SMR aircraft architecture and technology integration project (SMR ACAP)

Research Project, 2023 – 2026

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.