GKN Aerospace launches ASPIRE to validate next-generation composite wing and flap structures

GKN Aerospace launches ASPIRE to validate next-generation composite wing and flap structures

(IN BRIEF) ASPIRE, a £12 million, three-year R&D programme led by GKN Aerospace and co-funded by the Aerospace Technology Institute, brings together SMEs and academic partners to advance composite wingtip and flap technologies. The project will produce three full-scale wingtip variants—bonded multi-part assemblies, quasi-isotropic RTM structures with automated and digital-twin enhancements, and novel dry-fibre SmaRTM designs—and an optimized composite flap featuring RTS skins, fibre-placed brackets and press-cured ribs targeting TRL6. Innovations from Carbon ThreeSixty, iCOMAT, Lineat and the University of Bath will validate sustainable, high-rate manufacturing methods under realistic test loads, reinforcing GKN’s leadership in efficient airframe solutions.

(PRESS RELEASE) BIRMINGHAM, 19-Jun-2025— /EuropaWire/ — GKN Aerospace has unveiled ASPIRE (Advanced Structural Product Integrated Airframe), a £12 million UK research and development initiative running from May 2025 through April 2028. This three-year programme brings together a consortium of specialist SMEs—including Carbon ThreeSixty, iCOMAT, Lineat and Pentaxia—as well as the University of Bath, with Axillium providing programme support and co-funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute. ASPIRE will design, manufacture and structurally test three distinct full-scale composite wingtip variants to Ultimate Load, each exploring a unique build philosophy. The first variant follows GKN’s bonded multi-part assembly approach; the second employs a quasi-isotropic Resin Transfer Moulding process with automated fibre deposition, digital twin integration and Pentaxia’s JouleTool for self-heated tooling; and the third introduces novel fibre orientations, low-energy dry-fibre forming and SmaRTM techniques.

In parallel, ASPIRE will develop an optimized composite flap using pre-preg skins created via iCOMAT’s Rapid Tow Sheared (RTS) method, tailored fibre-placed brackets from Carbon ThreeSixty, low-energy out-of-autoclave cure moulds and press-cured ribs. Achieving a Technology Readiness Level of 6 for press-cured ribs—building on GKN’s A350 flap production in Munich—constitutes a critical milestone. Analytical models and numerical simulations from the University of Bath will underpin both wingtip and flap developments, while Lineat’s AFFT process and Carbon ThreeSixty’s recycled-carbon stitched noodles will demonstrate sustainable material integration. ASPIRE exemplifies the strength of UK collaboration to accelerate high-rate, eco-efficient composite structures for next-generation single-aisle aircraft.

Media Contact:
Tel: +44 (0)121 210 9800

SOURCE: GKN Aerospace