Platform System Design

Flight Operations and Certification

29 August 2022

First demonstration flights for AMU-LED successful

Drones delivering packages, flying out emergency medical supplies or carrying out inspections of buildings in the city: it sometimes sounds like science fiction, but before drones can genuinely fly through airspace in large numbers, an air traffic control system for unmanned aircraft must be set up. Together with its European project partners, Royal NLR is […]
Air Traffic Management

06 July 2022

Seven demonstrations across Europe of safe integration of unmanned aircraft

In just a few years, urban air mobility will be a reality, letting people travel conveniently in a way more suited to cities and their residents. Integrating these big future drones safely into our urban airspace requires a lot of coordination and a great deal of testing. Within the next few months, the European project […]
ESA Galileo constellation
Construction and Manufacturing

03 May 2022

NSO awards €500k for research into manufacturing of satellite propellant tanks

In close collaboration with the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) challenges entrepreneurs to develop space applications. Their products must contribute to the ESA programs. Dawn Aerospace has been awarded €500k for this through the phased innovation competition ‘Small Business Innovation Research’ (SBIR). NSO, the Netherlands Space Office, has […]
Platform System Design

07 April 2022

The maiden flight of the Scaled Flight Demonstrator (SFD)

The Scaled Flight Demonstrator (SFD) is a key demonstrator of the European Clean Sky 2 research programme. The SFD is based on a 1:8.5 scale model of an Airbus A320 and has very accurate flight test instrumentation for carrying out measurements during wind tunnel and flight tests. More than 150 parameters are recorded. The overall […]
Platform System Design

07 April 2022

The making of the Scaled Flight Demonstrator (SFD)

The goal was to develop a highly representative scaled aircraft of an actual aircraft, to show that it can be used for obtaining flight-mechanics characteristics that are representative of the full-scale aircraft. This will bring a very cost-efficient approach for developing radical new aircraft, as needed for more sustainable aviation. The scale model is equipped […]
The NLR SCALAIR and Orange Aircraft teams
Flight Operations and Certification

07 April 2022

Maiden flight of Clean Sky 2’s scaled flight demonstrator

On 30 March 2022, the maiden flight of a scaled version of a single-aisle aircraft, known as the Scaled Flight Demonstrator (SFD), took place. Under the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking, co-funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and private industry, stakeholders will use the SFD to test and mature disruptive technologies that will enable […]
NLR’s electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) facility at NLR Marknesse
Platform System Design

03 March 2022

Reducing lead time and cost with early EMC compliance

Royal NLR has a long history as a one-stop shop for environmental testing and certification in aviation as well as the space sector. A good example being the NLR’s electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) facility, which offers its customers unrivaled modelling and testing programs to qualify electronics equipment used in planes, satellites and spacecraft. This expertise comes  […]
Ariane 62 and 64 European launch systems.
Platform System Design

14 February 2022

R&D case: Wind tunnel modelling for the Ariane 6 launch system

Wind tunnel modelling for Europe’s development of the sixth generation launcher The challenge The overall objective of the development of the Ariane 6 launcher is to create a reliable, flexible and competitive European launch system. Flexibility comes in the form of a launch configuration adjustable for smaller or larger payload or lower or higher delivery […]
ISABELLE integrated steerable antenna for drones
Platform System Design

11 February 2022

R&D case: ISABELLE integrated steerable antenna for drones

Integrated Steerable Antenna for Beyond Visual Line-of-sight L-band data Exchange (ISABELLE) The market for satellite communications for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is expected to grow considerably in the next years. The growth of the UAV sector follows from the diversity of potential applications. Among the earliest applications of UAVs for civil use are the so-called […]