Aircraft Research Association

Aircraft Research Association
ARA Bedford
Aircraft Research Association is located in Bedfordshire
Aircraft Research Association
Location within Bedfordshire
General information
TypeEngineering research centre
Architectural style
Wind tunnel
LocationBedford, MK41 7PF
Coordinates52°09′22″N 0°28′26″W / 52.156°N 0.474°W / 52.156; -0.474
Elevation70 m (230 ft)
Current tenantsARA
Construction started
September 1953
Completed
April 1956
Inaugurated4 May 1956
ClientARA
Design and construction
ArchitectsLey Colbeck and Partners

The Aircraft Research Association (ARA) is an aerodynamics research institute in the north-west of Bedford.

History

Prior to the creation of the Aircraft Research Association (ARA), British aircraft companies were reliant upon either their own wind tunnel facilities, which were typically quite restrictive in scale, or being able to garner the support of the Ministry of Supply to conduct such testing. On 22 January 1952, the ARA was established with the aim of pursuing cooperation between the various firms of the aerospace sector. Its founders included 14 members of the Society of British Aerospace Companies, including Blackburn Aircraft, Avro, Rolls-Royce and Hawker Aircraft.

In 1953, it was proposed to establish the ARA's primary test location at Stevington, north-west of Bedford. By March 1953, the current site was chosen. On 7 September of that year, construction work commenced. Amongst other elements built as this time was the transonic wind tunnel; it was fabricated by Moreland Hayne of east London, and ran for the first time in April 1956. On 4 May 1956, the site was officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The ARA established an Experimental Aerodynamics department; it provides test data generated from wind tunnel operations, often to validate and complement computer-based analysis, on behalf of the various international clients of the Association, both of a civil and military nature.

The ARA also has a Design and Manufacturing department that undertakes the low volume production of scale models and associated equipment for both its own transonic wind tunnel (which has a maximum speed of Mach 1.4) as well as the low-speed, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels across the world. It has supplied models for both the European Transonic Wind Tunnel in Germany and NASA's National Transonic Facility in the United States, which are two of the largest cryogenic wind tunnel facilities in existence.

During the early 2010s, the ARA launched multiple efforts to modernise and enhance its capabilities so the association could be more competitive on the international wind tunnel test market; to this end, it investigated areas such as hybrid laminar flow control, aircraft load alleviation, powerplant integration, cavity aerodynamics and acoustics. It also upgraded its wind tunnel infrastructure, specifically the control systems for the transonic wind tunnel, drive system, acoustic measurement, and model manufacture computing and associated apparatus. As a part of these works, the ARA introduced a purpose-built gust generator that will perform studies into turbulence encounters, including at transonic speeds, to help clients optimise their aircraft design to be smoother and more efficient during flight. In 2019, ARA employed 150 technical staff at Bedford and 80 percent of its activities were for the export market.

Research

The ARA provides aerodynamic design and consultancy services, ranging from theoretical exploration to physical experimentation and simulations, including Computational Fluid Dynamics.

More specifically, the Association has been involved in the development of numerous aircraft, both for civil and military operators. These include Concorde, multiple Airbus airliners, and every combat aircraft to have been flown by the Royal Air Force. Several aero engines, such as the Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan, were also tested there. The ARA has also been active in the automotive and wind power sectors.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Hills, R. (May 1956). "The Aircraft Research Association's Facilities". Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology. 28 (5): 140–144. doi:10.1108/eb032658. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  2. ↑ "Aircraft Research Association Limited overview". Companies House. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Tudor, Dave (21 October 2014). "Something special". Production Engineering Solutions. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Bedfordshire Times and Independent Friday 27 February 1953, page 7
  5. ↑ Bedfordshire Times and Independent Friday 11 September 1953, page 7
  6. ↑ Times Monday 4 January 1954, page 3
  7. ↑ Times Tuesday 1 September 1959, page 22
  8. ↑ Times Saturday 5 May 1956, page 8
  9. ↑ "Supersonic Wind Tunnel Aka The Duke At The Aircraft Research Association". British Pathé. 1956. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Wind Tunnel Testing". Aircraft Research Association. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  11. ↑ Gardner, Richard (19 October 2012). "Winds of change?". Aerospace International. Royal Aeronautical Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "£250m for green aerospace projects ahead of Industrial Strategy" (Press release). Department for Business and Trade. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Gust of change" (PDF). Engineering Designer. Vol. 43, no. 1. Institution of Engineering Designers. February 2017. pp. 20–22. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "ARA - a leading aerospace company investing in local talent". Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Aircraft Research Association Ltd". Aviation Week Marketplace. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "Trade and Industry - Minutes of Evidence". Hansard. 23 May 2002. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  17. ↑ "Bedford aerospace research and development champion is holding a recruitment event this month". Bedford Independent. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  18. ↑ Derby Evening Telegraph Thursday 18 August 1988, page 48