Lightweight, HybridSil Nanocomposites for Ballistic, Blast and Fire Protection to Tactical Vehicle Fuel Tanks and Engine Components

The overall objective of this STTR program is to develop, qualify, and transition innovative, lightweight, HybridSil nanocomposite materials for multiple threat ballistic, blast and fire protection to tactical vehicle fuel tanks. Compared to competing technologies, NanoSonic's HybridSil Fuel Tank Armor offers superior protection against multiple threats that is not realized by any technology on the market today. NanoSonic's HybridSil Fuel Tank Armor technology is a fire suppressing material that offers multiple threat protection against API small arms, IED blast and fragmentation, RPG direct hit, and pool fires, and that is anticipated to enable vehicle egress from the combat theater following multiple threat events, as empirically demonstrated in proof of concept on subscale panels and tanks during Phase I. During Phase II, NanoSonic will optimize the HybridSil Fuel Tank Armor technology package via subscale system development and subsequent full-scale fuel tank application to demonstrate the performance against multiple threats on full scale prototypes. Application processes will be developed for both new construction and retrofit application. Additional transition requirements for general (non-vehicle specific) as well as vehicle specific requirements will be addressed as the program progresses to have HybridSil Fuel Tank Armor poised for widespread platform transition upon Phase II completion.