Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
Over the past 20 years, the issue of manufacturinglarge composite structures has been intensivelyaddressed. Military aircraft have seen ambitiousdevelopments which have been transferredsuccessfully into production. Large commercialaircraft have seen less ambitious developmentsproductionised at relatively high cost when comparedto aluminium. This paper reviews developments inthese sectors. Outstanding issues for affordablemanufacture of large composite structures arediscussed with reference to current design andmanufacturing research programmes.