Leonardo’s C-27J flying test bed concludes REGIADP campaign
Experimentation with groundbreaking wing configurations
Leonardo’s C-27J flying test bed, a pioneering European Clean Sky 2 aircraft, has completed the Regional Integrated Aircraft Demonstration Platform (REGIADP) campaign at Turin’s Caselle airport.
This in-flight demonstration marks the culmination of a decade-long technological development cycle led by Leonardo, showcasing the collaboration of over 100 European partners, including SMEs, research centres, universities, and industries.
The innovative in-flight activities aimed to validate technical solutions designed by Leonardo’s engineers in Turin and Pomigliano d’Arco.
The team used Leonardo’s C-27J Spartan aircraft as a European flying test bed to experiment with groundbreaking wing configurations featuring unique mobile surfaces, namely innovative wingtips and morphing winglets.
These surfaces incorporate active, adaptive technology and digital systems capable of changing shape during flight.
Advanced features
Equipped with advanced electromechanical actuators and digital control units, the wingtip boasts a mobile part measuring about 80cm, capable of rotating up to ±15 degrees.
Simultaneously, the winglet, positioned at the wing’s tip, is a vertical flap composed of two independent mobile parts, each with a maximum rotation of +5 to -15 degrees.
Aurelio Calcedonio Boscarino, in charge of Strategy and Innovation at Leonardo’s Aircraft Division, said: “We are registering extraordinary technological results, made possible by an excellent European aeronautical ecosystem in which Leonardo is at the helm, brilliantly playing the part of innovation and sustainability coordinator.”
The milestone reinforces Leonardo’s expertise in designing new configurations and architectures with innovative flight control solutions, addressing the challenge of maintaining digital transformation in the aeronautical industry.
The data obtained from this experimental phase will serve as a strategic technological asset, contributing to developing artificial intelligence algorithms for enhancing flight controls and future digital systems, ultimately optimising aircraft performance and sustainability.
Pax Cabin Demonstrator
This achievement follows another significant breakthrough under the European Clean Sky 2 programme – the new fuselage Pax Cabin Demonstrator.
Measuring 7.3m in length and with a diameter of 3.4m, the demonstrator, a result of collaboration with 20 European partners, aims to improve onboard comfort through innovative environmental conditioning solutions and cabin components.
The C-27J flying test bed and the Pax Cabin Demonstrator projects were co-financed by the European Union within the Horizon 2020 programme, aligning with the commitment to achieving climate neutrality in air transportation by 2050.
These technologies, developed under the Clean Sky programme, contribute to reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) by at least 30%.
The goal is to introduce a new generation of low-emission aircraft by 2035, replacing 75% of the world’s civil aviation fleet by 2050.
As a founding partner of the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking, now Clean Aviation, Leonardo continues to lead Europe’s most extensive technological research programme, steering aviation towards a sustainable future.
Featured image: Leonardo’s C-27J Spartan aircraft is a European flying test bed. Image: Lorenzo Ambrino/Leonardo
