ECOMAT to Host New DLR Test Rig for Flight Control Systems – How Tomorrow’s Aircraft Takes Shape with Bremen’s Help
René Hollmann and Holger Schumann are happy about the new test rig, in the background the first batch of components can be seen, picture: WFB/Raveling
The aviation industry is facing a major challenge: reducing emissions and flying more efficiently to meet the EU’s climate targets. Achieving this requires innovative concepts that must undergo extensive testing before receiving certification. A crucial element in this effort is currently being developed at the ECOMAT research and technology center in Bremen – a new test rig for “moveables” and flight control systems designed to support the development of high-aspect-ratio wings for energy-efficient aircraft.
Measuring eight meters long and two meters high and wide – roughly the size of a minibus – the new moveables test rig from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will be hard to miss inside the ECOMAT facility.
These dimensions are necessary to test full-scale flight control components – such as ailerons – from modern commercial aircraft under realistic operating conditions. “Our goal is to simulate rapidly changing load conditions as they occur during actual flight – and to do so in real time. Very few test rigs offer this capability, especially when combined with the high degree of flexibility we are implementing here,” explains Holger Schumann, project lead at the DLR Institute of Flight Systems.
The test rig is fully modular in design. Its steel structure consists of three segments that can be configured as needed. In addition, both the load actuators and the control hardware and software are reconfigurable. This will allow engineers to test not only ailerons but a wide range of “moveables” – including flaps – as well as actuators and flight control computers from across the entire flight control system. The first test campaigns are scheduled to begin in 2026.
The DLR moveables test rig is not just intended for in-house research. “We want to collaborate with industry on testing and support the development of new concepts. Many suppliers lack access to extensive test infrastructure. That’s where we see a clear need,” emphasizes René Hollmann, research engineer at the DLR Institute of Flight Systems and systems engineer in the project, working within the Virtual Product House.
In addition to testing individual components, the rig will also enable integration testing – assessing how well systems from different manufacturers work together. “To ensure full system functionality, we’re using high-performance computing platforms capable of running real-time simulations, which are then transmitted directly to the test rig. This setup – especially in combination with the rig’s high dynamic performance – is a rare capability and demands significant processing power,” adds Schumann.
3D-Modell of the new test rig, picture: DLR
Preventing Flutter in Aircraft Wings
What does that mean in practical terms? A particularly vivid example of how the test rig will be used comes from the research phase of the project WISDOM (Wing Integrated Systems Demonstration On Mechatronic Rig), which is supported with several million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) as part of the national aviation research program LuFo 6.2. In addition to four DLR institutes, industry partners Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Diehl Aerospace GmbH, FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH, and the Technical University of Berlin are also involved.
This is where the new test rig will go into immediate use. “We aim to test and optimize multifunctional control surfaces for the development of efficient wing designs. One example is an active flutter suppression system for commercial aircraft,” says Hollmann.
A promising way to improve aircraft efficiency is to design wings with a higher aspect ratio – that is, longer and more slender. This reduces aerodynamic drag, improves overall efficiency, and lowers fuel consumption and emissions. But this progress comes at a cost: thinner wings are significantly more flexible and lose stiffness, making them more susceptible to a phenomenon known as flutter. Flutter occurs when vibrations induced by aerodynamic forces build up and can ultimately lead to structural damage to the wing.
While current commercial aircraft are designed to prevent flutter under normal conditions through passive means, this approach will no longer be sufficient for the ultra-slim wings of the future in extreme scenarios. Active systems will be needed to counteract oscillations in real time. The solution: control surfaces such as ailerons equipped with integrated flutter suppression systems.
“These surfaces need to move extremely quickly – performing multiple movements per second. Existing test rigs cannot apply loads to components at such speeds. That’s exactly why the new DLR moveables test rig in Bremen, with its high dynamic capability, is so essential,” Schumann emphasizes.
Possible configuration of a high aspect ratio wing (blue) in comparison to a normal wing (green), picture: DLR
At the Heart of the Aerospace Industry – ECOMAT and the DLR Virtual Product House
The decision to install the new test rig at ECOMAT was no coincidence. “We benefit from this location in several ways. On one hand, we’re right in the heart of Bremen’s Airport City, in close proximity to Airbus and many other aerospace OEMs and suppliers – the very partners we want to collaborate with on the test rig. On the other hand, ECOMAT provides us with access to unparalleled expertise within the German aerospace research network,” Hollmann summarizes.
At ECOMAT, the German Aerospace Center operates the Virtual Product House (VPH), an integration center and collaborative research platform where experts from various DLR institutes work together in interdisciplinary teams and in partnership with industry stakeholders. The VPH supports efficient knowledge and technology transfer and enables joint development of new aircraft components.
Within the VPH, DLR collaborates with industry partners, research institutions, and certification authorities such as EASA to drive the virtual development, certification, and integration of innovative and sustainable aircraft components and technologies – such as wings, moveables, or hydrogen tanks. One of the goals is the creation of a “digital twin” – a fully functional digital replica of real aircraft components, including virtual test environments. These pre-simulations make subsequent physical testing more targeted, allowing companies to develop and market new components more quickly and cost-effectively.
“This expertise and collaboration within the VPH also directly benefit the new moveables test rig – especially in the areas of simulation and flight control systems,” says Hollmann. By the end of 2026, the first test results from the rig are expected to be available, contributing to the development of novel multifunctional control surfaces – and marking another step toward the wing – and aircraft – of tomorrow.
Publications: H. Schumann, S. Lübbe, T. Klimmek, D. Quero Martin - Prüfstand für multifunktionale Flugsteuerungssysteme zur Lastminderung und Flatterunterdrückung bei Verkehrsflugzeugen, Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2023, https://doi.org/10.25967/610255
(Wing configuration picture taken out of:) Sebastian Wöhler, Jannik Häßy, Vivian Kriewall, - ESTABLISHING THE DLR-F25 AS A RESEARCH BASELINE AIRCRAFT FOR THE SHORT-MEDIUM RANGE MARKET IN 2035
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