News archive: DLR - German Aerospace Center | Airframer

3 September

ReleaseDLR's HAP-alpha high-altitude platform takes off for the first time

20 August

A first test flight is planned, ahead of an eventual crossing of the Alps.

H2-Sling hydrogen aircraft readies for flight

The aircraft is powered by a 100-kilowatt fuel cell system, in which hydrogen and oxygen react across a membrane to generate electricity and heat, with water as the only by-product.

7 July

ReleaseClearing the skies: Gulfstream demonstrates emissions reductions with SAF at 50,000 feet

12 June

ReleaseAvio Aero and GE Aerospace complete clean aviation test milestones in Europe to advance next-generation aviation technologies

22 April

The experimental aircraft PROTEUS with morphAIR wings.

DLR tests shape-shifting wings in flight

A wing structure that can change shape during flight is the idea behind the morphAIR project from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), as researchers aim to make aircraft more efficient and easier to control.

15 April

ReleaseIDS: digital precision transforms aircraft construction with Ensenso 3D vision

8 April

ReleaseMTU Aero Engines expands its portfolio to include UAV propulsion systems

17 March

ReleaseRolls-Royce secures €64m to advance UltraFan 30 demonstrator through UNIFIED partnership

6 March

ReleaseDLR trials system for predicting wake vortices during cruise flight

5 February

Rotor with actively twisting blades in the wind tunnel.

DLR tests active rotor twisting to cut helicopter noise and vibration

Wind tunnel trials under the STAR project showed measurable noise and vibration reductions while improving rotor efficiency under high-load conditions.

3 February

ReleaseNTU Singapore unveils locally designed and built eVTOL aircraft at Singapore Airshow 2026

10 December

ReleaseEaton joins HYdrogen eLectrical Engine Novel Architecture (HYLENA) R&D project, taking sustainable aviation to new heights with revolutionary hydrogen-electric engines

8 December

ReleaseDrone testing – from everyday applications to defence

5 December

ReleaseDLR conducts ground roll tests with HAP-alpha – the uncrewed high-altitude solar aircraft

17 November

ReleaseFrom wind tunnels to space: vacuum for aerospace research

23 September

ReleaseVaeridion and Deutsche Aircraft join forces to advance sustainable regional aviation

4 September

More than 20 electrodynamic shakers were used to excite the aircraft.

D328 UpLift testbed completes ground vibration test

Deutsche Aircraft and the German Aerospace Center worked together to carry out the vibration test, which confirmed structural dynamics and informed future modifications for the D328 UpLift.

27 August

ReleaseUpLift – ground vibration test for climate-compatible aircraft of the future

24 July

HAP-alpha will fly at around 20 kilometres in the lower stratosphere.

DLR completes vibration test for solar HAP-alpha aircraft

The stratospheric platform project has passed vibration testing in Cochstedt as DLR now works towards future sensor trials and 2026 flight readiness.

17 June

ReleaseHexcel highlights thermoplastics breakthrough at Paris Air Show with HELUES project, a multi-partnership demonstrator

6 June

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

23 April

ReleaseExplore next-generation aircraft in the Digital Hangar

8 April

ReleaseDLR and Rolls-Royce reduce soot emissions in latest engine generation

25 March

ReleaseDLR opens new home for climate-compatible aircraft engine research

28 February

ReleaseEnhancing climate compatibility for commercial aircraft through intelligent load control

10 January

ReleaseHENSOLDT conducts research in the field of quantum computing

6 November

ReleaseUnrivalled facility for flight and driving simulations: the Dynamic Motion Simulator Center

28 October

ReleaseOfficial opening of the DLR BALIS test centre

28 August

The DLR Institute of Aeroelasticity conducts vibration tests on Volocopter’s VoloCity air taxi.

DLR successfully tests VoloCity vibration

The Göttingen-based institute previously conducted a vibration test on a predecessor model of the VoloCity in 2021. The findings from that test have informed the development of this improved successor model.

22 July

ReleaseRolls-Royce and easyJet to perform hydrogen testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center

22 July

ReleaseCranfield joins international team in sustainable aviation project

10 July

ReleaseDLR moves into new space at ZAL TechCenter

10 July

Future high-performance turbines are being investigated at the Next-Generation Turbine Test Facility (NG-Turb) at the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology in Göttingen.

DLR and R-R Deutschland eye 'winglets' for climate-friendly engines

Applying winglets to the blade tips significantly changes the geometry of the blade and hence the flow around it, giving rise to improvements in both turbine and overall engine efficiency.

5 June

ReleaseMTU Aero Engines presents Clean Sky 2 results

11 October

Deutsche's 328ALPHA technology demonstrator completes wind tunnel testing

The objective of this powered-model test was to validate the overall aerodynamic integration of a next-generation electric propulsion system that is being developed with our project partners.

9 October

ReleaseDLR and Embraer extend cooperation in aviation research

28 September

Rolls-Royce hydrogen project marks industry first

Hydrogen burns far hotter and more rapidly than kerosene, so new nozzles were needed to control the flame position using a new system that progressively mixes air with the hydrogen to manage the fuel's reactivity.

18 July

ReleaseMFFD – using thermoplastics to replace aluminium in aircraft construction

13 July

Laser measurement technology in front of the combustion chamber. The Institute of Propulsion Technology draws on decades of experience in the use of complex laser-optical measurement methods in aircraft gas turbines to enable rapid adaptation to new measurement objectives.

DLR breaks new ground with hydrogen combustion testing

The combustion behaviour of hydrogen is significantly different from that of conventional aviation fuels such as kerosene, and the infrastructure at DLR enables experiments in a realistic environment.

21 June

ReleaseClean Sky 2: MTU Aero Engines is working on two technology demonstrators

12 May

Release45 million for testing hydrogen in aviation

24 April

ReleaseMobility of the future - approximately 11.3 million Euro for the planning of research and production buildings for the Center for Hybrid Electric Systems Cottbus (chesco)

7 February

ReleaseOn the way to climate-neutral flying: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action funds development of hydrogen fuel cell technology

8 February

The Airframer Bulletin