The UK has the second largest aerospace industry in the world and South West England plays a significant part within it, perhaps most famously with the works just outside Bristol which did so much to develop the iconic Concorde supersonic passenger jet.
Now, 800 companies in the region are active in the sector, ranging from big contractors such as Rolls Royce engines, to small, highly specialised firms further down the supply chain. As a result, more than 43,000 people are directly employed in an industry which boasts a turnover of £4 billion annually.
The area around Bristol is home to Airbus UK, manufacturer of wings, and Rolls Royce, famed for its engines. Helicopter maker AugustaWestland is based in Yeovil, while the component manufacturers Smiths Aerospace and Massier-Dowty are in Cheltenham. There is also fuelling systems specialist Cobham in Dorset and defence specialists BAE Systems in Plymouth.
This high concentration of aerospace expertise in the region has grown from the early years of aviation, explains Roger Cox, development director at the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), an industry body that brings together the region’s businesses and research organisations.
“Historically the region has strong connections with the aerospace industry. When you look back through history all the way to the First World War, it’s always been a strong region as far as aerospace and defence is concerned,” says Mr Cox.
“Looking at the history of aviation, many planes were developed here, from the first fixed-wing planes to Glosters and the original Westlands. Now around 30 per cent of the UK’s aerospace and defence industry is based in the South West of England. It is the dominant region and has the highest concentration of aerospace related companies in Europe.”
Airbus employs 6,000 people at its Filton headquarters including over 2,500 designers responsible for wing, fuel system and landing gear design. With the European Airbus group now fulfilling more than half of all international commercial airliner orders, the company recently invested a further £243 million in the UK site.
Adding to its product line of the single aisle, A320, the wide body A300 and the long-range A330 and A340, it recently unveiled the impressive 555-seater ultra-long haul A380, which is due to enter service in 2006. Its proven expertise in civil aviation is now being applied in the military field, with the development of the A400M military transporters, due to take its first flight in 2008.
“Airbus UK’s Bristol site is involved in the supply components including the design of the super efficient Airbus wing design which uses technology developed from Concorde,” Mr Cox says. “With the recovery of the civil aircraft market continuing and expected to get back to pre- 9/11 production levels next year, Airbus UK looks to have a bright future.”
Another company thriving in the region is Westland helicopters, which has been based in Yeovil for more than 50 years. Now part of AugustaWestland, this rotorcraft manufacturer produces models including the Lynx, the formidable Apache attack helicopter and the versatile mid-sized EH101. Such is the popularity of this model, the United States recently ordered a presidential fleet of 23, all re-badged US101. Westland is now in the bid process for another contract in the US for 300 helicopters to be used for heavy lifting.
While history has played a part in the emergence of the aerospace industry in the region, much of its new technologies and innovation has been born out of the region’s universities research facilities.
The University of Bath is carrying out research into the aerodynamics needed to fly microplanes as small as 15cm long. Approaching the problems of poor lift, inefficient propulsion and unsteady aerodynamics it has developed a model that is able to flap its wings in a manner similar to insects. This research hopes to match the efficiency of nature and develop small, undetectable planes, which could be used in military reconnaissance.
The University of Bristol’s Computational Fluid Dynamics research group has a long history of working on and applying new techniques to testing aircraft aerodynamics using computer simulation. Its current research is focusing on rotary-wing simulation, hoping to improve the stability of helicopters.
Such ties between the industry and research departments means that students are tackling specific projects that business lacks the time or resources to do itself. Working in partnership with experts from a university helps the business through innovation, improved profitability and developing future employees. With this sort of co-operation and sharing of knowledge, the sky is the limit for this thriving market.
