ITP Aero brings together the Spanish ecosystem that will participate in the engine pillar of the FCAS

Today, within Spain’s International Defence Fair (FEINDEF), ITP Aero has brought together more than 20 companies, technology centres and universities that will participate in the FCAS engine pillar led by the company, with the aim of sharing the latest breakthroughs in the programme and sharing the different new-generation technologies that are being developed. The FCAS engine pillar is the technology development project led by ITP Aero with the largest pull effect on the Spanish technological ecosystem and the most ambitious project that will transform the technological and industrial map of aircraft propulsion in Spain. 

During the event, ITP Aero has shared the breakthroughs being made in the development of the different technologies led by the company, including: advanced heat exchangers, low-pressure turbines adapted to high temperatures, innovative high-performance materials, single crystal vane technology, multi-parametric vector nozzle and ceramic matrix composites (CMC) for operations at extreme temperatures.   

In addition, the event has also discussed the entry into phase 1B of the FCAS programme, following the award of the contract by the participating nations (Spain, Germany and France) in December 2022. Phase 1B, covering 2023-2026, will serve to develop and validate the concepts and technologies for FCAS/NGWS. The first flight demonstration is planned for 2028, with the system entering service in 2040.

The FCAS programme is a strategic project for ITP Aero, opening a phase of intense research and development work on next-generation technologies. As the leader of the engine pillar in Spain, ITP Aero coordinates Spanish industry, technology centres and universities for the development of strategic and transversal industrial and technological capabilities in propulsion, in line with the interests of the Spanish Ministry of Defence.

Álvaro Santodomingo, ITP Aero’s Executive Director of Defence, said: “As leaders of the FCAS engine pillar, coordination with national industries, technology centres and universities is an essential aspect of great responsibility for us. The FCAS is a strategic project for the development of industrial and technological capabilities, which will undoubtedly contribute to Spanish and European defence sovereignty.