As part of Abu Dhabi’s drive to become centre of excellence for the aerospace industry, the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) along with the Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis, Northrop Grumman and Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments are organising a UAS ‘Rodeo’ competition to design and operate UAS.
It highlights a major trend in the country. As the Government works to transform the economy, it is increasingly taking steps to foster an equally dramatic transformation of its academic institutions.
Under the country’s plans, oil and gas revenues are to be supplemented by industrial products such as chemicals, plastics, steel, aluminium and high-end aerospace parts and services. This will require critical numbers of engineers and technicians, preferably Emiratis.
Abu Dhabi has encouraged local development companies to link up with international companies to build a successful and thriving cluster encompassing manufacturing, design and engineering and maintenance in aerospace. Last year HCT began a Master’s programme with an emphasis on systems engineering that will support the aerospace and defence fields. The programme received assistance from Raytheon, the defence giant. Also last year, Khalifa University launched its first undergraduate programme in aerospace engineering, with plans to add a Master’s programme soon.
An example of the university’s fine-grained technical focus can be seen in the publications of Professor JVR Prasad, the chair of the aerospace engineering department, which include tongue-twisters such as “Prediction of Vortex Ring State Boundary of a Helicopter in Descent Flight by Non-linear Flight Dynamic Simulation”, and “Minimum-time Approach to Obstacle Avoidance Constrained by Envelope Protection for Autonomous UAS”.
Prof Tod Laursen, the president of Khalifa University, says students will learn concepts such as flight control, fluid flow aspects of how air moves around an air foil, structural mechanics and the use of various materials to create airframes. “These are all really challenging problems and ones that attract the smart students,” says Prof Laursen.
The UAE wants to focus on automation and precision through investments in expensive equipment to produce such things as composite aircraft parts. So technological leadership is key. Alessandro Borgogna, a principal with Booz & Company based in Dubai, says innovation is “one of the most important things to succeed” in the aero-structures and aerospace industry.
Several initiatives are already under way:
Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi Government, is playing an important role, bringing in the training arm of Airbus to partner with the Institute of Applied Technology and prepare local Emirati technicians for careers in aircraft parts production.
It has also sponsored students to train with Nasa in the US, and is planning an aerospace research and innovation centre together with Khalifa University. Mubadala also holds hopes to bring Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a world leader in aerospace training, to set up a campus in the Emirates. The technical foundation Mubadala is helping to build “will allow innovation and technical creativity to flow into the industry”, says Homaid al Shemmari, the executive director of Mubadala Aerospace.
In a similar vein, Tawazun Holding, UAE University and Tawteen, the Emiratisation agency, announced a partnership last week to provide training and job opportunities for 60 UAE nationals every year.
A number of foreign companies are also active: Dassault has formed a partnership with Khalifa University on 3D design; Boeing has helped to shape curricula at HCT; and Northrop Grumman is in talks to collaborate with New York University’s Abu Dhabi campus.
With an eye on the future, Mubadala has launched a website called UAE Aerospace Education, at www.uaeae.ae
Source: The National