INTRODUCTION Airborne Wind Energy Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) are an emerging alternative wind energy generation technology that uses kites to harvest the faster, more consistent wind resource at high altitudes1. The Ampyx Power AWES (Figure 1) uses an autonomously piloted rigid-wing aircraft to create significant lift force, which is transferred to a ground-based generator via a high-tension cable attached to a spinning drum2. The loading cycle draws the tether out to its full extent, after which the aircraft returns to the starting position in a two-phase " pumping " power generation mode3. The aircraft structure is highly fatigue loaded with power generation cycles several minutes in duration. Safety and structural performance requirements make fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites the most promising choice of materials for AWES4. Since AWES must eventually compete with existing low-cost wind technology, the current challenge is to find a combination of materials and production methods that achieve a low-cost design, while meeting performance and safety requirements. Figure 1. The Ampyx Power AWES made up of a tethered autonomous aircraft and ground-based generator [left] and the dual-fuselage AP-3 aircraft [right]5. Composite Cost Modelling Hueber et al.6 reviewed cost modelling approaches commonly used in the aerospace industry and broadly classified the different methods: (i) analogous estimation evaluates the cost of a product relative to the cost of similar products (ii) parametric estimation evaluates the cost of a product based on mathematical relationships between a product's cost and its geometric features and (iii) bottom-up estimation evaluates the cost of a product from a decomposition of the manufacturing steps into individual tasks, determining the materials, labour and equipment Complete Ultrasonic Systems Integration Ultrasonic inspection systems for your high-performance materials Multi-axis immersion tanks and gantries New construction and system upgrades Conventional and phased array inspection C-scan and full waveform compatible Matec Instrument Companies, Inc. | Northborough, MA | 1-508-393-0155 | sales@matec.com | matec.com w w w. s a m p e . o r g May June 2021 Journal.indd 27 M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 1 | SAMPE JOURNAL | 27 4/8/2021 12:32:30 PMhttp://www.matec.com http://www.sampe.org