Imagine the paint job on a business jet's wing constantly taking a beating — rain hammering at incredible speeds, ice building up, UV light degrading the surface, and static electricity accumulating. This project developed a transparent protective coating you can apply on top of existing paint that handles all of those problems at once. Think of it like a super-tough screen protector for aircraft surfaces, made using two different chemistry approaches (UV-cured varnish and sol-gel) so there's a backup plan built in. The coating keeps the wing smooth enough to maintain fuel-saving airflow while protecting against contamination, ice, erosion, and UV damage.
Aircraft wing surfaces face a brutal combination of threats — rain erosion at flight speeds, ice buildup, UV degradation, static charge accumulation, and contamination that disrupts the smooth airflow needed for fuel efficiency. Today, airlines and OEMs deal with these problems using multiple separate treatments, each adding weight, cost, and maintenance cycles. A single protective clear coat that handles all six problems at once would cut application time, reduce maintenance frequency, and keep wings performing longer between service intervals.
The project developed two multifunctional transparent protective coatings for aircraft wing surfaces: a UV-cured hybrid varnish (organic + silicone epoxy) and a hybrid sol-gel coating reinforced with colloidal silica particles. They also built a dedicated liquid erosion test rig capable of firing 0.3mm water droplets at 220 m/s at 0° and 30° angles to validate coating performance. A total of 4 deliverables were produced.
If you are an aerospace MRO provider spending heavily on wing surface repairs and repainting cycles — this project developed a multifunctional clear coat that resists erosion at 220 m/s impact speeds, prevents ice formation, and blocks UV degradation. That means longer intervals between maintenance, less aircraft downtime, and reduced material costs per service cycle.
If you are a business jet manufacturer dealing with laminar flow degradation on wing surfaces due to contamination and icing — this project developed two coating technologies (UV hybrid varnish and hybrid sol-gel) that keep surfaces clean and smooth while dissipating electrostatic charges. Both were tested on actual aeronautic substrates with industrial application constraints in mind.
If you are a specialty coatings company looking to diversify into aerospace applications — this project produced validated formulations combining organic-silicone chemistry with colloidal silica reinforcement. The consortium of 3 SMEs and 1 research partner across France and Belgium already demonstrated these coatings meet aerospace-grade erosion testing at 220 m/s with 0.3mm water droplets.
Based on available project data, specific pricing is not disclosed. The formulations use commercially available raw materials (organic-silicone epoxies, colloidal silica) and standard UV curing or sol-gel application processes, which suggests costs comparable to existing aerospace-grade clear coats. Licensing or supply agreements with the consortium partners would be the likely path.
The project formulated coatings with industrial constraints explicitly considered and tested them on required aeronautic substrates. With 3 out of 4 consortium partners being industry players (75% industry ratio), the formulations were designed for practical manufacturing rather than lab-only use. Full production-line integration would require further qualification steps.
The project was funded under Clean Sky 2 (CS2-IA) with RESCOLL as coordinator. IP rights typically rest with the consortium partners under EU grant rules. Contact the coordinator RESCOLL (France) to discuss licensing options for either the UV hybrid varnish or the sol-gel coating technology.
The consortium built a dedicated liquid erosion test rig that fires 0.3mm diameter water droplets at 220 m/s velocity, hitting samples at both 0° and 30° angles. This simulates real rain impact conditions on aircraft surfaces at flight speed. The rig was installed at RESCOLL facilities for ongoing characterization.
The project included a legislation survey as part of its initial phase to map applicable regulations. However, full aviation certification (e.g., EASA approval) would require additional qualification beyond the project scope. Based on available project data, the coatings were validated against technical specifications from the Clean Sky 2 topic requirements.
Easy repairability was one of the six target properties built into the coating design. Based on available project data, specific lifetime figures are not published, but the coating was engineered to resist UV degradation and erosion at 220 m/s — indicating durability under extreme operating conditions.
The PILOT consortium is compact and industry-heavy: 4 partners across France and Belgium, with 75% being industry players and 3 of them SMEs. RESCOLL, the French coordinator, is an SME specializing in adhesion and surface treatment — they bring formulation and testing expertise, and the erosion test rig was installed at their facility. Having only 1 research organization alongside 3 industry partners signals this was an application-driven project, not a lab exercise. The small consortium size and strong SME presence means decision-making is likely faster and IP discussions more straightforward for potential licensees.
RESCOLL (France) — specialty adhesion and coatings SME. Use Google AI Search to find the project coordinator's contact details.
Want an introduction to the PILOT consortium for licensing or partnership? SciTransfer can connect you with the right person at RESCOLL.
