SAFRAN ELECTRICAL & POWER UK LTD

Their core work

Safran Electrical & Power UK Ltd is the British arm of Safran Electrical & Power, a tier-1 aerospace supplier within the Safran Group, one of the world's largest aerospace and defense conglomerates. The company specializes in electrical power generation, distribution, and management systems for commercial and military aircraft — including generators, power conversion units, wiring harnesses, and electrical load management architectures. In H2020, they participated in Clean Sky 2's Large Passenger Aircraft (LPA) platform as a third-party contributor, bringing industrial-grade electrical systems expertise to large-scale aircraft demonstrator programs. Their involvement in HLFC (Hybrid Laminar Flow Control), wing design, and fuselage demonstrators points to a role at the intersection of airframe integration and advanced electrification of aircraft subsystems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The first project (LPA GAM 2018, 2014–2019) carries no keyword data, suggesting a foundational participation role — likely as an industrial contributor to an established Clean Sky 2 consortium without a public keyword footprint. The second project (GAM-2020-LPA, 2020–2024) reveals a markedly more specific technology profile: HLFC, wing design, multifunctional fuselage demonstrators, advanced cabin design, and disruptive cockpit all appear together, indicating a progression from background participation to more defined technical contributions. The trajectory points toward deeper integration work on next-generation aircraft architecture, particularly where electrical systems intersect with aerodynamic and structural demonstrators.

They are moving from general consortium presence toward specific high-value roles in aircraft demonstrator programs — particularly technologies where electrical systems enable aerodynamic and structural innovation, a direction aligned with the aviation industry's electrification push.

How they like to work

Safran Electrical & Power UK participated in both H2020 projects exclusively as a third party — not as a direct grant recipient — which is the standard model for large industrial players in Clean Sky 2, where they contribute via topic leaders rather than holding independent grant agreements. Despite this indirect involvement, the consortium footprint is substantial: 76 unique partners across 13 countries across just two projects, reflecting the scale of Clean Sky 2 LPA consortia. This suggests they operate as a specialist industrial contributor embedded in large, multi-partner programs rather than leading independent research efforts.

With 76 unique consortium partners across 13 countries, their H2020 network is broad despite only two projects — a direct consequence of Clean Sky 2's large-consortium structure, which typically spans major European airframers, research institutes, and SMEs. Their geographic reach covers Western Europe and likely includes key aerospace hubs in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the UK.

What sets them apart

As the UK subsidiary of Safran Electrical & Power, this entity brings the industrial credibility and supply-chain relationships of a Safran Group company into EU research consortia — which matters for programs like Clean Sky 2 where industrial validation at demonstrator scale is required, not just academic research. Their contribution sits at a rare intersection: they are neither a pure research organization nor a passive industrial observer, but a systems integrator who can take research outputs and validate them against real aircraft electrical architecture requirements. For a consortium needing a tier-1 supplier to de-risk an electrical or aerodynamic technology before commercial deployment, this organization provides that industrial gateway.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GAM-2020-LPA
  The more recent and technically richer project, covering an 'Innovative Aircraft Demonstrator Platform' with explicit focus on HLFC, wing design, multifunctional fuselage, and disruptive cockpit — representing the full breadth of next-generation large aircraft development under Clean Sky 2.
• LPA GAM 2018
  The earlier Clean Sky 2 engagement (2014–2019) establishes their long-term commitment to the Large Passenger Aircraft platform, providing continuity across two consecutive multi-year EU programmes.