{"id":3362,"date":"2020-03-17T06:57:42","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T10:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/?p=3362"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:06:24","slug":"building-the-future-of-aerospace-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/building-the-future-of-aerospace-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the future of Aerospace Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Aerospace and defense is traditionally a capital-intensive industry and not suitable for start-ups. Yet, there were more than <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2019\/12\/03\/an-investors-perspective-on-the-current-state-of-the-global-space-startup-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6,000 aerospace and defense startups as of December 2019!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Driving this trend and allowing start-ups to flourish is a\ncombination of digitalization and new modes of transport and services, such as\nurban air mobility and drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are living in one of the most dynamic periods of innovation\nwhere the world is going to see disruptive advances in technology and mobility,\nwhich will include everything from air taxis to electric propulsion, to even\nhypersonic and supersonic aircraft. And we\u2019re at the dawn of a new era in space\nexploration with private companies actively leading the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my 30+ years in the industry, I have not seen anything like this. And we\u2019re just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p> \u201cTo survive disruption and thrive in the digital era, incumbents need to become digital enterprises, rethinking every element of their business\u201d &#8211; 2016 World Economic Forum<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>What\nare the trends and technologies that are changing our industry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Increased program complexity and integration: <\/strong>As products become more integrated and dominated by software and electrical solutions, they\u2019re increasing in complexity. Yesterday\u2019s tools and approaches cannot be used to build tomorrow\u2019s products.<\/li><li><strong>Globalization. <\/strong>From suppliers to workers to competition, the world is more global than ever. It\u2019s important to communicate effectively and invest in the new tools that can build a model-based enterprise.<\/li><li><strong>Electrification and electric propulsion<\/strong>. New tools and methods are necessary to design and build these aircraft. There are more challenges with electrical systems and software as well as within the regulatory environment as improvements are made for these systems.<\/li><li><strong>Rapid development cycles<\/strong>. Competitive companies must bring complex new products to market faster than ever while meeting technical cost and schedule.<\/li><li><strong>New materials and manufacturing methods.<\/strong> The way parts and products are designed and produced are changing. Customization, factory functionality, automation and additive manufacturing will alter the creation of products.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>We believe that for businesses to survive<em> and thrive <\/em>in this era of innovation they must embrace digitalization. Check out the video below and see some incredible ideas regarding the future of aviation and how engineers are using digitalization to meet the challenges mentioned above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Building the Future of Aerospace\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TGeSOISyqCM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> <br> <em>Engaging in digitalization helps build the future Aerospace and Defense and brings customers\u2019 visions of tomorrow into reality.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To stay competitive and profitable during these times of\ninnovation, companies must change the way products are designed, engineered and\nbuilt. For more than ten years Siemens has been at the forefront of helping our\ncustomers meet these challenges and transform their organization into a fully\nfunctional digital enterprise. We combine our efforts under a holistic\nportfolio offering called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sw.siemens.com\/portfolio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Xcelerator<\/a>,\nranging from electrical and mechanical design, simulation, operations\nmanagement, product lifecycle management, data analytics and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allow me to explain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Digital threads and\ndigital twins<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Digital threads enable processes and integrate data from the\nbeginning of the product lifecycle until delivery and operation of the aircraft.\nThe digital thread in the aerospace industry allows for tracing requirements\nfrom design to manufacturing, as well as providing the necessary knowledge\nthroughout the production lifecycle across all disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Model-based engineering<\/li><li>Integrated program planning and execution<\/li><li>Product design and optimization<\/li><li>Verification management<\/li><li>Supply chain collaboration<\/li><li>Intelligent manufacturing<\/li><li>Product support<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On top of that, Siemens provides tools to create a\ncomprehensive digital twin, a virtual representation of a physical product or\nprocess, used to understand and predict the physical counterpart\u2019s performance\ncharacteristics. The digital twin is about much more than managing 3-D CAD data\n\u2013 they are used throughout the product lifecycle to simulate, predict and\noptimize the product and production system to minimize the investment in physical\nprototypes and assets. By demonstrating the impact of design changes, usage\nscenarios, environmental conditions and countless other variables, implementing\nthe digital twin drives down costs, reduces development time and improves the\nquality of the final product or process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at air mobility where everything interacts simultaneously in real time. Engineering teams face challenges that require multi-domain solutions, thus focusing on one area might sacrifice other areas, safety or compliance. Simulating multiple platforms cohesively in the digital twin provides data on how all the attributes and domains perform as an interconnected structure. Some of the more critical attributes are depicted in Figure 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"995\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Urban-Air-Mobility-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Urban-Air-Mobility-1.jpg 995w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Urban-Air-Mobility-1-600x305.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Urban-Air-Mobility-1-768x391.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 995px) 100vw, 995px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 1: Many domains and components interact continuously. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The comprehensive digital twin not only optimizes solutions\nto multi-domain or multi-physical problems but accelerates the design process\nthrough simulation. &nbsp;The benefit of the\ndigital twin is its ability to create a real virtual integrated aircraft. A\ncollection of simulation models (Figure 2) enables matching of the\ncharacterizations of the aircraft in the digital world and potential issues are\nidentified before finishing the final design. With more valuable data during\ntesting, engineers can focus on the areas of greatest need and spend the time\nsaved exploring more innovative options. Simulation can then validate and\nverify before they build prototypes and conduct costly, real-world tests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this type of example, can you see how the digital twin can solve a variety of issues early in the design process?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"541\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Accelerating-Design-through-Simulation.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Accelerating-Design-through-Simulation.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Accelerating-Design-through-Simulation-600x325.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Accelerating-Design-through-Simulation-768x415.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 2: Simulation of domains or products assists in finding the balance for the platform and ensures optimal performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The digital twin and digital thread offer significant benefits when designing an aircraft, its components or systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, I urge you to check out this on-demand webinar, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plm.automation.siemens.com\/global\/en\/webinar\/aerospace-and-defense\/76582\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Preparing for the Future of Aerospace and Defense<\/a>.<\/em>&#8221; Some of the topics I covered in this blog are discussed in greater detail in this webinar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And please take a listen to our just-released podcast that goes into greater detail on the future of aerospace. I am truly excited to share this with you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-acast\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/player.acast.com\/5ea828ec02a57ed346db8efa\/episodes\/the-future-of-aerospace?theme=default&#038;cover=1&#038;latest=1\n<\/div><figcaption>NEW! <em>Talking Aerospace Today <\/em>podcast series. This is episode #2 of a 4-part series. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This concludes part 1 in my blog series. In <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/building-the-future-of-aerospace-part-ii\/\">part 2<\/a>, I discuss how the digital twin goes beyond just product design and can be used to enhance the production and performance of the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yesterday\u2019s tools and approaches cannot be used to build tomorrow\u2019s products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2102,"featured_media":3368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11,2],"industry":[113,115,118],"product":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-3362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-digital-twin","tag-digitalization","industry-aerospace-defense","industry-aircraft-airframes","industry-space-systems"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2020\/03\/Bulding-the-future-of-aerospace-cover-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3362"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4284,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3362\/revisions\/4284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}