Case Study · Aerospace & Defence
A world first — delivered from Northern Ireland

The world's first Digital Product Passport for aerospace

A trusted digital identity for every critical part — proven, not promised. ubloquity and PING Group delivered the first Digital Product Passport built for aerospace, demonstrated live at the UK Digital Twin Centre in Belfast with early backing from Digital Catapult.

1 in 3
of the world's aircraft seats are made in Northern Ireland
£2.2bn
NI aerospace, defence, security & space turnover — doubled in a decade
9,000+
employed in the sector, with 500+ apprentices
59%
more productive than the UK average
The challenge

One undocumented part can ground an aircraft

Aerospace runs on paperwork that was never designed for a global, multi-tier supply chain. A component's history — materials, certifications, custody, storage conditions, maintenance record — is scattered across paper trails and siloed databases held by suppliers, freight forwarders, MROs and operators.

The consequences are real: a single undocumented or counterfeit part can ground an aircraft or compromise safety. Industry estimates put the cost of supply chain inefficiencies and delays across aerospace and defence at around $100 billion a year.

And the regulatory bar is rising. The EU's Digital Product Passport framework is moving from concept to requirement, airline and OEM customers are demanding verifiable upstream ESG data, and counterfeit-part traceability expectations from regulators keep tightening.

Fragmented records aren't just inefficient any more. They are a compliance risk, a commercial risk and a safety risk — and no single database bolted onto the old model fixes them.

Fig. 1 — Today: five parties, five versions of the truth
Supplier Manufacturer Freight MRO Operator five siloed records $100bn estimated annual cost of supply chain inefficiency and delay across aerospace & defence 1 part undocumented or counterfeit is enough to ground an aircraft
The solution

A tamper-proof digital identity that travels with the part for life

Working with aerospace and defence logistics specialist PING Group, ubloquity built a blockchain-secured Digital Product Passport that assigns every component a unique digital identity the moment it is made — then keeps that record verified, current and visible to every trusted party for the part's entire life.

Fig. 2 — One trusted record across the full component lifecycle
Raw material Manufacture Certification Transit In service MRO End of life DIGITAL PRODUCT PASSPORT — one blockchain-secured, tamper-proof record, visible to all trusted parties Provenance · Certifications · Custody · Condition · Compliance · ESG

Authenticated at source

Every part receives a unique, blockchain-secured digital identity the moment it is made. Authenticity is established at origin — not reconstructed later.

Tracked for life

Full lifecycle traceability from raw material sourcing through manufacture, transit and maintenance, repair and overhaul — in a single, tamper-proof record.

One source of truth

Verified provenance, certification and lifecycle data that any manufacturer, operator, regulator or maintainer in the network can rely on.

Seen, not just recorded

A 3D digital twin, developed with the support of Digital Catapult, lets users explore the physical part alongside its live data.

Fig. 3 — Inside the passport
DIGITAL PRODUCT PASSPORT Component ID · unique, blockchain-secured at manufacture Provenance Materials traced to source and country of origin Certifications Supplier quality and design approvals, linked and verified Chain of custody Every handover timestamped and party-verified Condition history IoT-enabled custody and condition evidence on the record ESG data Verifiable sustainability credentials for customer reporting Compliance status Live regulatory position, ready for audit at any moment VERIFIED · TAMPER-EVIDENT · BLOCKCHAIN-SECURED

Condition, on the record

IoT-enabled monitoring attaches real-world custody and condition evidence to the passport — closing the gap between what a certificate says and what a part actually experienced.

Compliance, built in

Structured, verifiable data ready for the EU's Digital Product Passport framework and rising ESG and counterfeit-traceability expectations.

The proof

Demonstrated live at the UK Digital Twin Centre, Belfast

This isn't a concept paper. In June 2026, government officials and industry stakeholders watched the system work: an aircraft component was scanned live, instantly surfacing its complete digital identity — materials, provenance, ESG data and compliance status — alongside its 3D digital twin.

Fig. 4 — What the room saw: scan to verified identity in seconds
STEP 1 · SCAN Aircraft component scanned live in front of government and industry STEP 2 · VERIFY Complete identity, instantly materials · provenance · ESG · compliance status STEP 3 · EXPLORE 3D digital twin the physical part explored alongside its live data — built with Digital Catapult UK DIGITAL TWIN CENTRE, BELFAST · JUNE 2026 · DELIVERED IN COLLABORATION WITH DIGITAL CATAPULT

The demonstration is believed to be a world first: no one had previously delivered a working Digital Product Passport designed for the demands of aerospace. It was built, proven and shown first in Northern Ireland — home to roughly one in three of the world's aircraft seats.

Fig. 5 — Why now: the regulatory horizon
2024–26 CSRD cascade — customers demand verifiable Scope 3 supplier data 2026 EU ESPR — Digital Product Passports mandated for regulated products in the EU Feb 2027 EU Battery Regulation — digital passports required for battery-powered components COMPLIANCE IS BECOMING A MARKET-ACCESS REQUIREMENT — THE DPP IS THE AUDIT SPINE

"This is a genuine world first — and it has been delivered from Northern Ireland. We've given the aerospace industry a trusted digital identity for every critical part, and we've proven it works."

— Kieran Kelly, CEO & Founder, ubloquity

"The aerospace sector demands absolute precision, traceability and accountability at every stage of the supply chain. Our collaboration with ubloquity demonstrates how Digital Product Passports can bring these elements together in a single, trusted system."

— Jonny McKinney, CEO, PING Group
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Give every critical part a trusted digital identity

From proof of concept to fleet-wide programme — see what the Digital Product Passport can do for your supply chain.

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