Airbus announced Friday the signature of a cooperation agreement with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on the cooperative research activities in the field of composite materials. An official ceremony was held at the Paris Air Show on Friday in the presence of Dr. Takashi Ishikawa, JAXA's Executive Director for Aviation Program Group, and Christian Scherer, Head of Strategy & Future Programs of Airbus. This agreement marks the first ever research cooperation between Airbus and a Japanese aerospace agency.

Two areas already identified are VaRTM (Vacuum assisted Resin Transfer Moulding) evaluation and NDI (Non-destructive inspection) new technology evaluation for composite materials. Once the first cooperation phase is successfully concluded, Airbus and JAXA intend to extend it further to other areas. Research areas may include the application of innovative breakthrough technologies in aerospace.

Dr. Takashi Ishikawa, JAXA's Executive Director for Aviation Program Group, said, "We are very proud to develop this partnership with Airbus and hope it is the starting point for a bright future. JAXA already has a long successful history with European research institutes, such as ONERA and DLR. This agreement opens a new chapter in the relationship with Europe."

Christian Scherer, Airbus' Head of Strategy & Future Programs, said, "Airbus already has more than 21 industrial partners in Japan and we appreciate the high quality, reliability, and technology level of the Japanese aerospace sector. We are always pleased to see an increasing interest from forward-looking Japanese institutions to work with us. This agreement marks the beginning of a new cooperative phase focusing on research and development and also strengthens our existing relationship with Japan."

JAXA, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a national research and development organization for Japanese aerospace science and technology, including innovative aeronautics technology as well as space exploration, transportation and utilization.