ONERA Hosts the first IFAR WGs Workshop in Toulouse
Organized by ONERA from June 12 to 14, this IFAR WGs Workshop allowed 45 participants from 11 countries to reflect on future trends in emerging technologies.
This international gathering brought together 45 in-person participants, while additional researchers joined remotely from institutions such as NASA. Together, they explored future trends in emerging technologies, their impacts on IFAR WGs, and assessed progress made within IFAR WGs, with a particular focus on themes such as noise reduction, MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), certification by analysis, and the new IFAR research project ELECTRIFLY (Atmospheric Electricity Characterization Through In-Flight Measurements).
Co-organized by the International Affairs Directorate and the Toulouse Centre, the event leveraged the strategic location to involve engineers from ONERA’s departments in Toulouse. Participants also visited key ONERA facilities, including the icing wind tunnel, the F1 wind tunnel, and the PyCoFIRe test bench at ONERA’s Fauga Centre.
A highlight of the program was the IFAR delegation’s visit to the Salle des Illustres at the invitation of the Mayor of Toulouse. ONERA Chairman & CEO Bruno Sainjon emphasized the critical role of innovation in aeronautics and the value of international collaboration fostered by IFAR. His remarks echoed the welcoming speech of Agnès Plagneux Bertrand, Deputy Mayor of Toulouse and Vice-President of Toulouse Métropole.
Strengthening its regional ties in Occitanie, ONERA also organized visits to the ATR company and two University of Toulouse laboratories—CIRIMAT and LAPLACE—which collaborate on multiple topics with the organization. Taking advantage of the weekend ahead of the Paris Air Show, attendees were treated to a breathtaking excursion to the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory, situated at an altitude of 2,877 meters—a memorable visit thanks both to the stunning natural setting and the special guided tour of telescopes and scientific instruments operated by the University of Toulouse.
With this workshop, ONERA set its sights high during its IFAR presidency—“reaching the summit before the summit.” The next major milestone will be the 16th IFAR Summit in Vienna, scheduled for October 28–31, 2025.
