme, under grant agreement No 101102010

The Siemens Closed Loop Manufacturing (CLM) solution was chosen to manage the data alignment and consistency between Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), thus meeting Leonardo’s expectations to address this New Product Introduction (NPI) challenge.

The Outer Wing Box was modeled with all key Bill of Process (BOP) elements (part number, station, operation, tools, non-conformances, etc.), enabling the validation of both the Manufacturing Planning and Execution phases.

This approach allowed reviewing how the operator will be guided in executing the right process with Electronic Work Instructions (EWI) and data collection, tracking non-conformances, and collaborating with engineers to manage changes.

Particular attention was given to the shimming process, a leading challenge in the assembly of aircraft skin panels. The teams focused on effectively modeling the shimming process, which is crucial for the precise control of part-to-part gaps to avoid excessive pre-tensions of the fastening elements. Exceeding these tolerances can impair durability and the response under dynamic loads of the whole skin assembly.

Conclusion

The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is a pioneering initiative that is driving the transformation of the aviation industry towards a sustainable and climate-neutral future. By integrating disruptive aircraft technologies and implementing digital manufacturing practices, CAJU is making significant strides in reducing emissions and improving the efficiency of aircraft assembly processes. With the goal of supporting the European Green Deal and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, CAJU is leading the way in creating a greener and more sustainable aviation industry.

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