Advanced Synergistic Structures and Materials for Interceptor Kill Vehicles

Phase Four of the Missile Defense Agency"s Phased Adaptive Approach will include the deployment in 2020 of a land based Aegis missile to provide early intercept capability, called Next Generation Aegis Missile (NGAM). The first step in the NGAM development is the Technology Development Phase in FY11-13. For that phase, MDA has identified several technology needs for meeting the next generation requirements. One of the technology needs is higher performing liquid upper (or third) stage. To address that need, San Diego Composites, Inc. (SDC) is proposing a program to develop a lightweight liquid upper stage (LUS). The programmatic objective of the program is to demonstrate risk reduction and provide prototype hardware for consideration by the prime contractor for inclusion in the NGAM Technology Development Phase. The technical objective will be to demonstrate, through hardware fabrication and test, advanced metal forming and composite overwrapping manufacturing methods to reduce mass of a propellant tank for a NGAM liquid upper stage. Phase I will be subscale and Phase II, if invited, would be full scale. The objectives of this SBIR proposal are designed towards maturing the lightweight liquid upper stage propellant tank technology to TRL 5 at the end of Phase II.