SONACA's design office is internationally recognised and is comprised of about 200 engineers. Thanks to this strike force, the SONACA Group is unanimously considered as a reliable and competent partner in the field of fixed and moveable leading edges.
SONACA’s Design Office designs and develops high-tech structures and their associated systems for the aircraft and space markets and offers customers product support. SONACA is also responsible for all the required certification activities, especially full-scale component tests (static tests, fatigue and damage resistance tests), both on metallic and composite structures and their associated systems.
The technical department supervises the technical disciplines in question, including the development of airframes and systems, dimensioning and structural tests, the integration and justification of the associated systems, the development of materials and procedures, the optimisation of digital methodology (knowledge-based engineering – KBE), configuration management. All the activities are undertaken according to design assurance procedures, guaranteeing an organisation in compliance with ISO9001/EN9100. Specific skills and know-how have been acquired for the development and optimisation of fixed and moveable leading edge slats, which constitute one of the company’s main products (simulation of resistance capability to bird strike, highly non-linear analysis to support the optimisation of structures, etc.).

Research and development activities essentially focus on the following areas:
- the development, characterisation and implementation of innovative materials and manufacturing technologies;
- the development of advanced composite structures;
- the development of new simulation tools;
- the development and integration of new anti-icing systems.
SONACA’s activities are structured around three product lines: wing leading edges, fuselage panels and wing panels.
SONACA's main abilities are, among other things, the design and production of slats or wing leading edges. But what exactly is a slat?

"Slats" or "moveable leading edges" are components of the wing that play an essential role in the aircraft aerodynamics. Located at the front end of the aircraft wing, a system of rails, racks and gears allows their movement according to the various flight phases.
When deployed, they provide the aircraft with the required lift to take-off and land, and permit to reduce the airspeed during those essential flight phases as well as the landing distance.
In flight, they also play a protective role in case of bird strike and are equipped with a hot air de-icing system that prevents any potentially dangerous ice accumulation on the wing.