The College of Aeronautics performs an annual group design project as a major part of its Aircraft Design MSc programme. Projects are chosen to be representative of current areas of interest and the programme is carried out in a manner which is as close as possible.to that of aircraft manufacturers.

Vice Admiral Forrest S. Peterson, Commander Naval Air Systems Command, said at the AIAA/NASA-Ames V/STOL Conference in 1977 that:

V/STOL appeared to be the most effective, most economical means of addressing many of our major military needs: dispersal of air assets over a broad geographic range, reducing the present reliance on relatively few ships and large permanent bases and reducing the cost of maintaining an adequate, efficient air arm.