Teaching through research
Created when the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, SUPAERO, was transferred to Toulouse, ONERA-Toulouse provides
SUPAERO and other teaching organizations in Toulouse with the support of a powerful, multidisciplinary research center.
More than 130 of its researchers make a significant contribution to teaching activities. ONERA-Toulouse welcomes 90 Ph.D students and many visiting lecturers in its laboratories.
Its strong commitment to teaching activities and training through research are the keys to its success.
The key to success: research-teaching
Applied research
ONERA-Toulouse's vocation and ambitions can be summed up in a word: applied research. ONERA-Toulouse carries out research for and with the aeronautics, space and defense industries --- cutting edge sectors where the requirements are the most stringent.
Its program mainly involves external contracts for which its customers benefit from its proven experience in contract research where meeting requirements, cost targets and deadlines are essential. Its major partners are state and public sector organizations, industry and the European Union.
Based on upstream studies carried out internally or in partnership with fundamental research laboratories, ONERA-Toulouse is responsible, within ONERA, for applied studies oriented by the major aerospace and defense programs, cooperating with the contracting companies --- going far beyond simple transfers of technology through to real applications. It serves as expert for the airworthiness authorities.
ONERA-Toulouse provides the whole industry with the benefit of the results and spin-offs of its research.
ONERA-Toulouse's work is either carried out in a strictly French context, or in the framework of international cooperation programs, European in particular, within AEREA --- a group of seven aerospace research organizations.
Aeronautics, space and defense oriented scientific activities
The challenge of a multidisciplinarity research
ONERA-Toulouse makes the most of the wealth of knowledge generated by its multidisciplinary approach.
In the area of artificial intelligence, computer and control specialists work together with their colleagues at ONERA in the framework of the Artificial Intelligence Group.
In information processing, the research engineers pool their skills to solve problems
in the areas of sensors, information transmission, information processing by optical or electronic and analog or digital means.
ONERA-Toulouse is divided into departments whose scientific activities meet the requirements of the aeronautics, space and defense industries, which are expressed, in particular, through orientation councils in each discipline. The departments focus on promising centers of excellence.
ONERA-Toulouse's ambition is to allow specialists from different disciplines to work together in the same establishment on the same subject.
Multidisciplinary research
- AERODYNAMICS AND ENERGETICS MODELING (DMAE)
- To deepen our knowledge of aerodynamic phenomena and to describe them in
the form of mathematical models. This work contributes to the development
of large calculation codes for fluid mechanics.
Areas of expertise: the work deals with external and internal flows.
It mainly covers:
- The intrinsic stability of flows
- Transition between laminar-turbulent flows and related drag reduction aspects
- Modeling of turbulence
- Modeling of two phase flows
- Aerothermodynamics
- MODELING AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (DTIM)
- To develop algorithmic techniques for performing new or more powerful functions in the context of analysis and decision making. To create models and methods capable of dealing with the complexity of systems whose constituent parts may be artificial agents or people.
Areas of expertise:
- Modeling, designing, validating, implementing and optimal operation of complex numeric and/or symbolic information processing systems,
- Numerical and statistical modeling, high performance calculation
- Image processing and merging data for computer aided design of future systems aimed at greater autonomy and higher performances
- SYSTEM CONTROL AND FLIGHT DYNAMICS (DCSD)
- To develop new methods and new tools for identification, optimization and automation, intended to predict and control the dynamic behavior of vehicles and systems.
Areas of expertise:
- flight dynamics and identification,
- system control,
- control and decision making,
- human factors
The department's favorite area of activity is the aerospace sector but its research applies equally well to submarines and surface vessels, to self-sufficient or remote controlled robotic systems, to large land traffic or air traffic control systems.
- THEORICAL AND APPLIED OPTICS (DOTA)
- To develop and manage optical systems, from the source to post-processing, in a range of wavelengths from infrared to ultraviolet, for aeronautic, space and military applications.
Areas of expertise:
- Modeling optronic scenes and thermal-optical data
- Design, development and qualification of high-performance optical instruments
- High Resolution Imaging
- Laser systems
- ELECTROMAGNETISM AND RADAR (DEMR)
- To improve existing systems and define future systems in the main areas of application of electromagnetism, i.e. radar, stealth, electromagnetic compatibility, electronic warfare and telecommunications.
The DEMR's activity has a dual modeling-measuring aspect and ranges from the study of physical phenomena to the creation of calculation codes and demonstrators.
The DEMR's strategic areas are:
- electromagnetic modeling,
- radar systems,
- signal processing and electronic warfare,
- radar imaging,
- antennae,
- radioelectrical propagation,
- low frequency radars,
- EM signatures and stealth,
- electromagnetic compatibility
- SPACE ENVIRONMENT (DESP)
- Ever since its creation in 1967, the DESP's objective has been to evaluate the environmental conditions of space missions and prevent the damage they may cause.
The DESP studies and models the different components of the space mission environment (mainly charged particles and solid micro-particles) and evaluates the associated risks with on-board experiments and simulations on the ground.
Its work mainly covers:
- the physical modeling of planetary radiation belts,
- engineering models (charged particles and solid micro-particle flows),
- the satellite's interactions with its environment (contamination, effects of wakes, charging and discharging effects,...),
- the vulnerability of electronic components and materials,
- the design, calibration and operation of on-board experiments intended for the study of the environment and its effects
- LONG-TERM DESIGN AND SYSTEM INTEGRATION (DPRS)
- To promote and maximize synergy and complementarities between the different scientific and technical disciplines exercised at Onera. Because it plays a transversal role, the DPRS is able, quite naturally, to take on the management of multi-disciplinary projects. It can, in addition, contribute its own skills and knowledge in specific technical fields (system design, optimization, estimation, navigation, guidance, control).
Areas of expertise:
- Performance of aerospace systems
- New concepts for aerospace vehicles.
- Monitoring, tracking and defense systems
- Civil aviation and air traffic
- Set up in 1968, ONERA-Toulouse is a center of the National Aerospace Studies and Research Agency (ONERA), an industrial and commercial public research establishment.
- ONERA-Toulouse has a budget of 40 MEuros.
- It performs 300 research contracts annually.
- It takes part in national research programs for the Ministry of Defense, CNES, etc.
- It is involved in many European programs and in the activities of the European Space Agency.
- It also takes part in a certain number of international scientific or technological experiments, mainly in the space sector.
- Besides the aerospace sector, ONERA-Toulouse proposes its skills to industry in the energy, telecommunication and road traffic sectors.
- The staff is 420 people including 280 permanent research engineers and technicians, and 90 Ph.D students for a three-year period. It also receives more than 100 trainees each year.
- 6,500 hours teaching are dispensed each year, including more than 4,000 hours at SUP'AERO, the aeronautics college.
- The engineers have 29,000 sq. m of laboratories (research facilities and experimental installations) and offices at their disposal.
- It has computing resources to match its vocation: SGI Origin supercomputer, Unix servers and workstations, direct access to the computing resources at ONERA Ile de France (NEC SX8, Bull Novascale Cluster).
- 200 articles are published yearly at congresses and in specialist journals.
