Low-Erosion and Affordable Nozzles for Advanced Air-to-Air Missiles

Knobley Technical Associates, LLC's baseline Phase I proposed program for the Navy's SBIR Solicitation Topic Number N121-014 for Low-Erosion and Affordable Nozzles for Advanced Air-to-Air Missiles will identify and evaluate in a trade study, a series of emerging and innovative nozzle technologies and design architectures that can be cost effectively used in high-performance reduced-signature energy managed dual pulse solid propellant rocket motor propulsion systems for next generation advanced tactical air supremacy missiles. As planned, KTA's proposed Phase I SBIR program will seamlessly transition from identifying and selecting a candidate high performance nozzle system design archecture and material implimentation in the 5 task baseline program phase into a three task Option task in which a prototype nozzle system with the most promising design features and technologies emerging from the baseline trade studies will be designed, fabricated and demonstrated in a rocket motor static test firing to demonstrate the operational functionality and feasibility of the affordable, high performance nozzle system to withstand the high temperature, oxidative, long-duration, multi-thermal shock environments as would be induced in a tactical rocket motor operational application. KTA's nozzle material trade studies will include evaluation of state of the art nozzle insulation materials and erosion resistant throat materials as well as the emerging Ceramic Matrix Composite, boundary layer cooling technologies, carbon/silica carbide type materials, pyrolytic graphite and the electroformed high temperature resistant Re and Re/W metal alloy type shell structures and integration approaches for integrating into a tactical rocket motor nozzlesystem.