- The Galician Aerospace Consortium, in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia Galicia through the Civil UAVs Initiative, held the sixth edition of the International Aerospace Congress (CIAG) in Ourense on the 13th and 14th, for the first time in the city.
- The event brought together more than 150 representatives of the leading companies in the Galician aerospace industry and their strategic partners, who discussed the latest trends and the future of this industry and established contacts to close new projects and collaborations.
On June 14, the VI Edition of the International Aerospace Congress (CIAG) was held in the Municipal Auditorium of Ourense, which came to the city for the first time.
The CIAG is the international congress of reference in the aerospace sector in Galicia, organised every year by the Galician Aerospace Consortium (CAG) and supported by Xunta de Galicia through Civil UAVs Initiative. This year’s event brought together more than 150 professionals from the aerospace industry, from OEMs, TIER 1, 2 and 3, international organisations, governmental entities, technological centres and universities.
The Congress began on 13 June with a networking welcome cocktail at the Liceo de Ourense and continued on 14 June with a day of conferences to discuss the challenges linked to digital transformation, energy transition and opportunities in propulsion, manufacturing solutions, drones and defence.. During the congress, the different studies of the Aerospace Industry Observatory of Galicia, which is being developed within the framework of the Civil UAVs Initiative, were also presented.
From the CAG, they emphasised that “the CIAG is a very relevant fact for Ourense and its province, because brings to the city the best of the international aerospace sector. It is an excellent opportunity to highlight the aeronautical muscle of our industry and to promote new business opportunities between Galician and international companies. It is also a good example of the path we have taken over the last 15 years, where we have positioned Galicia as a benchmark in this industry. Among the great opportunities we now have are three key growth vectors: commercial aviation, drones and defence“.
Regarding the Galician aerospace sector, the important increases registered in the last year stand out: 5% in employment and 25% in turnover, reaching 1,600 jobs and 132 million euros in turnover. “These increases are driven by the recovery of commercial aviation to pre-pandemic levels, but also by the huge niche markets in defence and drones”.
Enrique Mallón, President of the CAG, also highlighted the strong export muscle of this industry, whose exports rose exponentially in 2023 to 35 million euros. “Ten years ago this industry took off in a very powerful way in Galicia, when if we look back two decades ago, it practically did not exist. The road we have travelled has been a dizzying one, and the reality is that Galicia is known in the world today for having Tier 1, 2 and 3 suppliers of the highest level”. Mallón made special reference to the growing drone (unmanned vehicle) industry in the framework of the Rozas Aerospace Pole and the Civil UAVs Initiative of the Xunta de Galicia, but also of the enormous effort and professionalism of the more than 40 companies and entities that currently make up the Galician Aeronautical Consortium”.
Opening
At the opening, María Jesús Lorenzana, Regional Minister of Economy and Industry of the Xunta de Galicia, stressed that “we are proud that Galicia, and in this case Ourense, is hosting this VI CIAG. In recent years we have become a benchmark in Spain in unmanned aerial vehicles through the Rozas Aerospace Pole. This sector already contributes 6% to Galicia’s GDP and we have given it a good boost with pioneering programmes in Spain, such as innovative public procurement, where we have invested 102 million euros, which in turn have mobilised 375 million euros. This has a direct impact on the contracting of projects in Galician companies by multinational tractor companies”. Lorenza explained that the Xunta has created a new general direction of industrial strategy, which incorporates the Polo de Rozas, with a unique strategy that seeks to achieve 20% of GDP in industry and facilitate the development of companies in our territory.
Gonzalo Pérez Jácome, Mayor of Ourense, declared at the opening of the congress: “For years we have been betting on creating an artificial intelligence centre in the city of Ourense, although this agency was finally assigned to the city of Coruña. Even so, We at the City Council continue to be committed to R&D. We are fortunate to have here in Ourense the school of aerospace engineering with an innovative degree, even though we have lost the faculty of physics, which is also fundamental in today’s context in which all science and technology degrees are key to the economic future”..
Aerospace Industry Observatory of Galicia
During the congress twere presented the latest reports published by the Aerospace Industry Observatory of Galiciaan initiative launched by the CAG in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia, aims to consolidate Galicia as a centre of reference at national and international level in the development and dissemination of scientific, economic, statistical and perspective studies of the aerospace sector.
Margarita Ardao, General Director of Industrial Strategy and Business Land of the Xunta de Galicia, presented the work carried out by the Aerospace Industry Observatory of Galicia., emphasising that “Now is the time to involve the aerospace sector but also the whole value chain, especially systemsto exploit the full potential of this industry. The aerospace sector has a great opportunity to open Galicia to all national and international companies that want to establish themselves here. We are finalising a call for private procurement projects for innovation in the UAV sector, opening up private markets for these technologies, generating synergies in the value chain”.
Alejandra González, Engineer in Autonomous Systems at CATEC, presented the study carried out within the Galician Aerospace Industry Observatory, which has made a comprehensive mapping of the various programmes and investments in dual technologies in UAVs. Among the challenges related to drones, she particularly highlighted autonomy, especially for defence, as well as telecommunications, cybersecurity and the integration of artificial intelligence,
Alfonso Lorenzo, Director of Projects and Regulatory Affairs at Gradiant, he addressed the present and future of UAV regulation: “various working groups have been formed in the space regulatory agencies, the aim is to have an intermediate layer that avoids excessive red tape for the industry and, at the same time, investing in infrastructures, technologies and support such as test and development fields, something for which the Rozas Aerospace Park is ideal.”.
Value chain participation and sustainability
The second block of the congress addressed aspects such as cooperation between companies in the value chain to address challenges linked to changes in propulsion, manufacturing solutions, new materials such as composites and sustainability. Leading international companies were involved.
Jorge Caro, National Coordinator of Airbus Spain, explained “our aim is to be a benchmark in sustainability, not only from the environmental point of view, but from a holistic perspective that also includes diversity, inclusion, safety and quality. Caro described the latest advances being made by the multinational Airbus: “We are working on new concepts for the wings of the future and much more efficient engines. Also, engine hybridisation with three hydrogen-based prototypes and a fourth fuel cell-based electric vehicle. Related to helicopters, we are also pushing for a helicopter rotary wing, which reduces consumption by 15%,and in defence and space, our technologies are exportable to other areas, such as measuring climate change, the healthiness of the oceans or measuring soil moisture.”.
Miguel A. Castillo, Director of Technological Development of the Aernnova Group, explained that the company is growing exponentially to 875 million euros and 5,600 employees, stemming from the post-pandemic aviation recovery. “In terms of innovation, we are working on four key areas which are the eVTLOL Pegasus, the electric aircraft, the supersonic overture aircraft and a last mile delivery drone for Amazon.
Keys to competitiveness: Europe’s space sector
The congress, in its international essence, featured speeches by some of the leading aeronautical clusters, who explained the keys to maintaining the competitiveness of this European industry in a globalised environment.
Oskar Karczewski, Head of the Department of Research and Innovation at the Polish Space Agency, He explained that Europe has a leading role in space, with reference telescopes. “In Poland in particular we have 60 entities in this area, 80% of them SMEs, which have developed more than 500 projects for the ESA agency for 115 million euros.. We have also launched 8 scientific and commercial nanosatellites, as well as the Eagle Eye microsatellite platform. The opportunities for collaboration at the European level are enormous. ”
Arnaud Rimokh, Managing Director of Drones and New Uses at Aerospace Valley: “Our cluster is supported by the French government and we have close collaboration with other European clusters, so our participation in this 6th CIAG is key to continue this cooperation. From the cluster, 75% of which is made up of SMEs, we work on technical development and generate business opportunities, with collaborative projects at international level. We are focused on several key ecosystems: AI, electric propulsion, on-board navigation systems, 3D printing and the growing defence and drone vector.”
Future Combat Air System (FCAS)
Defense is one of the fastest growing vectors in the aerospace sector. The congress featured a keynote address by Miguel García, Director of Operations and Engineering FCAS at Indrawho highlighted the role of Spain, France and Germany as drivers of NGWS, which integrates the FCAS fighter aircraft but also the collaborative combat cloud, which, in García’s words, “changes everything”. “The interconnectedness and situational awareness of forces will be much greater with this system and will make combat much more effective. Moreover, these technologies are catalytic in permeating other non-defence sectors and above all in ensuring sovereignty at the European level”.
Regarding the development of the systems, García explained that, “until 2028 we are in a pure phase of technological maturation and demonstrations, it is a very important investment effort by the three nations that are driving this programme. The technologies we envision now will be the ones we deploy and use in defence for decades to come.” He highlighted the role of the Rozas Aerospace Pole, where these technologies are being tested: “It is crucial to show Galicia’s capacity to carry out these tests, in Rozas we are going to launch the data collection tests and test the algorithms of the new in-flight cloud combat cloud.
Innovation technologies in space and defence
In the technology section, leading companies presented the latest advances in both space and defence.
César Martínez, Product Manager at Grupo Oesía, pointed out that “last year we opened a new headquarters in Galicia for Tecnobit, where we already have more than 400 employees. From here we develop cutting-edge activities in European and international programmes in the areas of on-board communication systems, avionics innovation, 5g technologies and drones. In defence, they are pushing communication antennas that are also used in surveillance and rescue operations, as well as visual navigation systems without access to GPS, multi-drone operations and UAVs at super-sonic speeds.
José Evelio, National General Manager of CT Ingenieros, and Dennis Quast, Project Manager of CT Ingenieros, explained Halo Space initiative, which is developing the booming space tourism sector. “We are launching commercial flights to space, ranging from tens of millions to 150,000€ for routes of 4 to 8 hours. These flights depart from spaceports in the US, Saudi Arabia, Australia and also Spain. ”
R&D as a response to industry’s challenges in the next 20 years
Javier García, Manager, Head of the Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Area at Boeing Research & Technology-Europe, put the finishing touch to the presentations, appealing especially to new talents, so that they approach and take an interest in this sector, which is booming. “We need to increase the production rate of our aircraft and we need to do this by reducing assembly time on the assembly lines.
The technologies that are going to change our industry and in which we need to invest these are: aircraft health, which has been proven in the wake of covid; AI and autonomy, which Boeing began operating 50 years ago in outer space and is now accelerating its development; digitalisation, to help us reduce development times and improve our production systems; advanced materials; access to space, which will become cheaper with the entry of new companies; electrification; sustainability; cybersecurity and quantum technology, which are key to the future of our industry.”
The industry’s priority is to meet demand, as the production capacity of the entire industry is currently estimated to be 20 per cent below demand, with the fleet reaching 48,575 vessels by 2042.
Closing
Durante la clausura, During the closing ceremony, Héctor Guerrero, Deputy Director General of Aerospace Policy and Strategy of the Spanish Government: expressed his gratitude to all the professionals who participated in the event and noted that “I am pleasantly surprised by how this sector has evolved in Galicia and the CIAG Congress itself. During the pandemic, Spain decided to invest in 12 strategic areas through the pertes, one of them being aerospace, which has a third of European funds that will run out in 2026, and two thirds of the state’s general budget. Far from being a weakness, this is a strength, because when European Next Generation EU funds are reduced, we in Spain will continue to support this strategic industry at the national level.”.
“We have to try to give a vision of a country, of pride in the sector, we are one of the few countries in the world that can make a complete aircraft or satellite. We have been in aviation since its inception and, in the space race, we were key to the moon landing. We are a country with an aerospace vocation, with a well-established industry, and we need to invest heavily in the next two decades to be a key player in the international aerospace industry for the next 50 years. To do this, we have to coordinate very well, also with the regional governments, something in which Galicia has already made a lot of progress. The Perte is not from the Ministry of Science, it is a national project”.
