Low-risk, high-gain stakes in aerospace design

With the aerospace world pulling back from groundbreaking, high-risk aircraft designs, how are PLM and CAE suppliers adapting in providing solutions?

A major theme in today's commercial aircraft design world seems to be low risk. There are no “clean-sheet” designs comparable to the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 XWB in recent new aircraft program announcements. The major aircraft OEMs describe their new programs as derivatives of existing programs, such as the Airbus A320 NEO, or the Boeing 737 MAX, or 777X.

However, to think that these “minor” design changes do not have unique challenges, think again.