Industry information
Current technology priorities, published evidence and guidance for the aerospace sector.
Technology priorities
NATS identifies a set of priority areas each year. These areas reflect where UK aerospace has the strongest capability and where gaps would most limit future growth.
Propulsion and energy
Work on lower-emission propulsion, hybrid systems and sustainable fuels remains central. Programmes are assessed for readiness before they receive further support.
Materials and manufacturing
Lightweight structures, advanced composites and digital manufacturing methods are reviewed for their potential to shorten production cycles.
Autonomy and systems
Research into autonomous flight, sensing and resilient avionics is tracked against safety and certification requirements.
Published evidence
Side note: each evidence note states its date and the programme it reports on.
Evidence notes summarise technical findings in plain language. They cover test results, supply chain observations and lessons from completed programmes.
Where a finding is provisional, the note says so and sets out what further work is needed to confirm it.
Guidance for suppliers
Suppliers are encouraged to set out their capability in terms of readiness level, not only product lines. This helps committees match emerging technologies to the right programmes.
- Describe the current readiness level of each technology
- State the evidence used to reach that level
- Identify the next test needed to move forward
Sector overview
Information on this page reflects the current strategy and is reviewed at each annual cycle.