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On October 16-19, 2024, we participated in “Japan International Aerospace Exhibition 2024” in Tokyo Big Sight, TOKYO.
Japan International Aerospace Exhibition is the largest aerospace exhibition in Japan, where major companies, government organizations, embassy officials, and industry representatives from Japan and overseas participate.
It is also a valuable opportunity to get information of the latest products from companies in a wide range of industries, including those in manufacturing, operation, and maintenance of aerospace and defense,  as well as new fields such as UAM and net-zero emissions.

International Aerospace Exhibition 2021 was cancelled due to COVID-19, so it was held for the first time in six years. The exhibition was attended by 663 companies and organizations (including joint exhibitors) from 23 countries and regions, and over 37,000 people visited during the four days event. (Source: Japan International Aerospace Exhibition 2024 website)
Recently, there has been a lot of development of unmanned aircraft and VTOL aircraft, and a lot of activities in the development of new technologies for net-zero emissions, so there were many exhibitions of unmanned aircraft and lectures related to net-zero emissions.

Now, I would like to introduce some of the exhibits and scenes from the exhibition hall.

Scene from the exhibition hall

On the large stage in the center of the hall, various presentations were held throughout the day.

About half of the space on the second floor was taken up by booths from overseas companies. It was a very valuable opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and products from overseas companies.

As a side note, there was a very interesting monitor set up at the Boeing booth. When you insert a glass cube with an image of an aircraft on it, a video introducing the aircraft plays. Seeing glass-like transparent material being used as a monitor to display videos reminded me of the world of movies in the near future.

Booth Introduction -Manned Aircraft-

At the JAXA booth, there were various displays related to research and development, as well as models of aircraft that are currently in development.
The following is a model of “Demonstration of Massive Electric Generation for Aircraft and Wake Adaptive Thruster Technology (MEGAWATT)”, which aims to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. As part of efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, the electrification of aircraft is an issue that companies in various countries are researching and developing.  There are many issues to be resolved in the process of electrification, such as aircraft safety, environmental considerations, and the establishment of new standards.

The following is a model of “Robust En-route Sonic-boom Mitigation Technology Demonstration (Re-BooT)“, which is the key to the realization of the next-generation supersonic airplane.

At the public event booth, there was a full-size model of “Hayabusa 2” and a 1/2 scale model of “Martian Moons Exploration (MMX)” on display. “Martian Moons Exploration (MMX)” exhibit featured a sample return device that shoots a bullet into the surface of the planet to break up the surface and collect samples, and it was a very interesting exhibit.

At the SUBARU booth, there was an actual aircraft of the “AIR MOBILITY Concept” that is being used in the flight testing. The design was a collaboration between a car and an aircraft, and it had a total of six propellers, with a unique design that looked like the red taillights of a car.

This is the booth for Japanese airlines ANA and JAL. There were several exhibits where you could sit in the seats (such as business class) used in the latest aircraft.
ANA booth was also promoting projects related to air mobility, such as flying cars, and there was also an exhibit where you could experience flying in VR.

At the JAL booth, they were introducing the project regarding SAF. This is a project to collect used cooking oil from the home, manufacture and reuse it as SAF for aviation fuel. As used cooking oil alone is not enough, it is mixed with the fuel currently in use.
SAF is an abbreviation for “Sustainable Aviation Fuel”, and while conventional aviation fuel is made from crude oil, SAF is made from biomass fuels such as waste cooking oil and sugarcane, as well as from urban waste and waste plastic. Because it is made from waste and recycled energy, it is said to have a CO2 reduction effect of around 60-80% compared to conventional jet aviation fuel. In the aviation industry, SAF is considered to be the most effective way of reducing CO2 emissions, and its use will become essential in the future.
At this exhibition, too, many exhibits and lectures introduced SAF-related projects from around the world.

Booth Introduction -Unmanned Aircraft-

At the Kawasaki Heavy Industries booth, the actual unmanned helicopter “K-RACER-X2”, which is currently undergoing testing, was on display. Compared to a normal unmanned helicopter, it was quite large and impressive.
K-RACER is a vehicle that uses the development know-how of helicopters and a small high-power engine from a motorcycle. It is said that it can transport objects up to 200kg to a location 100km away in less than an hour. The engine installed is the reciprocating engine of Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ “Ninja H2R” motorcycle. It is designed to transport goods in mountainous areas and at sea, and to provide support in disaster situations, and is a aircraft that can complete dangerous and demanding tasks on behalf of humans.

At the Ishikawa Energy Research booth, the hybrid drone, “Hybrid Flyer” and “Parallel Hybrid Flyer”, were on display.
“Hybrid Flyer” is planned to have a payload of 5kg and a maximum flight time of 1.5 hours, and ‘Parallel Hybrid Flyer’ currently under development is planned to have a payload of 60kg and a maximum flight time of 1.5 hours. The development of various types of aircraft will expand the range of activities in which drones can be used.

“AZ-250” industrial-use unmanned aircraft and “Kunio 250” engine for unmanned aircraft, manufactured by Arase Aizawa Aerospatiale, were on display.
The development concept for the AZ-250 was “All Weather & Long Duration”, and it is an all-weather aircraft that can operate in heavy rain. The development concept for the AZ-250 was “All Weather & Long Duration”, and it is an all-weather aircraft that can operate in heavy rain. It has a payload of 50g, and a maximum flight time of 7 hours 7 hours with unloaded and 1 hour with 50 kg load.
“Kunio 250” is a compact, lightweight, and fuel-efficient gasoline engine based on high-performance motorcycle engine technology.

At the Softbank booth, a 1/10 scale model of the “Sunglider”, an unmanned aircraft installed with solar panels that is being developed for HAPS, was on display. The actual aircraft has a wingspan of 78 meters and a payload up to 75 kg.
HAPS is an abbreviation for “High Altitude Platform Station,” a communications platform located in the stratosphere. HAPS is a new technology that enables stable flights in the stratosphere, where winds are relatively calm throughout the year, and low delay and mobile direct communications due to its close distance to the ground compared to satellites.

Softbank has announced that it has succeeded in stratospheric flight testing in the U.S. in October 2024, and will be keeping a close eye on future development of this technology.

Booth Introduction -Defense-

At the Airbus booth, “VSR700”, a multi-purpose unmanned aircraft designed to satisfy the severe requirements of the world’s armies and navies, was on display. Other aircraft introduced included “A220”, a 100-150 seat passenger aircraft, “A350F”, a highly efficient large cargo aircraft based on the A350, and “A400M”, a high versatility transport aircraft.

At the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries booth, combat support unmanned aircraft and various other types of unmanned aircraft were on display.
The combat-oriented combat support unmanned aircraft is a concept aircraft that is installed with advanced AI and equipped with radar and weapons that can operate in unison with the fighter aircraft for various missions.
The following “ARMDC-20X”, a combat support unmanned aircraft converted from missile technology, is a concept that is disposable like a missile. “ARMDC” is an abbreviation for “Affordable Rapid Prototype Missile Drone Concept”.

There were various types of unmanned aircraft, including fixed-wing types, multi-copter types, and single-rotor types, depending on the purpose of use. In any case, they were designed to make the most of their advantages, such as a 200 kg payload drone that can carry heavy objects, a 2-hour cruising time hybrid drone, and a VTOL type drone that can take off and land on places without a runway or on top of ships.

We was able to experience the latest technology from the Japanese and overseas companies and glimpse the future of the aviation industry.
Also, we felt the responsibility of being involved in the research and development of a technology that is essential to the development of the industry, and we decided to do our best in the future.
Thank you for your continued support!