With Boeing developing elongated, ultra-light wings called Transonic Truss-Braced Wings, Airbus has announced a new wing development center to further enhance the performance of its wings.

Adding to its UK innovation capabilities, Airbus on Wednesday announced the opening of a new Wing Technology Development Centre (WTDC) at its Filton site.

“Nusrat Ghani, UK Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade, opened the facility, which will build and test demonstrators for a range of programs and research projects.”

By using the latest technology and world-leading demonstrators, the new facility will help Airbus accelerate the design, build and testing of wings for next-generation aircraft.

Making wings longer, leaner and lighter is one of the biggest opportunities for improving fuel efficiency, reducing CO2 and ultimately working towards the aviation industry’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to the aerospace company.

Our research will be grounded in reality thanks to the new Wing Technology Development Center. Wing of Tomorrow (WoT) is Airbus’ largest research and development program led by the UK team, and is a key component of delivering technology for next generation aircraft wings, according to Airbus head of Filton site Sue Partridge.

Our second wing demonstrator was delivered to the WTDC last week by the team in Broughton, Wales, marking a critical milestone in the programme. In the Aerospace Integrated Research and Technology Centre (AIRTeC), it will be prepared for structural testing,” said the official.

In order to continue to enjoy flying in the future, Airbus is exploring new manufacturing and assembly technologies through the WoT programme.

In order to prepare for next-generation aircraft, we must prepare our people, technology, industrial system, supply chain, and digital and physical capabilities. To determine potential technology bottlenecks that may slow us down in the future, we are leveraging industry partners and the very best digital tools and automation. We will be able to build better and faster when the time comes if we lay the foundations now,” the official statement said.