Research Team At The University Of Bradford Contributes To Developing Lighter, Safer And More Fuel Efficient Aircraft

The University of Bradford is one of the consortium partners of the £11.6M HARNet (Harmonised Antennas, Radios and Networks) strategic research programme led by Thales UK. 

The consortium has been awarded £6.4M from Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) fund, with Thales and industry partner Cobham investing an additional £5.2M into the research. The programme will be aided and supported by the research of the University of Bradford, the University of Southampton, and Queen Mary University of London. The partnership will develop the radio techniques and technologies required to develop an Integrated Modular Communications (IMC) system for civil aircraft using software defined radio technology. This IMC will help remove capacity constraints, meaning improved operational efficiency and a reduction in fuel burn, noise and CO² emissions. An IMC would also offer higher reliability, safety and security. OEMs benefit from this approach as less equipment will need to be installed on new aircraft, freeing up critical space, reducing weight and using less power. For the airlines reduced weight means reduced costs.

Prof. Fun Hu, Head of the Future Ubiquitous Networks Research Group of the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics of the University of Bradford said, "I am extremely delighted for my research team to be involved in this prestigious and strategic programme that is set to change the future of communications technologies for civil aircraft."