The SMR Aircraft Architecture and Technology Project (SMR ACAP) shall be the central place to assess and integrate all technologies at aircraft level, from across the projects in the SMR pillar. Establishing the link to projects with relevant technologies in the other Clean Aviation "Pillars" and transverse projects associated with novel certification methods is part of the work plan of the project. The setup of the ACAP project is tailored to steer and manage the definition of the targeted SMR aircraft configurations with all key performance features required for the SMR architecture. In order to accelerate the maturation of the SMR aircraft technologies, ACAP will provide a digital collaborative framework with tools, means and skills enabling to continuously link all R&T activities within the SMR pillar (strongly linked to other Clean Aviation pillars) to deliver solutions meeting the Clean Aviation high level goals: reduce the greenhouse gases by -30% compared to a 2020 state of the art technology; support the launch of new product by 2035, to replace 75% of the fleet by 2050, and exploit the synergies with other national and European related programmes. Coordinated by Airbus, the project consortium is composed of a well balanced mix of innovative actors from the aeronautical industry covering almost all technical disciplines of aircraft R&T complemented by a strong foundation of Academia and Research and Technology Organisations, which will be further widened with the planned linking to other CA projects. The ACAP project is aiming to identify "best athlete" SMR aircraft concepts before the end of CA phase 1 and, based on sound analysis of the expected impact with respect to the CA objectives, to propose which technologies shall be further developed and demonstrated in a Clean Aviation phase 2.

The objective of the Open Digital Environment for Hybrid-Electric Regional Architectures (ODE4HERA) project is to enable and accelerate the development of Hybrid-Electric Regional (HER) aircraft thanks to improved tools and techniques implemented in a transferable and Open Digital Platform (ODP). HER configurations imply far higher complexity than conventional configurations while involving new aircraft technologies and broader collaboration across the value/supply chain. State-of-the-art digitalization techniques limitations put at risk the achievement of the 2035 HER Entry-Into-Service (EIS) target. To address these challenges, the ODP developed in ODE4HERA will combine MBSE, MDO, SDM and PLM technologies and extend them with novel open interfaces, formats, smart model and data transformation technologies efficiently handling and processing HER configurations complexity, including frontload verification at design stage and virtualize validation for improved virtual certification.

The Ultra Performance Wing project will validate, down select, mature and demonstrate key technologies and provide the architectural integration of “ultra-performance wing” concepts for targeted ultra-efficient Short/Medium Range aircraft (SMR), i.e. 150-250 PAX and 1000-2000nm range. The project directly addresses the Clean Aviation objectives: fuel burn reduction of minimum 30% aircraft level, compared to the state-of-the-art reference Aircraft A321neo. UP Wing will consider 2 aircraft configurations, covering both exploitation horizons outlined in Clean Aviation impact objectives: a high aspect ratio SAF wing with turbofan engine targeting 10-13% and a dry high aspect ratio wing with open rotor up to 17% energy efficiency efficiency increase on wing level. UP Wing will develop the integrated high aspect ratio SAF wing up to TRL4 until the end of this project and will provide concepts studies for several dry wing configurations. The interdisciplinary European consortium, consisting of airframe integrators, industry, research establishments and academia will develop the related enabling technologies covering all relevant engineering disciplines. Performance monitoring considering Impact Monitoring in close collaboration with the architecture project will be done. For all technologies, the project objectives are broken down to individual targets to be monitored. Ground, wind tunnel and virtual testing are foreseen. Thanks to multidisciplinary optimisation the overall wing design for Configuration 1 will ensure the proper integration of all technologies up to TRL4. These results will be picked up in a second Clean Aviation phase achieving TRL6 until the end of the Clean Aviation programme. These Clean Aviation objectives are well aligned to the development plans of future aircrafts entering into service in 2035 (SAF SMR & H2 Regional), with 75% market penetration until 2050. Academia involved will ensure proper scientific exploitations via lectures, conference contributions, journal proceedings whereas the industrial partners will mature specific technology bricks to TRL4 and higher.

The FASTER-H2 project will validate, down select, mature and demonstrate key technologies and provide the architectural integration of an ultra-efficient and hydrogen enabled integrated airframe for targeted ultra-efficient Short/Medium Range aircraft (SMR), i.e. 150-250 PAX and 1000-2000nm range. To enable climate-neutral flight, aircraft for short and medium-range distances have to rely on ultra-efficient thermal energy-based propulsion technologies using sustainable drop-in and non-drop-in fuels. Besides propulsion, the integration aspects of the fuel tanks and distribution system as well as sustainable materials for the fuselage, empennage are essential to meet an overarching climate-neutrality of the aviation sector. Green propulsion and fuel technologies will have a major impact on the full fuselage, including the rear fuselage, the empennage structure as well as cabin and cargo architecture in so far as the integration of storage and the integration of systems for the chosen energy source are concerned (H2, direct burn, fuel cell). Not only do the specific properties of hydrogen necessitate a re-consideration of typical aircraft configurations, requiring new design principles formulation and fundamental validation exercises, but they also raise a large number of important follow-on questions relating to hydrogen distribution under realistic operational constraints and safety aspects. The project will explore and exploit advanced production technologies for the integrated fuselage / empennage to reduce production waste and increase material and energy exploitation with Integrated Fuselage concept selected (maturity TRL3/4) until end of first phase in 2025. An anticipated route to TRL6 until end of the Clean Aviation programme in 2030 will ensure entry-into-service in 2035.