Aeralis joins NDI as project prepares for lift off

The company is building the world’s first modular military aircraft involving a common fuselage and a range of alternative wings and engines to optimally deliver a range of military missions that previously required a range of different aircraft types. The company is looking to revolutionise the way that flying training is delivered, and will seek to support the UK’s future Combat Air System programme.

In the long term, the project anticipates supporting 200 new highly skilled design and manufacturing jobs, and a further 3,800 jobs in the supply chain at a time when the aerospace sector has been hit hard. The project will also support the government’s levelling up agenda with jobs being created across the UK.

Designed to win global market opportunities, Aeralis anticipates the project could be a big player in the global defence market, with the opportunity to promote the UK’s engineering expertise around the world.

Andrew Kinniburgh, NDI’s director-general said: “Aeralis are a such an important business to the UK’s Defence Aerospace Sector, both domestically and for future export markets. We are very proud to have them as members and to work closely with their team”.

Tristan Crawford, Aeralis’s CEO and founder said: “NDI membership has been enormously useful in helping us to approach and understand key stakeholders in the Ministry of Defence and Government more widely. Their honest and insightful advice and consistent support for SMEs in the industry is really important to us as a business.”

NDI is a key partner with the MoD and works across the supply chain, especially with SMEs on some of the UK’s most critical defence, security, space and aerospace projects. In particular it acts as a critical interface with the major OEMs in these sectors. It has recently become the lead trade association for the MOD’s new SME Working Group, which has an important role in improving engagement between the MOD, major primes and the SME Supply Chain. MOD wants to spend around 25% of its total budget with SMEs by 2022.

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