Airbus BizLab launches the second edition of #Africa4Future for African startups. Credit: © Airbus S.A.S.

Airbus, in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in the US, has opened a new centre for overall aircraft design (OAD) activities.

The new Airbus/Georgia Tech Center features a model-based systems engineering (MBSE) design and will support the development and demonstration of a concurrent overall aircraft design process.

It will employ MBSE, interactive, parametric design space exploration and digital enablers to achieve its goal.

A group of 30 Georgia Tech researchers, doctoral students and Airbus experts will work at the centre.

Georgia Tech Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering chair Dr Mark Costello said: “This collaboration between Airbus and our Aerospace Systems Design Lab provides a unique opportunity for our students and faculty to work on research projects that are defining the next generation aircraft.

“This partnership aims to build a much larger ecosystem within and beyond Airbus, bringing our European and international partners on board.”

“Model-based Systems Engineering is a specific strength of the Aerospace Engineering School, and this collaboration with Airbus will enable us to help develop the next-generation of aircraft design thinking.”

In addition, the Airbus/Georgia Tech Center offers a multi-year roadmap for the two organisations.

Airbus Flight Physics senior vice-president Dr Marc Fischer said: “Our future aircraft developments will benefit from much more integrated and interdisciplinary processes.

“Model-based systems engineering is at the foundation of this ambition and allows us to cover not just the conventional OAD disciplines, but also trade opportunities between engineering and manufacturing.

“This partnership aims to build a much larger ecosystem within and beyond Airbus, bringing our European and international partners on board.”

In a separate development, Airbus has launched the second edition of #Africa4Future, a joint accelerator programme between the company’s global aerospace accelerator BizLab and Make-IT in Africa.

Developed by Airbus BizLab, #Africa4Future initiative aims to help African startups to rethink how their technology could be used in the aerospace industry.