Riblets are microscopic grooves that reduce friction drag on the aircraft’s surface.
LCC Vueling has become the European launch customer for Australian startup MicroTau’s drag-reducing Riblet Modification Package, signing a letter of intent to equip its Airbus A320 fleet.
The package is an adhesive-backed plastic film covered in microscopic longitudinal grooves that, when applied to an aircraft’s surface, can reduce skin-friction drag by up to 4%, the company says.
MicroTau plans to obtain supplemental type certificates for the Riblet Modification Package on commercial aircraft, beginning with the A320 and Boeing 767. The company is working with Australia’s JetStar Airways to test the modification on the A320 and with Delta Air Lines on the 767.
With JetStar and the University of Melbourne, the company was awarded an A$3 million ($1.9 million) grant to fund flight trials on the A320. A further A$1.5 million secured from the New South Wales government in November 2024 will support certification.
Flight testing and certification on the A320 is planned within the next 12 months. Vueling will support the certification effort in Europe. The 767 plans to fly with riblets in 2026, with MicroTau and Delta working with the FAA on certification of the package.
MicroTau in 2021 tested the riblet film on the wing of a Zivko Edge 540 aerobatic aircraft, achieving a speed improvement equating to a 1-2% reduction in drag throughout the flight profile. In March 2024, the company was awarded a U.S. Defense Innovation Unit contract to test the film on a Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifter.
Related Content
