The DEFENDER project aims at developing, manufacturing, testing, and qualifying an innovative next-generation fuel storage system with innovative features to be integrated into the Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NextGenCTR) framed in the Fast Rotorcraft (FRC) Innovative Aircraft Demonstrator Platform (IADP). The consortium will support to the topic manager from the early design phases up to obtaining the 'Permit to fly'. The key innovations of the project are:

- the development of light, impact-resistant and flexible bladders;

- the use of high-strength, low-density closed-cell foams, which protect the bags, improvingto the overall crashworthiness of the entire storage system;

- the introduction of components in Additive Layer Manufacturing, used for the metal interfaces between the bladders and the fuel system, leading to a significant reduction in weight compared to traditional techniques.

Moreover,  new numerical techniques will be developed to support the design department, providing high-fidelity simulations of the fuel storage system's crash response.