<article><p class="lead">The UK government and the aerospace industry plan to invest £400mn ($505mn) in new research and development projects to propel the growth of green aviation, a move that could have significant repercussions for the sector's metals requirements in the years ahead.</p><p>The government has earmarked £200mn for projects to develop high-performance engines, new wing designs, ultra-lightweight materials, energy-efficient electric components and to reduce fuel consumption, business, energy and industrial strategy minister Alok Sharma said, at today's launch of the online Farnborough Airshow. </p><p>Projects by aerospace manufacturers Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran Electrical and Power, UK-led AEPEC and Williams Advanced Engineering have been selected to receive funding. The grants will be delivered through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme and will be matched by industry, bringing the total investment to £400mn in new research and technology.</p><p>The investment is expected to help the struggling aerospace industry recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, while also aligning with a raft of recent global policy measures to accelerate the electrification of transportation systems and cut emissions. So-called green aviation is still in its infancy and some way off from being realised at a large commercial scale, but some key symbolic steps have been taken in recent months, including the world's first commercial electric plane <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2032243">taking flight in December</a>.</p><p>The UK's Electric Aviation Group (EAG) unveiled its design for the world's first hybrid electric 70-seater aircraft at the event today. "These small planes cannot meet the demands of mass air transportation or the requirements of decarbonisation," founder and chief executive Kamran Iqbal said, adding that "our design is for an aircraft that will initially offer 800 nautical miles range at launch in 2028, and which will be able to carry over 70 people. We will be a first mover in what is a $4.4 trillion market."</p><p>As the world looks to a greener future, investment in the required technologies is likely to increase demand for lightweight metals including aluminium, magnesium and titanium, along with high temperature and battery materials including cobalt, nickel and molybdenum.</p><p>Sharma also launched the government's FlyZero research project to explore design challenges and opportunities in concepts for zero-carbon emission commercial aircraft, aiming for the UK to have zero-carbon emission commercial flights in operation by the end of the decade, the ATI said.</p><p class="bylines">By Anuradha Ramanathan</p></article>
