DefenceIntegration.org also met with representatives from Hispano-Suiza, Groupe Safran. They are currently participating in a European wide initiative to manage the overall requirements for electrical flow during flight, basically battery management. This is in part being achieved by the integration of gearing and control systems to minimize the need for additional hydraulic systems, indeed the overall trend within aerospace is towards a more electric plane. To this end hydraulic systems are being replaced by small electric motors which can apply force without the need for hydraulic flow systems. Currently PCBs (printed circuit board) are providing electronic control systems but one can
envisage a time not far away where miniaturization provides weight benefits once an all electronic solution can be proven in the field. Hydraulic systems boast no such promise, an example of this was a printed circuit board solution which has already replaced a hydraulic system in the field, the next generation model would be half the size of the electronic replacement. In a similar fashion, full radial aero package braking systems for wheels are currently being redesigned to offer an electronic replacement for its traditional hydraulic counterpart.
