ESDU originated as the technical department of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) in 1940 when the RAeS responded to a critical need for reliable, accurate and readily applicable design information for use in aircraft design. The society brought together engineers from multiple industries to share and present their knowledge in an authoritative and accessible format. It evolved into ESDU in 1964 and was acquired by IHS in 1997. ESDU continues to be the source of authoritative information for engineering design.
