Qarbon Aerospace and Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research announce strategic collaboration to advance next-generation aerostructures

Qarbon Aerospace, headquartered in Red Oak, Texas, and Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) in Wichita, Kansas, today announced a strategic collaboration focused on research, innovation, and manufacturing of advanced aerostructures for defense, space, and commercial aerospace programs to enhance U.S. competitiveness through cost-effective, scalable, and independent third-party solutions.

The collaboration combines NIAR’s expertise in design, analysis, prototyping, certification and manufacturing process development with Qarbon Aerospace’s proven track record in producing large, complex composite and metallic components and assemblies for the world’s leading aerospace OEMs. Together, Qarbon and NIAR aim to accelerate innovation, shorten development cycles, and transition next-generation cost effective aerostructures into high-rate production at Qarbon Aerospace facilities.

“Our work with NIAR is about building the bridge between advanced research and development to large-scale manufacturing,” said Mike Canario, CEO of Qarbon Aerospace. “Qarbon has more than a century of experience producing critical aerostructures for defense, commercial, space, and business jet platforms. By combining NIAR’s cutting-edge research, development and certification capabilities with our expertise in high-volume metallic and composite manufacturing, we can enable swift, scalable integration of next-generation technologies, bringing new cost-efficient solutions to market with greater speed and efficiency.”

The agreement addresses emerging programs through multiple phases with joint research and prototyping at NIAR, including advanced virtual design and simulation, new composite materials, and automated manufacturing. NIAR will pair its specialized labs, testing facilities, and design resources, with Qarbon Aerospace’s expertise in manufacturability, scalability, OEM-driven requirements, and advanced thermoplastics technologies, leveraging decades of experience in large-scale metallic and composite assemblies. The collaboration also involves advanced manufacturing process development, testing, and aerostructures certification before transferring proven technologies into full production at Qarbon Aerospace facilities. This approach ensures ideas are not only innovative but also practical, scalable, cost efficient and production ready, enabling delivery of world-class, defect-free composite structures and assemblies at scale.

“The U.S. aerospace industry is under constant pressure from both commercial and defense sectors to accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies,” said John Tomblin, Wichita State executive vice president for Research and Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR executive director. “This partnership combines the unique strengths of both organizations to create an unmatched ability to move technology swiftly from prototype to production.”

The collaboration will also support workforce development by creating hands-on opportunities for Wichita State students alongside Qarbon professionals. Students will gain experience in both advanced research and large-scale production environments, preparing them to contribute immediately to the aerospace industry after graduation and helping develop the next generation of leaders in aerospace.