ITP Aero Celebrates the III ITP Aero FCAS Industry Day

As the leader of the engine pillar of the FCAS/NGWS in Spain, ITP Aero has gathered today, October 9, 2024, more than 25 companies, technology centers, and universities involved in this pillar, with the aim of sharing the latest advancements in the programme and discussing the various next-generation technologies being developed. Members of the Spanish Ministry of Defense also attended the event to gain firsthand insight into the progress made in the engine pillar of the FCAS/NGWS and to share their vision for the programme.

The engine pillar of the FCAS/NGWS is the most ambitious technology development project led by ITP Aero in Spain, which will transform the national propulsion technological and industrial landscape.

During the event, ITP Aero shared the advancements being made in the development of various technologies led by the company, including: advanced heat exchangers, low-pressure turbines adapted to high temperatures, innovative high-performance materials such as ceramic matrix composites (CMC) for operations at extreme temperatures, single-crystal vane technology, next-generation control systems, and application analysis with multi-parameter vector nozzles.

Additionally, a roundtable discussion was held during the event, moderated by Ricardo Navarro, Director of the FCAS/NGWS Programme at ITP Aero, focusing on the current status and future vision of the programme. Participants included Colonel Luis Villar, Deputy Director of the FCAS/NGWS Programme in the Combined Project Team (CPT) in Paris; Lieutenant Colonel Jesús Aguilar, Head of the National Office of the FCAS/NGWS Programme; Antonio Gómez Guillamón, CEO of Aertec; and David Modesto, PhD, Senior Researcher and Technical Coordinator of the Dual Technologies group at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC).

The FCAS/NGWS programme is a strategic project for ITP Aero, marking the beginning of an intense phase of research and development in next-generation technologies. As the leader of the engine pillar in Spain, ITP Aero coordinates national industry, technology centers, and universities to develop strategic and cross-cutting industrial and technological capabilities in propulsion, in line with the interests of the Spanish Ministry of Defense. The first flight demonstration is expected to take place in 2028, with the system entering service from 2040.

Ricardo Navarro, Director of the FCAS/NGWS Programme at ITP Aero, stated: “As leaders of the engine pillar of the FCAS in Spain, coordination with national industries, technology centers, and universities is an essential and significant responsibility for us. The FCAS/NGWS is a strategic project for the development of industrial and technological capabilities that will transform our defense industry in the coming decades and will undoubtedly contribute to Spanish and European defense sovereignty.”

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