Next generation Aerospace talent takes flight at IT FLIES UK 2026

IT FLIES UK 2026ST Engineering Antycip (Antycip) successfully organised the 2026 edition of the IT FLIES UK competition, hosted at Swansea University and bringing together aerospace engineering students from across the UK and Europe.

Designed to bridge the gap between theoretical aircraft design and real-world evaluation, the competition challenged university teams to develop, present and defend original aircraft concepts before seeing them assessed by professional test pilots inside a Merlin Flight Simulator.

This year’s edition welcomed six university teams, with the University of South Wales securing a double win with Best Aircraft Design – “The Nabla Wyvern” and Best Innovative Aircraft – “The Orca”

Swansea University was also recognised with the award for Best Presentation for its aircraft concept “The Marlin”.

One of the standout projects of the competition, “The Nabla Wyvern”, was developed as a 9.8 kg MTOW high-wing, twin-engine industrial agricultural UAS tailored for precision liquid payload dispersal and Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) operations.

The aircraft featured an innovative “Nabla” inverted-delta box-tail configuration designed to improve stability and pitch authority during demanding low-speed operations while maintaining lightweight construction principles under strict competition constraints.

In addition to securing first place, the winning University of South Wales team was also awarded the opportunity to present its project at the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Simulation Conference 2026.

What continues to distinguish IT FLIES within aerospace education is its ability to expose students to a more realistic engineering and evaluation process, combining aircraft design, technical justification, simulation and professional feedback within a single competition environment.

“Participating in IT FLIES provides an exceptional opportunity for our students to showcase the innovative work they develop during their studies and to receive valuable feedback from experienced industry professionals. It consistently stands out as one of the highlights of their academic journey, giving them both confidence and real-world perspective on their designs.
This year’s competition was particularly impressive, with some of the strongest entries I have seen to date. The quality of work continues to improve year on year, and we at USW are incredibly proud of the achievements of our students in such a competitive and inspiring environment.” Robert J. Warren, EngD FHEA, Lecturer in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering, University of South Wales

“What makes the competition particularly valuable is the opportunity for students, through our Merlin Flight Simulators, to move beyond theoretical aircraft design and experience how simulation can support realistic aircraft evaluation and decision-making. We are extremely proud to continue supporting this initiative alongside all participating institutions.” Amir Khosh,
Merlin Manager, Antycip

As the competition continues to grow internationally, IT FLIES remains a unique platform for showcasing how simulation-based learning can help prepare students for the realities of modern aerospace engineering.
*****
About ST Engineering Antycip
ST Engineering Antycip is a European leader in simulation, immersive visualisation, and training technologies. Working across defence, aerospace, industry and academia, Antycip delivers advanced simulation and synthetic environment solutions that support immersive learning, research, engineering and operational readiness.

Through technologies including Merlin Flight Simulation, Antycip helps organisations bridge the gap between theory and real-world application.