The use of virtual engineering (VE) in support of the engineering life cycle has been growing over time as computational power, and the skills to use this effectively, have increased. So much so that nowadays it is the virtual prototype (VP) that can be a powerful ‘centre of attention’ through design and development, manufacture and assembly, testing and certification, support to operations and upgrade developments.  

The goal is to be able to explore all aspects of a rotorcraft’s behaviour before anything is made; e.g., ensuring compliance with user requirements, exercising the manufacturing and assembly processes and passing through the test and certification phases successfully.  In support of operations, ‘digital twins’, updated with data from actual aircraft, can be used to manage health and predict behaviour in new conditions, potentially extending an individual aircraft’s life.

How close is the rotorcraft industry to achieving this goal, and what are the barriers to its achievement?  The conference will explore these questions.