Source | Getty Images
The Paris Air Show, organized by SIAE, a subsidiary of the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), is an international aerospace trade show held every couple of years in France, providing a platform for aircraft displays, product demonstrations and networking opportunities. The event was held June 16-22, 2025, and did not disappoint with its 2,500 exhibitors representing 48 countries, and up to 150 aircraft and 210 flying displays.
According to reports made by several acclaimed sources, Airbus dazzled this year’s show with $21 billion in aircraft orders — highlighted by deals from AviLease, Riyadh Air, Starlux, LOT, JSX and SkyWest — while Boeing pulled back significantly in the aftermath of the Air India 787 crash, canceling executive attendance and declining to announce new commercial sales. Despite the somber tone set by the disaster and geopolitical tensions, the event still showcased a surge in defense spending, hydrogen propulsion breakthroughs and new combat aircraft partnerships.
CW presents key announcements and highlights shared at the Paris Air Show that pertain to composites-related developments below.
Pinette PEI, KVE partner on TPC welding solutions
Source | KVE
KVE Composites Group (The Hague, Netherlands) and Pinette Emidecau Industries (Chalon Sur Saone, France) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the supply of thermoplastic composites welding equipment.
“The agreement marks an important step for the implementation of the KVE Induct welding technology worldwide,” says KVE managing director Pierre Rouch.
Pinette’s complementary business in the field of thermoplastics makes the company a preferred partner for KVE. Futhermore, Pinette and KVE’s parent company, Daher, both founded in 1863, share a similar legacy.
Elfly Group signs contract with EASA for development of Noemi conceptual prototype
Sub-scale version of the Noemi. Source | Elfly Group
Elfly Group (Sandefjord, Norway), the company building the Noemi, a clean sheet, all-electric commercial seaplane, signed a pre-application contract (PAC) with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the development of its conceptual prototype model. Elfly plans to work closely with the EASA toward eventual certification of the Noemi in Europe in 2030.
This development follows the recent conclusion of the Concept-Freeze-Review (CFR) of the aircraft prototype. The next step toward first flight of the full-scale aircraft includes interactions and technical discussions with the EASA.
The PAC allows Elfly Group to take the initial step with the EASA toward achieving the first flight of the full-scale Noemi conceptual prototype aircraft. This involves agency review from the very beginning of core development activities spanning the entire process of prototype development — technical familiarization, design, manufacturing, test activities and eventually, agreement on the flight conditions necessary for the prototype aircraft’s permit-to-fly. The PAC is structured to reflect a type certification process. This helps both Elfly and the EASA to familiarize the development and test activities toward the target for certification.
Noemi will serve as a valued platform for the future of aviation, says Elfly’s founder and CEO Eric Lithun. “We have a fuselage and wing which outperforms the venerable de Havilland Twin Otter [floatplane] by a great margin. He says that Noemi is a platform designed to be propulsion agnostic, noting that Elfly is still making a battery electric seaplane, but the Noemi platform also supports hybrid, Pratt & Whitney PT6 conventional engines and fuel — even, potentially, hydrogen too “if someone can present a valid business case.”
Elfly has amassed soft orders for 47 Noemis, worth an estimated $500 million with further interest for 300 more from operators globally. The company is working toward the first flight of the conceptual prototype in 2027.
Ascendance, Airbus form alliance to progress hybrid-electric propulsion
On June 12, Ascendance Flight Technologies (Toulouse, France) announced a strategic partnership to jointly explore hybrid-electric technologies with Airbus (Toulouse). Ascendance will brings its expertise in designing modular, certifiable hybrid-electric systems, while Airbus contributes its industrial scale and global experience. This combination of strengths will target the development of hybrid-electric systems that reduce aviation emissions and meet the industry’s rigorous certification standards.
Materials consideration is not disclosed at this time. Regardless, both aerospace companies support composites-intensive aircraft platforms — Ascendance with its Atea hybrid eVTOL (as well as a 2023 collaboration with Solvay and Airborne), and Airbus’ A220, A350 and A380 models in particular.
Airbus, MTU Aero Engines to advance hydrogen fuel cell technology
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) with MTU Aero Engines (Munich, Germany) will progress hydrogen fuel cell propulsion to decarbonize aviation.
The partnership follows Airbus’ decision to focus its research effort on a fully electric, hydrogen-powered aircraft with a fuel cell engine, a field in which MTU has developed recognized expertise through its Flying Fuel Cell concept. The development also follows Airbus pushing out its ZEROe aircraft project timeline, though the company at the time stated that it was still “committed to ... bringing a commercially viable, fully electric hydrogen-powered aircraft to market.”
The agreement with MTU sets out a three-step roadmap for the development of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine suitable for the commercial aviation market. The first step is to mature the technological building blocks essential for the engine through joint research projects, such as Clean Aviation. The second step will involve aligning the two partners’ R&T roadmaps on hydrogen technologies. The result of these joint explorations then would allow the companies to consider a third step toward the development of a fuel-cell engine for a hydrogen powered aircraft.
Hexcel, NIAR to form Hexcel Application Center in Kansas
On June 16, Hexcel Corp. (Stamford, Conn., U.S.) and the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University (WSU, Kan., U.S.), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) as an initial step to establish the Hexcel Application Center at NIAR ATLAS in Kansas. This effort aims to broaden the development and application of composite materials in the aerospace and defense industries.
once established, the Hexcel Application Center will leverage Hexcel’s expertise in composite materials and NIAR’s extensive research capabilities to accelerate innovation and enhance the U.S. composite industry’s competitiveness. The Hexcel Application Center aims to focus on several key areas, including automated layup and fiber placement, liquid composite molding and infusion, high-temperature carbon-based materials, advanced material processing to support high-rate manufacturing and improved performance of carbon fiber composites.
The Hexcel Application Center will be housed within NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems in Wichita, and will include a donation of more than $10 million in state-of-the-art equipment, including an AFP machine and an autoclave, to support collaborative R&D. These efforts will also benefit from the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) database.
Embraer recognizes Hexcel as preferred supplier
Hexcel celebrates 50 years of supply to Embraer (São José dos Campos, Brazil) marked by the signing of a preferred supplier agreement for composite raw materials. “Our relationship has been built on trust, innovation and shared vision,” says Tom Gentile, chairman, president and CEO of Hexcel. “Hexcel’s materials have been integral to the performance and efficiency of Embraer’s aircraft, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.”
Source | Hexcel, Embraer
Hexcel has been a longstanding provider of a range of advanced composite materials to Embraer, including prepregs, engineered core and advanced structures. These materials are used in various Embraer aircraft platforms, such as the C-390 military transport, the E-Jet E2 family of narrowbody regional aircraft and the Phenom 300 business jet.
Hexcel’s history with Embraer is also marked by numerous achievements, including the recent recognition as Supplier of the Year in the Standards and Materials Category.
Hexcel highlights TPC aircraft door demonstrator, part of HELUES multi-partnership project
Hexcel also spotlighted a carbon fiber-reinforced polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) thermoplastic component developed as part of the HELUES project. This was supported by the company’s strategic alliance with Arkema (Cologne, Germany) in 2018 to develop thermoplastic composite solutions for the aerospace sector.
The HELUES project, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs and supported by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), brought together Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH, Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH, Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG, Incoe International Europe, in addition to Arkema and Hexcel. In this project, partners developed a novel manufacturing process using high-temperature thermoplastic composites.
The final HELUES demonstrator is a complex structural component for an overwing emergency exit door. At its core is a one-step forming and injection overmolding technology that uses HexPly unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber-reinforced Kepstan PEKK tapes in conjunction with Kepstan PEKK injection molding compounds. This integrated approach enabled the rapid creation of a fully formed, structurally complex component, including reinforcing ribs and functional elements, in less than 2 minutes.
Source | Hexcel
“By eliminating autoclaves and enabling functional integration in a single step, thermoplastics are opening the door to truly scalable aircraft production,” says Thierry Merlot, Hexcel president aerospace Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Industrial.
The HELUES demonstrator directly replaces a traditionally assembled door structure with a single, integrated part, reducing component count and assembly steps by up to 90%. Early stage testing confirmed optimal material bonding between molded ribs and thermoformed laminates, even under complex process parameters, further supporting the part’s viability in demanding aerospace environments.
Flying Whales selects Hexcel composites for LCA70T airship
In order to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, French-Canadian airship manufacturer and operator Flying Whales (Suresne) and Hexcel are collaborating on a project to develop the most adapted solutions for airship structures.
Flying Whales has chosen to use a large range of Hexcel’s products — especially HexTow IMA carbon fiber — which has been selected for the pultruded tubes that compose the skeleton of the LCA60T airship. The company says this material offers a balance between cost-efficiency and optimal mechanical properties, such as high tensile strength and modulus, making it ideal for its airship structure.
Hexcel to support key defense programs with Kongsberg partnership
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (Norway) and Hexcel have signed a long-term partnership agreement for the supply of HexWeb engineered honeycombs and HexPly prepregs for Kongsbergy’s strategic production programs over a 5-year period.
“The agreement provides a solid base for Kongberg’s [defense] production program for several years to come,” says Terje Bråthen, EVP aerostructures and MRO at Kongsberg.
What did Hexcel have on display at Paris Air Show?
Source | Hexcel
“At Hexcel, we are committed to supporting the aerospace industry’s transition toward faster and automated manufacturing processes,” says Merlot. The company supported this statement through the showcase of real-world components featuring its HexPly M51 rapid-curing prepreg:
- GKN Aerospace wingbox rib. Developed as part of the ASCEND project, this thermoset press molded rib exemplified the scalability of HexPly M51 for large-volume aerospace components. Its rapid-cure capabilities and automation readiness support GKN Aerospace’s strategy for next-generation aircraft production.
- Duqueine fuselage frame. Created within the CORAC program, this fuselage frame has demonstrated processing time reductions of more than 50% using HexPly M51 carbon fiber UD materials.
HexPly M51 is designed specifically for hot-in/hot-out press curing of primary structure composite parts. It delivers shorter cure cycles and reduces the need for multiple sets of tooling, ancillary material consumption and manual labor, according to Hexcel. importantly, HexPly M51 is ideal for aerospace OEMs targeting high-rate production programs with flexible curing possibilities, fully compatible with ATL, AFP and pick-and-place technologies.
GKN Aerospace supports Airbus-led ICEFlight program
GKN Aerospace (Redditch, U.K.) has joined the collaborative Innovative Cryogenic Electric Flight (ICEFlight) project. The initiative is led by Airbus, through its Tech Hub in the Netherlands and together with its innovation arm Airbus UpNext under the Dutch public-private program Luchtvaart in Transitie (LiT).
Airbus UpNext engineer is working on cryogenic technologies. Source | Airbus
ICEFlight will focus on accelerating the maturation of critical cryogenic technologies. Alongside GKN Aerospace, Airbus is also partnering with Cryoworld B.V., Stirling Cryogenics B.V., Futura Composites B.V., the Royal NLR, Delft University of Technology and the University of Twente. The consortium will collectively explore the use of liquid hydrogen as a fuel source as well as a cold source for the electrical system cooling. This approach aims to enhance the performance of next-generation aircraft powertrains through the integration of advanced electrical technologies, superconductivity and hyperconductivity.
GKN Aerospace will apply knowledge from past projects to mature these technologies. The collaboration will concentrate on the development and rigorous testing of specialized cryogenic cooling and electrical distribution systems. At the end of the project, the research framework and supply chain will be positioned to provide two critical innovations, namely a cryogenic cooling system and cryogenic electrical network.
In addition to the technological innovations to be explored, ICEFlight aims to establish testing facilities in the Netherlands, led by the Royal NLR, to ensure the reliability and validate the performance of the cryogenic systems for aviation, with opportunities to spin off to other sectors.
GKN, Archer expand collaboration for manufacture of key eVTOL airframe components in the U.K.
GKN Aerospace is collaborating with Archer Aviation Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.), manufacturing and supplying key airframe components for the eVTOL company’s Midnight aircraft in the U.K. The partnership supports Archer’s production ramp phase.
GKN will use and build on its extensive experience in lightweight aerostructures, wing technologies and electrical systems to support the manufacture and supply of Midnight’s wing. This work expands the existing collaboration between Archer and GKN Aerospace, through which it has supplied Midnight’s low voltage electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS) since 2023. These components are critical to the aircraft’s performance, safety and manufacturability as Archer prepares for commercial launch.
The collaboration will leverage GKN Aerospace’s advanced manufacturing technologies to ensure the wing structure meets the stringent performance and certification requirements. Work has been underway at GKN Aerospace UK’s Global Technology Centre in Bristol and across its European sites for over a year.
GKN Aerospace leads £12M ASPIRE program
GKN Aerospace has launched ASPIRE, a new £12 million U.K. R&D program to develop and demonstrate next-gen composite wing and flap structures. The 3-year program officially started in May 2025 and will run until April 2028.
ASPIRE will deliver three full-scale composite wingtip variants for structural testing to ultimate load, providing an opportunity to validate novel technologies in highly relevant test conditions. Each wingtip variant will represent a different structural philosophy and technology set. Variant one is a bonded assembly with multiple parts, aligned with GKN Aerospace’s design approach. Variant two is a quasi-isotropic co-infused RTM structure featuring automated deposition, forming, digital twin integration and Pentaxia’s self-heated tooling (JouleTool). Variant three, introduces non-standard fiber angles, low-energy dry fiber forming and SmaRTM processing.
Source | GKN Aerospace
Key innovations under evaluation include iCOMAT’s (Bristol, U.K.) Rapid Tow Sheared (RTS) lightweight structure and Carbon ThreeSixty’s (Chippenham, U.K.) stitched deltoid noodles, made from recycled carbon fibers aligned through the Lineat (Bristol) aligned formable fiber technology (AFFT) process. These developments are supported by analytical and numerical methods developed by the University of Bath.
Alongside the wingtip demonstrators, ASPIRE will also develop an optimized composite flap. The flap demonstration will feature a prepreg manufacturing approach with RTS skins (iCOMAT), tailored fiber placed brackets (Carbon ThreeSixty), low-energy, out-of-autoclave curing molds and press cured ribs.
A key program milestone will be achieving TRL 6 for the press curing of composite ribs. This builds on GKN Aerospace’s experience producing the A350 flap in Munich and will support future improvements for the next-gen single-aisle aircraft.
Archer announces third Launch Edition partner, striking deal to deploy Midnight in Indonesia
Source | Archer Aviation Inc.
Archer Aviation has signed an agreement with PT. IKN (Indonesia) covering plans to deploy an initial fleet of 50 Midnight aircraft in Indonesia, making it the third country in which Archer is planning to deploy the eVTOL under its “Launch Edition” program.
As with Archer’s other Launch Edition partners, the goal of this program is to establish a pragmatic and repeatable commercialization playbook to deploy Midnight in early adopter markets in advance of type certification in the U.S. In addition to Indonesia, Archer has already announced planned Launch Edition program deployments in the UAE and Ethiopia.
The scope of Archer’s planned Launch Edition program with PT. IKN includes the deployment of an initial fleet of Midnight Launch Edition aircraft to Indonesia with a supporting team of Archer pilots, technicians and engineers. Archer also plans to provide backend operational software and front-end booking applications to help power operations during the program. In addition to air taxi services, the parties intend to explore a range of complementary use cases such as logistics and environmental surveillance, including in support of the development of Indonesia’s new capital city, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).
Archer announced five-country eVTOL alliance
Archer also joined leaders from the FAA and U.S. DOT to announce the formation of a five-country alliance to streamline the certification and deployment of eVTOL aircraft globally. This alliance includes the U.S., U.K. Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The goal of this effort is to streamline the certification and validation process for eVTOL aircraft, like Midnight, globally. Archer believes that this alliance has the potential to create a seamless pathway to bring Midnight to the skies of these other countries once the company obtains type certification in the U.S from the FAA.
France and Spain renew commitment to Airbus A400M program
Airbus and OCCAR (Bonn, Germany) have reached an agreement with the A400M launch nations to secure production for the program for the foreseeable future, improve the cost of operations and jointly develop new capabilities. Through the agreement, France and Spain stated their intention to advance four and three A400M aircraft respectively in their delivery schedule.
As key enablers, Airbus has committed to work on operational cost improvements through maintenance optimization and efficiency measures, and make A400M future developments faster and more cost-effective. Through the agreement, both Airbus and OCCAR will review the industrial status of the program on a yearly basis, giving the A400M production setup stability to pursue the evolution of the platform and open export opportunities.
Among these new capabilities, Airbus is already looking into developments like standoff jamming, payload increase to 40 tonnes, mothership for remote carriers and firefighting — developments that will further widen the A400M applications and are key to the present and future global requirements for both current and future operators.
The A400M, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, is comprised of more than 30% composites. This includes its wing spars, vertical and horizontal tailplane and the upper cargo door — at the time of CW’s report on it in 2010, the largest structural composite aircraft component produced to date using vacuum-assisted resin infusion.
Horizon Aircraft partners with MT-Propeller for Hybrid eVTOL composite propellers
New Horizon Aircraft Ltd. (Toronto, Canada), doing business as Horizon Aircraft, announces a strategic partnership with MT-Propeller (Atting, Germany), to supply propellers for Horizon’s eVTOL aircraft hybrid turbine engine.
MT-Propeller is known for manufacturing natural composite propellers for single- and twin-engine aircraft, airships, wind tunnels and other applications. The collaboration will leverage this composite propeller blade expertise to deliver maximum speed, efficiency and significant noise reduction for Horizon’s Cavorite X7 aircraft in development. The hybrid-electric aircraft is designed for both vertical takeoff and conventional runway operations.
VoltAero reveals evolved configuration of Cassio 330
VoltAero (Saint-Agnant, France) has unveiled the production configuration of its Cassio 330 electric-hybrid aircraft for regional transportation. Multiple factors led to this evolution, resulting in decreased complexity for the Cassio 330’s airworthiness certification and aligning its overall design in compliance with the EASA’s latest CS.23 certification specifications for normal category airplanes.
“As we take another step toward the Cassio 330’s production, our strategy remains unchanged: using safe and efficient electric-hybrid propulsion and power technologies that are realistically available today, applying them to a conventional takeoff/landing aircraft for sustainable regional transportation using existing airport infrastructure,” explains Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and CTO.
At the heart of VoltAero’s evolution for the Cassio 330 production version is the use of a series-hybrid architecture, versus the original parallel-hybrid configuration. During taxi, takeoff and initial flight phases, the aircraft will operate on all-electric propulsion for eco-efficient and quiet operations. The thermal engine recharges the batteries during cruise flight as a range extender.
Source | VoltAero
Another visible difference for the Cassio 330’s production configuration is VoltAero’s adoption of a T-tail instead of the original design’s twin booms that supported a high-set horizontal tail. This change eliminates the potential of damage to the twin booms in the event of a propeller blade failure. The new configuration also has a fully redundant architecture for operational safety and other innovations.
VoltAero will produce the Cassio 330 at its purpose-built 2,400-square-meter industrial facility at Saint Agnant. Inaugurated last November, this location serves as the primary hub for production and delivery of Cassio family aircraft — supported by VoltAero’s on-site design, engineering, flight test and administrative departments. It is sized for the assembly of 150 Cassio airplanes annually at full rate, to be backed by additional production sites created in other key geographical markets.
In the same week, VoltAero signed an agreement for 15 Cassio 330 electric-hybrid aircraft and an option for another 15, to be acquired by HM Aerospace Sdn Bhd (Kuala Lumpur) for pilot training at Malaysia’s flight academy after EASA certification and validation by the Civil Aviation Authorities of Malaysia. The agreement, formalized at the Paris Air Show, brings a new dimension to VoltAero’s orderbook for its Cassio electric-hybrid airplanes by expanding their use — together with Halim Mazmin Group — to the training role for professional pilots, and expanding it over the Asia-Pacific region, where pilots are in great demand.
FACC, Kineco forge strategic partnership
Source | FACC AG, Kineco
FACC AG (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) and Kineco Aerospace & Defence (Goa, India), a part of the Kineco Group, signed a multiyear supply chain agreement, marking the start of a strategic collaboration in the sourcing of composite components for commercial aircraft work packages.
This agreement initiates a critical 10-month phase of technical alignment, customer qualification and operational co-operation between FACC and Kineco. Upon successful execution, it is expected to evolve into a long-term relationship delivering value to both partners and their global customers.
The partnership is a strong validation of Kineco’s capabilities in advanced composites and further reinforces FACC’s global supply chain ecosystem.
Coexpair RTM systems supports Aciturri aerocomposite parts
Aciturri (Mirando de Ebro, Spain) has placed a major order with Coexpair (Namur, Belgium) for additional RTM machines to be installed in its composites factory. The agreement amplifies the success of a collaboration started in 2019 between the Spanish Tier 1ne and the Belgian composites machine manufacturer.
Coexpair supports Aciturri with its industrial solutions for high-rate production of composite parts through RTM. The composites manufacturing process is used to deliver high-quality, net-shape composite parts in high demand in aerospace.
Demgy highlights material platforms advancing aerospace, company investments
Source | Demgy Group
Demgy Group (Saint-Aubin-sur-Gaillon, France), a high-performance plastic and composite solutions company, showcased its expanded portfolio of ultra-high-performance polymers and composites for the aerospace industry.
At the heart of Demgy’s Paris Air Show presence was its Engineered for eXtreme platform, an end-to-end offering of advanced composite materials and processing capabilities designed for demanding aerospace applications — from PEEK and Ultem to Torlon, PCTFE and Vespel polyimides.
These materials are increasingly favored by aerospace OEMs for their ability to reduce aircraft weight, streamline manufacturing (i.e., injection molding, additive manufacturing and thermoplastic composites welding), enhance sustainability and improve safety and durability.
At the show, Demgy also highlighted its recent investments in both material innovation and market consolidation that position the group as a full-spectrum partner for aerospace programs worldwide:
- A new alliance with Drake Plastics complements Demgy’s existing partnership with DuPont for Vespel distribution, giving customers access to a broader advanced polymer toolkit.
- The group’s acquisitions of EIS Aircraft (now Demgy EIS, Airbus supplier) and Tool Gauge (now Demgy Pacific, Boeing’s primary interior supplier) solidify its role in aerospace interior components, serving both European and U.S. markets.
Lu public network security: 37140202000173
