ESDU

In 1940 with World War II raging the British aircraft industry was rapidly expanding. Engineers from other industries as diverse as bicycle manufacture and piano making who lacked the specialised knowledge required for aircraft design were being drafted into the war effort to assist with the design and construction of aircraft.

To meet this challenge, the government asked the Royal Aeronautical Society to form a Technical Department with the aim of producing easy-to-use design guides, data sheets and analysis methodologies. More importantly the Technical Department was to validate this work to ensure its accuracy. To ensure the authority and quality of the work, a Technical Committee was established, with its expert members drawn from across the many aircraft companies and research establishments. In short, ESDU were tasked with bridging the gap between research and industry. This unique philosophy of collaboration allowed the team to assemble a large collection of validated design guides and data sheets for use by the aircraft industry.

Towards the end of the 1960s, grant aid was withdrawn and ESDU became a commercial entity selling subscriptions to its services. In 1998 ESDU was purchased by IHS Inc. based in Denver, United States, which, in turn became part of S&P Global. In 2023 S&P Global spun off its Engineering Solutions division, which includes ESDU, as a newly formed company called Accuris.