Aerospace systems

The latest publications in this offer are:

• June 8, 2026

  BM5564 Reviewed

  Calculation of screw assemblies

  This article deals with the issue of the dimensioning of thin plane parts. It focuses on the case of shear and bearing stress under static loading up to rupture. These structures are characterized by the fact that they are generally composed of several rows of bolts and that the resistance of the assembly is not determined by that of the most loaded bolt but by that of each assembled part. This article presents the behavior of such assemblies under static stress and notably deals with the complex problem of calculating the load-distribution on the various fastening rows of a fish-plating.

• May 26, 2026

  E4311 Reviewed

  Atmospheric and Meteorological Lidar Backscatter lidar for aerosols and clouds

  Backscatter lidars for aerosols and clouds are widely used in surface network for atmospheric applications i.e. pollution, meteorology, climate. Instrument simulators are presented as tool required for instrument design and realization. Then, the main characteristics of the atmospheric medium and the standard techniques for backscatter lidar signal inversion are described in sight for the applications.

• May 26, 2026

  E4310 Reviewed

  Atmospheric and Meteorological Lidars Basic principles

  This article presents the lidar, with reference to instrument techniques, atmospheric spectroscopy and signals. These are presented in a reader-friendly way to define actual needs and meet objectives. While maintaining an innovative research activity, since the 2000s the lidar community has broadened out to embrace new activities in networking and space missions.

• December 18, 2025

  RE451 Reviewed

  Satellite Constellation End-of-Life Dependability Assessment with AltaRica 3.0

  This article presents an innovative approach for the assessment of end-of-life dependability and performance of a satellite constellation inspired from Thales Alenia Space (TAS) referent Telecommunications Constellation System. This work has been done in the context of a cooperation between Thales Alenia Space Dependability and Safety teams and students from the Science et Défis du Spatial program at Ecole Polytechnique. The activity was coordinated by David Mailland (TAS) and benefited from the support of Michel Batteux (IRT-SystemX).

• December 16, 2025

  TRP4001 Reviewed

  Lightning-strike in aeronautics

  Thunderstorms and lightning strikes, phenomena whose characteristics depend on a large number of parameters, are the most feared atmospheric events by the air fleet. The protection of aircraft and helicopters is necessary for passenger safety. More generally, these events generate major disruptions in air traffic. This article deals with the mechanisms leading to lightning strike on an aircraft, its consequences, as well as the detailed study of the direct and indirect effects of lightning.

• December 16, 2025

  R7433 Reviewed

  Modal Control -Application to the piloting of a plane

  In the aeronautics sector, and especially since the development of the fly-by-wire technology (FBW), the theory of modal control has been successfully applied to the tuning of flight control laws. The civil aircraft autopilot still remains the leading application in order to illustrate such techniques. An application of the modal control is presented in this article: the autopilot in the landing phase. The sensitivity of command laws to external perturbances and model variations are also dealt with.

• December 10, 2025

  TRP4074

  The Decarbonized Regional Aircraft. A Certifiable Solution by Retrofit

  A realistic configuration for converting an existing regional aircraft to hydrogen propulsion is described here. The article details the various required elements (tank, architecture, engines, etc.) based on existing technologies brought together in this context. It also specifies the numerical values and dimensional characteristics suitable for a typical mission of 1500 km/50 PAX. Thus, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate the current technical feasibility of a fully decarbonized short-range commercial aircraft, and to open the tracks towards its certification within a reasonable timeframe.

• December 10, 2025

  TRP4029

  Fault Tree Analysis applied to an Autonomous Drone System

  A pedagogical case study on the application of Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) to a simplified autonomous drone system is presented. After introducing the functional architecture, a fault tree is constructed to identify basic failure events leading to a loss of the drone. A qualitative analysis determines minimal cut sets, highlighting critical vulnerabilities. Design improvement strategies are proposed, and a top-event probability estimate is provided using linear approximation model. The study aims to familiarise engineering students with fundamental safety principles applied to embedded aerospace systems.

• December 10, 2025

  BM3003

  Aerospace propulsion - Simplified laws for sizing, and examples of use

  Aerospace propulsion is based upon models and physical laws which govern the movement and speed of flying systems. This article details the various formulae and laws to be mastered (Bréguet and Tsiolkovski formulae for instance) in order to design a propulsion system efficiently. It provides the way of using estimates, reference levels and simplified design laws for a cruise, an acceleration, a ballistic flight initially propelled. The understanding of these various data facilitates the acquisition of certain calculation "reflexes". In order to gain a sound knowledge of these elements, certain exercises of application (antitank missiles, launcher restitution) are also explained in this article.

• December 10, 2025

  BM3002

  Aerospace propulsion - Classification and use of different propulsion systems

  Several systems of aerospace propulsion are available and the choice is made according to the desired usage. Engines are classified according to several criteria: technological, functional, or even according to the chemical process of the reaction. This article presents the main type of propulsion systems (turboprops, propellers, ramjets, turbojet and urbofan, pulsed detonation engines, turbo rockets, etc.) as well as certain of their characteristics (type of reaction, area of use, domain of Mach number, etc.). As an example, it more specifically focuses on the choice of propulsion for missiles (anti-missiles, anti-ships, etc.) according to the type of mission carried out.

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