Airbus - 2022 Universal Registration Document

1. Information on the Company’s Activities / 1.3 Other Corporate Activities

propulsion and liquid hydrogen storage and distribution systems. Airbus has disclosed in 2022 its H2 combustion propulsion system flight test demonstrator with CFM (also mentioned above in the UpNext section) as well as its technology roadmap for the development of a fuel cell propulsion system. Airbus has also engaged in many strategic partnerships around the world in understanding and exploring the hydrogen ecosystem to support the successful entry into service of a hydrogen powered aircraft in 2035. This will accelerate in 2023 with more integrated ground testing, as well as the preparation of the forthcoming flight demonstrations. In parallel, different aircraft configurations will be explored and matured in 2023, to assess the most efficient way to integrate those technologies inside the aircraft. The Company will also continue its effort to support its customers to build their route-to-lower carbon operations, and to grow its partnership landscape for critical technology bricks and related ecosystems. Airbus Helicopters Significant steps forward were made in 2022 in the Research and Innovation department, with activities focused on the main demonstrators and techno-bricks. The Flight Lab, the Airbus Helicopters’ techno bricks demonstrator, performed several tests in 2022: – engine Back-Up System function completed its demonstration on a single engine helicopter; – cable detection function using LIDAR and image processing operations was demonstrated. Eye for Autonomous Guidance Landing Extension (EAGLE), based on a gyro-stabilised camera, using an artificial intelligence image processing software completed its functional demonstration. Health function for Light Helicopters using wireless set-up was completely validated for further deployment. The RACER assembly significantly progressed. Shake tests were successfully run and power on of the demonstrator was done. Main remaining component to be received to finalise assembly is the main gear box. With the remaining flight clearance tests, the first flight is now planned for the second half of 2023. The DisruptiveLab demonstrator and its first techno-bricks were unveiled at the Airbus Summit. Ground tests were successfully run at the end of 2022 and the flight testing started in January 2023. Airbus Defence and Space 2022 offered us the opportunity to balance the short and long term technologies in order to ring fence our R&T portfolio. This has allowed us to secure the activities focussing on strategic technologies, under the assumption that mastering those technologies will be key to maintain Airbus’ competitive positioning in the mid-to-long-term ( e.g. , Quantum, advanced AI applications). It is worth mentioning the Zero Base Budgeting exercise, which took place in 2022 with the aim of ensuring the alignment between the R&T portfolio and our future challenges.

The technology flagships have been updated to align with the strategy and the business ambition. Currently six different Technology Flagships define the main capabilities and competences required in the Division while maintaining a full alignment across the programme lines and product portfolio: “Sustainable Aerospace”, “The future of Warfare”, “Next Generation Aerospace Vehicles”, “High Performance Payloads & On board-computers”, “End to End Information superiority” and “Industrial Competitiveness”. This optimisation of the technology landscape also took into account the reinforcement of links between R&T and R&D, and emphasised technologies reaching an “adoption at the right time and with the right speed” by the business and the programme lines, once the technologies reach a maturity level that allow their industrialisation and insertion into a product. In terms of the main technology achievements, we achieved significant progress across all flagships. End-to-end information superiority: we have focused on enhancing data management for decision support. As an example, the TWIN project (Pléiades Neo Super Resolution Images) has opened the door to negotiations with Google and Apple. Next generation spacecraft vehicles: we continued working on advanced materials and structures, human-machine interface and autonomy, among others. As an example, we achieved the handover of C295 Ergonomic Cockpit, with a cost reduction of € 500 per flight hour. High performance payloads & on-board computers: activities continue centred on increasing computing performance and increasing high throughput communication capabilities. As an example, the project Space Optical NAOMI has reduced by -50% the lead time of the NAOMI instrument automatic optical alignment. Industrial competitiveness: specially linked to industrial performance improvement and deploying technologies related to the Factory of the Future. As an example, the AMANDA project has developed a Digital Assistant for blue collars to interact by voice with Manufacturing systems, or the MFOP project has developed a digital framework for aircraft diagnosis and prognosis to increase 15% fleet availability and reduce 20% operating costs. Future of warfare and sustainable aerospace are two new flagships that will guide the ambition for the following years. Achievements in these fields include the development of algorithms for flexible coordinated formation flight (it will pave the way for FCAS) or the successful flight test of C295 semi morphing wing that reduces -43% CO 2 , and -45% lower noise and reduction of fuel consumption. Finally, strong efforts were placed on defining the technology national plans for the home countries, which will be key for the eco-systems footprint in the core nations, maximising the public private collaboration and especially focusing on the national customer priorities.

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Airbus / Universal Registration Document 2022