As evidence of its interest in hypersonic technology for aerospace and defense applications, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced three awards intended to strengthen supply chains for hypersonic and strategic systems.
The awards, which are executed by the DoD’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy through its Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP), are being made to General Electric, Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies, and Northrop Grumman.
General Electric has been awarded a $7.96 million contract over 39 months to increase capacity for the production of high- and ultra-high-temperature composite materials and the modernization of capital equipment to support the scale-up of aeroshell production. Work will take place at the General Electric Advanced Materials Center (Newark, Del.).
Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies has been awarded a $7.57 million contract for a 38-month effort to build new production capabilities and acquire capital equipment for the manufacture of large complex assemblies based on carbon-carbon (C-C) composite materials being developed for defense and aerospace applications. The advanced composite materials, sought for their excellent temperature stability, are currently employed in such applications as aircraft nose tips and aeroshell assemblies. Work is being performed at the company’s Arlington, Tex. facility.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. received a $9.43 million contract to expand domestic capability for high- and ultra-high-temperature composite materials for use in components for hypersonic and strategic systems (see image above). The contract will support the acquisition of automated preform manufacturing equipment and high-temperature furnaces, with work to be performed at the company’s Elkton, Md. facility.