BAE Systems has lifted the lid on some futuristic technologies that it claims could be incorporated in military and civil aircraft of 2040 or even earlier.

Scientists and engineers from BAE Systems’ Research and Development team at Warton have revealed disclosed some ‘drawing board’ technologies that would normally be kept well under wraps. The team currently works with some of the UK’s leading aviation thinkers from universities, Government and a whole range of companies to predict and explore how aircraft engineering might evolve.

The four technologies unveiled include 3D printers so advanced they could print smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during a mission; aircraft parts that can heal themselves in minutes; a new type of long range aircraft which divides into a number of smaller aircraft when it reaches its destination, and a directed energy weapon that could engage missiles at the speed of light, destroy them and protect the people below.

The designers envision the UAVs being created by high-tech on-board 3D printers, via Additive Layer Manufacturing and robotic assembly techniques. The 3D printers would respond to data fed to them by a remote control room where a human commander would decide what should be produced.

BAE Systems says 3D printed UAVs could be designed and fabricated to deal with different kinds of scenarios – be it a group of wide-winged aircraft for protracted or enduring surveillance – or rotary-winged UAVs to rescue single civilians or soldiers from dangerous situations. After use the UAVs could render themselves useless through dissolving circuit boards or they might safely land in a recoverable position if re-use was required.

Nick Colosimo, a Futurist and Engineering Manager within the R&D team said: “Of course we don’t know exactly what sorts of aircraft technologies will be used in 2040 with any certainty, but it’s great to be able to show the public some concepts that might be possible through projecting where today’s technology could get to. BAE Systems has a rich heritage in research and development, and our team builds on literally decades of previous R&D work by thousands of scientists and engineers.”

In terms of research and development, BAE Systems says it invested £117M of its own capital in R&D in 2013.

Source: BAE Systems

Tags: 3D Printing, aerospace, aviation, BAE Systems, military, Nick Colosimo, UAV, unmanned aerial vehicle