Spirit AeroSystems signs NASA’s Sustainable Flight Partnership to develop lightweight flight parts

Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. has proudly declared its continued involvement in NASA's Sustainable Flight National Partnership as a valued partner in the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project.

Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. is proud to be a subsidiary of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. and mainly uses aluminium and other composite materials to create its flagship aerospace components.

The Spirit senior vice president, chief technology officer and chief engineer, Sean Black, explained: "Spirit is leveraging extensive experience as a global leader in composite structures technology development and our commercial design-build production capabilities to take a leading role in NASA's HiCAM public-private partnership, a vital cornerstone to create an affordable sustainable future for aviation.”

"At Spirit AeroSystems, we are committed to sustainable practices in our work and in our communities. Spirit team members in the U.S., supported by expertise and capability in the U.K., will help NASA and partners develop the next generation of composite primary airframe structures, which have the potential to help reduce aviation carbon emissions,” Black added.

Spirit is honoured to be among the select group of 14 organizations that have been awarded NASA contracts for the initial development of the HiCAM project. This esteemed project aims to reduce the cost and increase the production rate of composite structures made in the United States.

Through this, manufacturing rates will see a dramatic improvement, resulting in lighter-weight composite airframes that will lead to reduced fuel consumption and emissions. This will make commercial aviation more environmentally sustainable.

NASA has stated that the organizations awarded contracts will support the evaluation and development of high-rate manufacturing concepts at small scales. This includes experiments in material processing, assembly techniques, inspection, and structural performance. At the conclusion of this phase of the project, HiCAM will select the most promising concepts for further development.

With pending results of annual federal budget negotiations, NASA plans to invest $184 million in HiCAM, while partner organizations are expected to contribute $136 million. This will result in a total project operating budget of $320 million.