The Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology is a leading research institute in the fields of aircraft and vehicle aerodynamics, aircraft aeroacoustics, space aerothermodynamics and wind energy research.
Our institute is located at two sites - Braunschweig and Göttingen - and maintains a department in Cologne. With more than 350 employees, we investigate new methods and technologies in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics for aerospace, energy and transport. To this end, we develop and use numerical methods, wind tunnel experiments and flight tests. We analyze and optimize the entire spectrum of uncrewed aerial vehicles, eco-efficient transport aircraft, fast and low-noise helicopters, air taxis, tactical aircraft and missiles, next-generation ground vehicles, low-noise wind turbines, hypersonic aircraft and rockets.
We coordinate our work with the German/European aerospace industry and a number of university institutes. We are acting as a link between basic research at the universities and industrial application. This results in a large number of cooperative national and international research projects.
The Institute can look back on a long history: After the first “Modellversuchsanstalt für Aerodynamik“ was founded in Göttingen in 1907, the Institute for Aerodynamics and the Institute for Gas Dynamics of the "Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luftfahrt” (DFL) were succeeded by today's DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology.
Environmental policy conditions are playing an increasingly major role in air traffic. Therefore we research how future aircraft and space transportation systems can be designed and operated more efficient, ecological, comfortable, economical and secure. A further core competence is the development of software products used for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic simulations.