"We aspire to drones becoming an integral part of our daily lives in the area of public safety and services in the near future."
Paweł Stężycki is Director of the Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Aviation (Poland).
The Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Aviation is celebrating its 95th anniversary as one of the oldest research organisations in Europe. What are the main milestones achieved by the Łukasiewicz-ILOT in the aviation sector since its inception in 1926?
Since its origins, the institute has focused on aircraft testing and certification. After the war, our activities were devoted more to military purposes: our main work consisted of ground and flight testing, but we also developed our own constructions, such as the Bies, Iskra and Iryda. Our successes in aircraft engine design are also noteworthy. Later, our focus shifted to agricultural aircraft. Interestingly, in addition to our core business, we simultaneously began to develop our competencies in space technologies.
Today, we are a research institute providing R&D and testing services to local and international industrial partners. At the beginning of the new millennium, we signed a contract with General Electric. Together with our American partners, we created, at our Warsaw site, the Engineering Design Centre, one of the largest design offices in Europe.
Since Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, we have also started to participate in European-wide projects. Currently, we participate in the Clean Sky 2 programme, aimed at developing future aviation concepts and designs (such as the SAT-AM, TRAIL or DREAM projects). Within the framework of these projects, we work closely with leading companies in the aviation market.
We are also strengthening our position in a national market: since 2019, we have been part of the Łukasiewicz research network, the third largest research network in Europe. Together with 31 other Polish research institutes, we are part of the scientific community that supports the development of Polish companies. As the Łukasiewicz network's motto quotes, we are science in the service of business.
Łukasiewicz-ILOT is composed of different research centres focusing on areas such as Space, Materials and Structures, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Engineering, among others. What are the strategic research areas of Łukasiewicz-ILOT where technology transfer to industry is constant?
We are active in highly dynamic sectors using advanced technologies. Operating in such diverse areas requires prioritising strategic activities.
Considering current and future possibilities, we have distinguished three strategic areas: aviation, space and unmanned technologies.
In the aviation area, we focus primarily on the design and testing of aircraft structures, with a special interest in materials and structures. The institute houses three specialised research centres dedicated to research on materials, composites and aviation technologies. Industry partners (such as Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters or PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company), for whom we work within the framework of the European Clean Sky 2 programme, appreciate the extensive laboratory facilities and the maturity of the skills of our engineering staff. In our projects, we develop, among other things, design and manufacturing methods for composite elements that are then used in the aviation industry.
An important issue is the possibility of commercialising the results of our research. Since 2000, we have developed a partnership with the world's leading engineering company, General Electric (GE). We also provide engineering services in the field of analysis and design, and carry out research and development work for corporate clients (such as Baker Hughes, Innio or Wabtec) based on long-term collaboration contracts. And this is where technology transfer and cooperation with industry is most notable. We are also open to this type of business-industry cooperation with other market stakeholders.
The most recent example of cooperation leading to commercialisation is our participation in the SUBCOM project, which aims to develop innovative communication systems for space and rocket applications. This project will use the ILR-33 AMBER 2K suborbital rocket developed at our institute. The rocket will allow scientific research and verification of communication systems during flight tests. We are carrying out the SUBCOM project as part of a joint concession with a Polish industrial partner: Thorium Space.
In the area of unmanned technologies, we put our unique expertise in the field of transport at the service of the use of drones in urban areas. We were the only foreign organisation invited to participate in the exclusive testing of the unmanned vehicle traffic management system coordinated by NASA Ames Research Center in Nevada.
This experience would allow us to broaden our competencies. Within our structure, we have set up the Unmanned Technologies Centre, which is responsible for initiating and coordinating activities in the field of system development and constructions. We have also established a Drone Certification Centre, where we carry out standardisation and regulatory activities for the drone market. We also intend to carry out here the procedure for admitting drones to flights (including flights in the special category, according to the SORA methodology).
We also participate in the ASSURED-UAM project aimed at creating future scenarios for the development of urban aerial mobility and defining standards and recommendations for the implementation of unmanned operations in urban agglomerations. Currently, in addition to this project - together with the drone companies Dronehub and Pentacomp and with the support of the city of Sosnowiec and Metropolis GZM - we are participating in a pilot programme for the transport of AED defibrillators using UAVs. This is the first project of its kind in Poland. Thus, we aim to make drones an integral part of our everyday life in the area of public services and public safety in the near future.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the research activities of the Łukasiewicz-ILOT?
First, the pandemic affected the way we work and the tools we use. Overnight, we had to reorganise our existing workflow: administrative staff and engineers working on design or calculations could do their work remotely. However, we could not move the work from the laboratories to the internet, so we had to take special measures to ensure maximum security for the engineering staff working on site.
As I have already mentioned, our strengths are, above all, the diversification of our areas of activity and our wide range of projects.
I cannot omit one more aspect of which I am also very proud. Faced with initial difficulties related to the limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors, we organised a campaign to help Polish hospitals. We worked tirelessly in two shifts in our laboratories to meet the growing demand from all over the country.
Our assistance has reached more than 120 hospitals and health centres in a total of 16 provinces. In total, we managed to produce more than 52,000 protective helmets. We also produced adapters for safety masks and half masks in 3D technology that were used in ambulance stations.
This kind of initiative sends an extremely important message of unity, solidarity and commitment. I am pleased that we have been able to use our resources to help in such a difficult situation.
Scientists and engineers at Łukasiewicz-ILOT work to provide solutions to today's aviation problems in collaboration with global aviation companies. What are the most prominent projects you are involved in?
I would like to focus on three of the aviation projects we are involved in: SAT-AM, TRAIL and DREAM. They are all funded by the European Commission under the Clean Sky 2 initiative.
The first of these, SAT-AM, focuses on the development of new technologies for the production of aircraft structures in the 4-19 seat category. In addition to our institute, which is leading the project, the consortium includes: PZL Mielec, Eurotech, Szel-Tech, P.W. Metrol, Ultratech, Aviation Plant Margański & Mysłowski and the Italian Institute for Research and Development (CIRA). The consortium's mission was to develop a cockpit demonstrator and composite engine nacelle for the M28 manufactured by PZL Mielec. The important thing about this project is that the nacelle that our engineers had developed has the potential to replace the metal structure in the future. I definitely recommend to visit our Youtube channel (ILOT.TV) and watch the video presenting the work of the consortium.
TRAIL is another project focused on the development of an innovative engine nacelle. The R&D work is dedicated to the next generation civil tiltrotor engine technology demonstrator under the supervision of Leonardo Helicopters. As consortium leader, we are responsible for the design, analysis and testing of the nacelle. Other project partners are: Politecnico di Milano, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, NLR, LA Composite, Szel-Tech and P.W. Metrol.
And the third project, DREAM, is aimed at development in the field of design and manufacture of composite parts for aviation. The project involves designing engine compartment fairings, including air intake ducts and ventilation ducts, as well as manufacturing parts for the new composite helicopter being developed by Airbus Helicopters. In addition to our institute, the consortium comprises the Czech research institute VZLU and LA Composite.
You will be hosting the 12th IFAR (the International Forum for Aviation Research) Summit on Sustainable Aviation from 18-21 October. Could you give us a preview of some of the topics and the role Łukasiewicz-ILOT will play at this event?
This year, the 12th IFAR Summit will be held in Warsaw from 18 to 21 October. The main theme of the summit will be sustainable aviation, with a focus on the future of the aviation sector, the challenges of research organisations and cooperative work with ICAO. We expect delegates from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary and many more.
Łukasiewicz-ILOT will be the host of the summit, as well as the moderator of some sessions. I am looking forward to meeting our honoured guests and having interesting conversations with them.
Łukasiewicz-ILOT - Aviation Institute
