Airbus announced the signature of a cooperation agreement with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on the cooperative research activities in the field of composite materials. 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.