History

ONERA, from Post-WWII Reconstruction to International Competition

At the end of the Second World War, the founding fathers of Onera were convinced that “France could once again construct a modern aviation industry, provided that it moved forward quickly and resolutely.” The teams of researchers, engineers, technicians and workers who had been scattered around the country were brought together in 1946 to form Onera – Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aéronautiques. At the same time, the decision was made to build a fleet of modern wind tunnels, with the largest and most powerful installed at Modane-Avrieux, in the Savoy region of eastern France.

From the outset, the new entity’s scope of activities spanned fundamental research, applied research and testing for aircraft manufacturers. It focused on aerodynamics, propulsion, materials, structural resistance, physics and instrumentation.

Onera was formed as a multidisciplinary organization – even if the word didn’t exist yet!. From 1946 to 1962, it built up widely recognized expertise, providing invaluable aid to French manufacturers of airplanes, helicopters, missiles and propulsion systems. In particular, its research teams developed new technologies for supersonic and hypersonic propulsion, applying these technologies with success on experimental vehicles. This proved to be a decisive contribution to the first launch vehicles on the continent, not to mention both strategic and tactical missiles.

In 1963, Onera’s space vocation was officially confirmed, as its name was changed to the Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales, evolving from “aeronautics” to “aerospace”. Onera would grow at a very fast pace until 1983, expanding its resources and its scope of expertise. It also formed tighter bonds with industry through major new civil and military aircraft and space programs. Onera would play a pivotal role in the development of such technology success stories as the Concorde supersonic transport and Mirage fighters, followed shortly by Airbus, helicopters and the Ariane launcher.

In the two dozen years since then, research methods have changed. Progress in all disciplines is now a product of an ongoing dialog between experts in physics, numerical modeling and experimentation. The resulting synergies have driven scientific breakthroughs and technical innovations in such major French and European achievements as Mirage, Rafale, Airbus and Ariane.

From its founding, Onera has been France’s representative in most international scientific projects, especially in conjunction with well known American research labs at NASA, the U.S. Air Force, etc., plus others in Japan and China. Above all, Onera has formed close-knit ties with its European counterparts, now grouped within the association of European Research Establishments in Aerospace – EREA – giving rise to an integrated research policy.

Last Update: 17 March 2006 - © ONERA 2009 - Terms of use