Aeronautical and aerospace
About the sector
CLOUDLESS SKY FOR WALLOON AERONAUTICS AND AEROSPACE
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With its large companies, partners of the main aeronautic constructors, a very dense network of SMEs active in highly specialised domains, and a multitude of companies specialising in the space technologies sector, the Walloon region, with its long aviation history, continues to be at the cutting edge of aeronautics and space progress. The aeronautics sector today occupies a primordial place in the economy of the Walloon region and constitutes undeniably one of its major assets for the future. Success in this sector is the fruit of a strategy centred on involvement with large constructors, coupled with a research and development policy, backed by the public authorities.
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A Century of Know-How
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Since the time of the aviation pioneers, Belgium has been one step ahead in terms of aeronautics research and construction. Walloon region companies, in particular, have forged a name for themselves in the field of aeronautics on the founding stones of the mechanic and metallurgical know-how of the Liege and Charleroi basins. During the period of great development witnessed by the sector between the two world wars, Belgium constructed entire planes. The Second World War saw the decline of this young and effervescent industry that would see its rebirth in the 1960s.
In line with technological developments in the sector and due to the size of companies, the activity of the plane and motor constructors evolved towards creating specialised, high quality products for planes. As from the 1970s, over 200 Walloon companies specialised in plane part construction, constituting a network of specialised sub-contractors. Airframe producers made cabin components, engine producers manufactured the engines and the various equipment manufacturers supplied the landing gear, control screens, seats, etc.
The sector went on to accumulate glowing references. The 1980s saw the arrival, in particular, of the first manufacturing contract for F-16 planes licensed by Lockheed Martin. Today, many planes carry the mark of Walloon region skill: Airbus, Boeing, F-16, A400M, JSF by Lockheed Martin, Rafale, Falcon 7X and more besides.
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Experienced SMEs
The Walloon Region boasts a plethora of experience and skill in terms of aeronautics and space, almost unheard of in the regions of Europe. If a few companies are privileged partners of large international aeronautics constructors, via these, a multitude of SMEs active in highly specialised sectors have access to the large aeronautics and civil programmes. In this way, a Walloon company supplies the largest aeronautics constructors, (Airbus, Boeing, Dassault, etc.), with honeycomb formed and machined parts. They also offer ultra-sophisticated software components to manage, publish, find and visualise geospace information. Clients include NASA and the ESA.
Yet another delivers complex, high precision mechanical pieces and sets to the aeronautics sector using electro-erosion. A company in the Liege region specialises in the creation of very high precision optical, mechanical and opto-mechanical systems destined for the space and astronomical industry. The Walloon region is also home to a company that has become the main partner of the largest world engine manufacturers, by designing, producing and assembling modules and equipment for aeronautics and space engines. These few examples show the vivacity of the sector, very active, particularly in highly specialised domains.
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Windward
The field of aeronautics is changing. The aircraft of tomorrow will feature more new technologies and materials and will have to face new challenges, especially concerning the environment. The Walloon region has seized the opportunity. In 2006, the region set up an aeronautics-aerospace economic centre called "Skywin". Skywin unites the aeronautics cluster of “Walloon Region Aeronautics Companies” and the space cluster “Wallonie Espace”, and constitutes a particularly profitable networking solution for SMEs who will from now on embark on research that they would have been unable to finance alone. Skywin represents approximately 7,000 jobs and a turnover of around € 1.25 billion. The aeronautics-space centre concentrates its activities around three particular domains: it encourages partnerships between large and small companies, universities, research institutes and schools, stimulates technological innovation at all levels and strives to increase overseas visibility of Walloon aeronautics industrialists.
One of Skywin’s main projects is the APC plane, a project bringing together a large number of SMEs as well as Walloon region universities. Furthermore, the Walloon region is very active in infrastructure construction (satellites, launchers, and ground facilities), thanks to Belgian involvement with the European Space Agency (ESA).
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State-of-the-art Universities
Walloon universities, via their research centres, participate largely in the success and excellence of the aeronautic-aerospace sector. Liege University is a benchmark for aerospace training. It offers a Masters in Spatial Sciences as well as a Masters in Aerospace Civil Engineering. As regards research, (be it fundamental or applied), ULG participates internationally in various programmes via its Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics, via the LTAS-Aerospace and Mechanics Department, via Liege Space Centre (CSL) and via its various industrial chemistry, cryogenics, geomatics, telecommunications and imagery laboratories, etc. In the space domain, ULG is also involved in the WSL (Wallonia Space Logistic), which was recognized, (in 2006 by the United States and in 2007 by the European Commission), as one of the best world incubators of spinoffs and start-ups with around thirty high-tech companies incubated.
Within Louvain Catholic University, sectors of excellence have developed in terms of R&D, especially in the fields of new materials, fluids and transfers, microelectronics and system automatics. Around ten units work actively in these fields via national and European research programmes.
Beyond university research, the sector may also count on various research centres gravitating around the aeronautics industry sector. This is the case, for example with CENAERO, a centre of excellence in digital simulation for the aeronautics industry, established in the Charleroi aeropole. This centre aims for international positioning for the Walloon region in the aeronautics sector. The strong point of CENAERO is its development of calculation software. The centre boasts a considerable calculation power to successfully complete its digital simulations: a “cluster” with around 400 processors- constituting the most efficient machine in Belgium, capable of making an astonishing 3,500 billion calculations per second.
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International airports
The Walloon region aeronautics centre may also rely upon two international airports in the large industrial areas of Liege and Charleroi. Situated at the centre of the "Amsterdam-Frankfort-Paris" triangle, Liege
Airport, classed as one of the top 50 world airports is currently ranked 8 in the European classifications for goods air transport. It is one of the top 10 European airports for cargo. In just a few years, Liege Airport has become a major centre for economic reorganisation, a centre of multimodality and high-tech logistics development. The airport is equipped with plane parks and freight handling halls, fully equipped for perishable goods and live animals.
To the north of Charleroi, Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) is the 2nd largest Belgian airport and the main Walloon region airport in terms of passenger traffic. A new
terminal, with an annual capacity of 5 million passengers, was inaugurated in January 2008. It is one of two international airports serving the Belgian capital. Large scale strategic projects are set to materialise in the next few months. The extension of the current runway that will go from 2,550 m to 3,200 m is foreseen for the end of 2009. Intensification of the bus shuttle network between the airport and the main cities in Belgium, the north of France and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is also in the pipeline.
To the north of Charleroi, Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) is the 2nd largest Belgian airport and the main Walloon region airport in terms of passenger traffic. A new
terminal, with an annual capacity of 5 million passengers, was inaugurated in January 2008. It is one of two international airports serving the Belgian capital. Large scale strategic projects are set to materialise in the next few months. The extension of the current runway that will go from 2,550 m to 3,200 m is foreseen for the end of 2009. Intensification of the bus shuttle network between the airport and the main cities in Belgium, the north of France and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is also in the pipeline.
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The arrival of the A380
It is undeniable: The Walloon region occupies a prestigious place on the European and global aeronautic scene. The programmes its industrialists are involved in are amongst the best in the world. The future is guaranteed not only by company partners but also sector giants. Furthermore, business globalisation is a factor for development in air transport and the positive impact on aircraft orders will continue to be felt over the next decades. The arrival of the A380 also heralds a new challenge for Walloon aeronautics. In fact, the Region is participating, with Techspace Aero, in the motorisation of the aircraft and is also involved, thanks to its aerospace sector, in equipment and airframe. A Walloon company is developing, manufacturing, assembling and testing the leading edges of the A380’s wings, creating part of the fuselage situated just above the cockpit, (Nose Upper Shell), and assembling Frame 5 (Protective Shield). This company is today the world leader in this industrial domain.
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