DLR and Diehl Aviation join forces to develop advanced civil aviation technology

Two leaders in German aviation, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and Diehl Aviation, have agreed to jointly research and develop innovative technologies for civil aviation, with a special focus on aircraft systems, cabin technologies and supply systems.

DLR and Diehl will collaborate to develop and test innovative solutions for the aviation industry. The partners, with many decades of experience between them, will bundle their strengths and expertise to develop practical, forward-looking solutions together.

Their research activities will cover the following areas:

- Developing and testing innovative technologies for aircraft systems, avionics, cabin systems and on-board supplies.

- Researching innovative design and verification methods, especially those related to simulation-based approval processes (validation and verification, virtual aircraft approval).

- Developing joint project formats to more quickly bring technologies from the research stage to application.

"Our cooperation with DLR is an important step toward tackling the technological challenges and opportunities of aviation together," says Jörg Schuler, CEO of Diehl Aviation. "By combining our industrial experience with DLR's scientific excellence, we’re creating a powerful basis for innovation and its implementation."

DLR also emphasises the importance of the new partnership: "Together, we are making a significant contribution to the sustainable and high-performance aviation of tomorrow – in the areas of avionics, cabins and future-looking system architectures," explains Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of the DLR Executive Board. "This cooperation is the successful continuation of many years of joint activities in security and defence research."

The partnership agreement is open-ended and forms the framework for specific research projects to design more efficient cabins and system architecture. DLR and Diehl will combine their strengths to develop solutions for current and future challenges in the aviation industry – from low-emission flights to smart cabin design to the digitisation of development and approval processes.