During the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, we spoke with David Ziegler, Vice President Aerospace & Defense at Dassault Systèmes, about the digital transformation of the aerospace industry, the role of virtual twins, artificial intelligence, and the challenges related to safety, manufacturing and cybersecurity. According to the company executive, the next decade will bring a revolution in the design, manufacturing and operation of aircraft.
Growing aircraft production, the development of new propulsion systems, artificial intelligence and increasingly complex supply chains are making digital technologies a cornerstone of today’s aerospace industry. One of the leaders of this transformation is Dassault Systèmes, a company whose software is used by virtually all of the world’s major aircraft manufacturers. During the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, we spoke with David Ziegler of Dassault Systèmes about the future of aviation, virtual twins, artificial intelligence and the challenges facing the industry in the years ahead.
About Dassault Systèmes
French company Dassault Systèmes has been developing solutions for product design, simulation and lifecycle management for more than 40 years. Its 3DEXPERIENCE platform integrates design, manufacturing, testing and operations within a single digital environment.
Among the company’s best-known solutions are:
- CATIA – one of the world’s most widely used CAD tools for designing aircraft, engines and satellites;
- DELMIA – a platform for planning and optimizing manufacturing processes;
- ENOVIA – a system for product data management and collaboration between programme partners;
- SIMULIA – an advanced environment for engineering analysis and simulation.
Dassault Systèmes’ solutions are used by companies including Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Dassault Aviation, Embraer, Bell, Safran and GE Aerospace, as well as by a growing number of companies developing electric aircraft and eVTOLs.
Key takeaways from the interview
The conversation with David Ziegler paints a picture of an aerospace industry that will increasingly rely on digital models, artificial intelligence and the analysis of real-world operational data over the next decade.
According to the Dassault Systèmes executive, the future is no longer about individual 3D models, but about so-called 3D Universes – environments that combine a virtual twin of an aircraft, a digital factory and the entire supply chain. By using operational data and artificial intelligence, manufacturers will be able to analyse thousands of scenarios related to design, manufacturing and logistics before making decisions in the real world.
Predictive maintenance, the automation of design processes and the use of AI to reuse knowledge accumulated by manufacturers over several decades are also becoming increasingly important. According to Ziegler, the ability to leverage this vast pool of data will become one of the key competitive advantages for aircraft manufacturers by 2035.
At the same time, the digital transformation will have to go hand in hand with the growing importance of cybersecurity and intellectual property protection. Increasing amounts of data will be stored in the cloud, while manufacturers will expect full control over where their data is processed and how artificial intelligence is used.
Piotr Bożyk, Rynek Lotniczy / Anywhere.pl: The aerospace industry is currently under enormous pressure to increase production while maintaining the highest safety standards. How is Dassault Systèmes helping aircraft manufacturers address these challenges?
David Ziegler, Dassault Systems: Today, the biggest challenges are simultaneously increasing production, maintaining quality and ensuring supply-chain resilience. Our answer is a strategy that we call 3D Universes.
It combines the virtual twin of the product, a digital model of the factory and a digital model of the entire supply chain. When we enrich these models with operational data from real-world use, customers can create realistic “what-if” scenarios. They can simulate not only changes on the production line or within the factory organization, but also analyse the impact of changes involving suppliers or the entire logistics chain. We then layer an industrial artificial intelligence architecture on top of this platform, allowing customers to generate and analyse a much larger number of scenarios than would be possible using traditional methods.
Virtual twins are now one of the most important concepts in aviation. How will this technology evolve over the next five to ten years?
Virtual twins have existed for several decades, but their capabilities continue to expand. Our goal is to blur the boundary between the virtual and physical worlds.
A virtual twin is not simply a three-dimensional model. It contains information about materials, structural behaviour under load and the ageing processes of individual components. Operational data will become increasingly important.
A good example is an aircraft engine. By collecting data during operation, we can monitor how its actual fuel consumption or performance changes over time. This makes the model increasingly accurate and allows us to better predict the future behaviour of a given component.
Artificial intelligence is developing at an extraordinary pace. Which applications will have the greatest impact on aircraft design, manufacturing and maintenance?
AI will be present at virtually every stage of an aircraft’s lifecycle. Already at the conceptual design stage, it will make it possible to analyse thousands or even millions of design variants in a very short period of time. This will significantly accelerate the selection of optimal solutions.
At the detailed design stage, artificial intelligence will eliminate many repetitive administrative tasks. With solutions such as generative tolerancing, manufacturing instructions will be generated automatically alongside the design. In manufacturing, AI will improve process planning and scheduling, while during operations it will enable the further development of predictive maintenance, increasing aircraft availability and reducing the number of unplanned disruptions.
Sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges facing aviation. How can virtual twins help reduce emissions and improve efficiency?
Sustainability is above all a technological transformation – moving from fossil-fuel-based propulsion towards electric or hydrogen-powered systems.
Simulation allows us to design and develop new technologies much faster and improve the efficiency of the entire ecosystem.
However, analysing the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process itself is equally important. It is not just about the virtual twin of the aircraft, but also about the digital model of the manufacturing facility. This makes it possible to analyse energy consumption in detail, reduce waste and improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes.
Global supply chains remain vulnerable to disruption. How can digital collaboration platforms improve the resilience of the industry as a whole?
We are seeing the largest manufacturers increasingly moving their environments to the cloud. The natural next step will be for suppliers to follow the same path. This will increase the level of integration between manufacturers, suppliers and organizations responsible for maintenance.
Looking ahead, we see the development of agent-to-agent communication, in which intelligent digital agents representing manufacturers will be able to automatically exchange information with supplier agents according to common standards. This will significantly improve collaboration throughout the supply chain.
Which technologies will shape the aerospace industry by 2035?
The biggest challenge will be making use of the enormous amount of knowledge accumulated by aerospace manufacturers. Most of our customers have between 40 and even 100 years of design experience. Artificial intelligence will make it possible to reuse this knowledge when developing the next generations of aircraft. The ability to transform historical knowledge into a competitive advantage will be one of the most important trends of the coming decade.
Which manufacturers does Dassault Systèmes currently work with?
You can put it very simply: if something flies, there is a high probability that it was designed, manufactured, tested or is operated using our solutions.
We work with the largest manufacturers, including Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Dassault Aviation. At the same time, we are proud to work with younger companies developing new forms of air mobility, such as Joby Aviation and Vertical Aerospace.
This year’s Farnborough Airshow also highlights the growing importance of the defence sector. How is this influencing the development of Dassault Systèmes’ solutions?
We are definitely seeing growing interest in solutions for the defence sector. Technological sovereignty, intellectual property protection and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly important.
That is why we are developing our own cloud solutions that provide the highest levels of security and comply with requirements related to export controls and data protection. Ensuring full traceability of the data used by artificial intelligence systems and protecting companies’ intellectual property are equally important. Cybersecurity, sovereign cloud infrastructure and trust in artificial intelligence will therefore be among the most important topics discussed with our customers in the years ahead.
