Industrial Perspectives of Drag Reduction Technologies

Summary

Competition in the global aircraft market forces the airlines to reduce cost considerably. This in turn requires from the manufacturer a reduction in development time and cost. Consequently, the manufacturer has to take the right decisions today for investments in cost effective technologies for the products of tomorrow which are successful, efficient and respond exactly to the variety of future customer demands and transportation system requirements.

One major part of these requirements is the significant reduction of fuel burn, where a 50% decrease is envisaged for the next 20 years. A large part is contributed by aerodynamic improvements divided into lift dependent drag reduction and friction drag reduction. Engine manufacturers are working on SFC reduction. Furthermore, materials and structural technologies as well as improved systems contribute to weight reductions of the aircraft and the engine. However, almost all of these technologies are only successful when considered on an interdisciplinary basis.