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Innovation

Digital twins in aerospace and defense

Report from the Capgemini Research Institute

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Of the technological advancements on the digital frontier in recent years, digital twin technology has been one of the most talked about. But what is a digital twin exactly?

In essence, it is a precise virtual replica of a physical system, or process, that can monitor, analyze, and optimize the physical world. While employing digital twins in aerospace and defense is not a new concept, it has now become a requirement. With this in mind, we analyze the place of digital twins in A&D today in our latest Capgemini Research Institute report, Mirroring reality: Digital twins in aerospace and defense.

We found that the ability to visualize and address issues virtually – before committing to a solution – makes digital twins an invaluable tool for an industry such as A&D, where traditional approaches to solving problems throughout the value chain are often cost- and time-intensive. Recognizing the value of digital twins in the industry, 73% of A&D organizations now have a long-term roadmap for digital twin technology, and investment is ramping up, being projected to increase 40% from the previous year. 

Aside from the potential for significant cost savings, A&D organizations are looking towards digital twins for benefits that include reduced time to market, increased sales, improved operational efficiency, access to advanced training environments, and technological advancement. Importantly, digital twins can also play a role in aiding various sustainability efforts.

Our research also looks into digital twin technology as the backbone of the industrial metaverse, where it can enable a virtual environment for businesses and individuals to collaborate on the design and testing of products, processes, and systems. Finally, we look at how the different organizations that form the A&D industry can accelerate their individual digital twin transformations and tap into the benefits that the technology provides.

Download the report to read more about the transformative impact of digital twin technology on the A&D industry and what organizations can do to take advantage of this development.

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Further reading

Green hydrogen

Low-carbon hydrogen: A path to greener future

Digital Twins

Adding Intelligence to the Real World

Intelligent Supply Chain

How greater intelligence could supercharge supply chains

Meet our experts

Lee Annecchino

Executive Vice President, Global Aerospace & Defense Leader
Lee has over 25 years of experience driving growth, innovation and revenue in a series of executive and leadership roles in the Aerospace industry. As Global Aerospace & Defense Leader at Capgemini, Lee is responsible for creating the global A&D industry strategy that drives a portfolio of capabilities and the ecosystem needed to address the evolving needs of the industry. Lee believes that data driven connected A&D ecosystems and resilient supply chains will drive efficiencies in the aerospace and defense industry.

Jacques Bacry

Executive Vice President – Digital Continuity & Convergence Group Offer Leader
Jacques is Digital Continuity Group Offer Leader, with an objective to define and execute the strategy in this dynamic domain including PLM and Digital twin. His work is focused on unleashing the promise of end-to-end digital continuity across the entire product lifecycle, by seamlessly integrating ideation, engineering, manufacturing, and aftersales into one unified digital collaboration. He is a champion of PLM as an enabler for Industry 4.0 because it integrates the development of products, production, and services.

Frédéric Grousson

Head of Aerospace & Defense industry
Frederic is Dr.-Eng in control system and has joined the group in 2000, and has worked since then in the Aeronautic sector for many customers with a huge experience at Airbus account in the industry sales team since 2015, he now leads the Aerospace and Defense sector globally for Capgemini Engineering.

Corinne Jouanny

Head of Portfolio and Industry Centers of Excellence
Corinne is committed to leading sustainability acceleration. She has led numerous R&D projects in a variety of sectors for many international clients. A pioneer in the practice of design thinking in the industry, she has developed new service offerings and catalysis projects of major innovations that put people and the planet at the heart of developments, in open innovation dynamics. Corinne shares her passion and experience in diverse academic and industrial ecosystems to foster value creation and responsible innovation. Awarded “Innovation woman 2014” by L’Usine Nouvelle.