Aeronautics Systems

The CSIR is acknowledged as the home of aeronautical research in South Africa on the basis of a track record of technological advances and achievements in support of force development and air power leadership built over many decades.

Research efforts draw from the skills of talented engineers, scientists and technicians, and modern facilities. Test and evaluation infrastructure includes a suite of nine wind tunnels, structural test facilities and computer clusters – has resulted in the existence of a hub of world-class aeronautical expertise.

Core activities and competencies include wind-tunnel testing; material specification and testing; helicopter structural and aerodynamic technology; gas turbine engine technology; air vehicle structural characterisation; ground vibration testing (GVT); flutter analysis and prediction; store carriage and release predictions; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); flutter flight test software and hardware systems; simulation-based acquisition and operational support; aero-mechanical store integration and aircraft structures technology.

The group is a strategic defence capability, operating as an extension of the SANDF, and also providing research in support of the Department of Science and Technology’s national aeronautics research strategy.

Download Fact Sheet: Flutter Excitation
Download Fact Sheet: Research into Power Systems
Download Fact sheet: Aeronautics Systems Overview
Download Fact sheet: Store Separation Analysis
Download Fact sheet: Weapons Integration