(Photo © AIRBUS)
In helicopter development, there are no minor decisions. Every design choice directly impacts the performance, safety, and reliability of a machine that must operate in extreme environments—from dense urban areas to remote mountainous regions. Added to this technical complexity is one of the aerospace industry’s greatest challenges: certification.
Testing and validation programs can reach costs close to one billion euros, involving long and highly demanding regulatory processes. In this context, Airbus Helicopters faces a key question: how to accelerate development and certification without compromising safety or product quality.
A Challenge of Scale
The answer lies in simulation—but not as an isolated exercise. Airbus Helicopters is transforming the way it works, moving from standalone simulations to a connected, traceable, and reusable approach supported by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This environment preserves not only results, but also context, input data, and the decisions behind each analysis.
With thousands of simulations of different types—aerodynamic, thermal, structural, or electromagnetic—the real challenge is not calculation itself, but managing the volume of information and turning it into useful knowledge. Simulation thus becomes a strategic asset that supports the product from the earliest design stages through certification and entry into service.
Simulating for Certification
This approach is especially relevant in advancing toward certification by analysis, a strategy that allows part of physical testing to be replaced by validated simulations. Recent studies indicate that this model can significantly reduce certification costs, provided there is full traceability and rigorous data management. At Airbus, the message is clear: there is no digital certification without digital continuity.
Working in a connected environment also makes it possible to immediately understand the impact of any change. A modification to a material, load condition, or design parameter can be traced to identify which simulations are affected, determine whether recalculation is required, and ensure that teams are always working with valid, up-to-date information. This reduces rework, improves quality, and reinforces confidence in every technical decision.
(Photo © AIRBUS)
Through Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM), Airbus Helicopters now has a single source of truth for simulation data and a structured way to execute simulation workflows from start to finish.
A Continuous Digital Thread
This way of working is integrated into Airbus’ corporate Digital Design, Manufacturing and Services (DDMS) program, which aims to maintain a continuous digital thread throughout the entire product lifecycle. In this environment, CATIA for design, SIMULIA for simulation, ENOVIA for data management and traceability, and DELMIA for manufacturing integration enable design, simulation, production, and support teams to share a common data backbone.
Thanks to this digital continuity, Airbus Helicopters is moving toward more agile development cycles, more efficient certification, and better capitalization of the knowledge generated in each program. Simulation is no longer a one-off step, but a fundamental pillar of the industrial process—supporting the launch of new helicopters with full confidence in their safety, performance, and reliability.
Article based on the customer story published by Dassault Systèmes on its official website.
Access the full case here: https://www.3ds.com/insights/customer-stories/airbus-helicopters-simulation-process-data-management
About Airbus Helicopters
Airbus is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and delivery of aerospace products, services, and solutions. The company works to provide the most efficient helicopter solutions to organizations that protect lives, save lives, and transport passengers safely in demanding environments. Its helicopters are in service in more than 150 countries, performing virtually every type of vertical flight mission imaginable. The product range covers the full spectrum of rotary-wing aircraft for civil, governmental, military, security, and public service uses.
More information: http://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/helicopters
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