Materials of a new generation are needed for the aviation of the future, experts say at "AMTEXPO 2026"

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The development of new aircraft with improved performance in terms of speed, manoeuvrability and achievable altitude is directly linked to the introduction of advanced materials and technologies. New trends in the use of promising materials and chemistry in air transport vehicles were discussed by experts at the session "New Materials for Aircraft Engineering" held during the 3rd International Forum of Advanced Materials, Chemistry and Technologies "AMTEXPO 2026". The National Centre RUSSIA acted as a co-organiser of the event.

"Today we are not talking about new or modern materials, but about materials of new generations. This is a fundamental difference. The 21st century demands precisely this approach — not just a ‘blank’, but an entire chain: material, technology, structure and the corresponding processing equipment. In this way, we are not simply proposing new materials; we are assessing the prospects for creating whole families of materials. These strategic areas contain a deep forecast — both taking into account international experience and based on the tasks set by our major corporations," said the moderator of the session, Assistant to the President of the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute" and Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yevgeny Kablov.

The tasks formulated as far back as the middle of the last century remain relevant today, noted the General Designer and Deputy Director General of PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation", Sergei Korotkov. According to him, humanity’s pursuit of supersonic flight is linked to the desire to reduce travel time. He recalled that in the previous century two passenger supersonic aircraft projects were implemented worldwide — the Soviet Tu-144 and the Franco-British Concorde. However, such projects were accompanied by significant technical, technological and materials-related challenges.

"But the tasks that existed in the last century were not fully resolved by either of these two projects. Today, such aircraft are being developed not only in our country, but around the world. This means that we have once again returned to the ‘centre of the field’, where the key issue is the materials from which these aircraft will be created. When implementing these projects, we once again come to the conclusion that it is impossible to create such aircraft using old technological paradigms and materials. This means that new materials must be developed — whatever they may be, metallic, composite or any others — but they must provide us with the advantage that we did not obtain in the middle of the last century. Already today, we must have a scientific and technological foundation that would allow us to address these technological and technical challenges," Sergei Korotkov emphasised.

The use of composite materials and innovative aluminium- and titanium-based alloys makes it possible to significantly reduce the structural weight of aircraft. Additive technologies open up new opportunities for the production of structural components with unique geometric parameters and performance characteristics that are unattainable using traditional methods, noted Victoria Duyunova, Head of the Research Department "Titanium, Magnesium, Beryllium and Aluminium Alloys" at the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute" — VIAM.

"Today, intermetallic titanium and magnesium materials are used in the development of new structures for aviation and engine building. Acting on assignments from general designers, and in accordance with the Strategy for the Development of Materials and Technologies for Their Processing through to 2030, VIAM is engaged in the creation of materials of a new generation. This work is based on the fundamental principle of an inseparable chain: ‘material — technology — structure — equipment’. Active efforts are underway to create modern materials based on aluminium, titanium, magnesium and steel, as well as polymer composite materials. More than 90% of VIAM’s developments have already been implemented in aviation technology. In particular, together with the Kamensk-Uralsky Metallurgical Plant, wide skin sheets made of a high-life aluminium alloy with improved characteristics were developed and introduced into serial production for the first time at a new rolling complex. This made it possible to increase aircraft service life by more than 60,000 flight hours. In addition, a technology for producing large-size wing panels was created, reducing production labour intensity and improving assembly efficiency," said Victoria Duyunova.

According to her, VIAM has already developed and qualified magnesium alloys with enhanced heat resistance and is also working on the creation of a material capable of not igniting for 15 minutes at temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees. This work, Victoria Duyunova noted, is being carried out in the interests of future high-speed aviation.

"AMTEXPO 2026" is the 3rd International Forum of Advanced Materials, Chemistry and Technologies. The event is dedicated to discussing key achievements in the creation and application of advanced materials in industries that directly shape the quality of life of citizens — medicine, energy, aviation and mechanical engineering, as well as space technologies, the development of which is impossible without modern materials. During the forum, it is also planned to sum up the results of the first year of implementation of the national project "New Materials and Chemistry" and to examine its contribution to achieving the goals of technological leadership set out in Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 309.