DARTeC
Located next to Cranfield’s airport, this world-leading facility comprises a central building with a suite of digital aviation research labs together with a partially covered ‘hangar laboratory’ connected to Cranfield’s 737-400 aircraft through an airport style bridge.
The new £67m facility, which will spearhead the UK’s research into digital aviation technology, also provides open plan office space where staff, students and industry partners can collaborate and share ideas as well as a unique research and development environment created using the University’s digital air traffic control tower and next-generation technologies.
The centre will address research challenges facing the aviation industry including:
- The integration of drones into civilian airspace
- Increasing the efficiency of airports through technological advances
- Creating safe, secure shared airspace through secure data communication infrastructures
- Increasing the reliability and availability of aircraft through self-sensing, self-aware technologies
The DARTeC consortium includes Aveillant, Blue Bear Systems Research, Boeing, BOXARR, Connected Places Catapult, Cranfield University, Etihad Airways, Heathrow, Inmarsat, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the IVHM Centre, Saab, Satellite Applications Catapult, Spirent Communications and Thales, with co-investment from Research England.
Key Contacts
Client
Cranfield University
Location
Cranfield
