RadHard-Morphing-Sensing SuperSkins for Interceptor Kill Vehicles with Enhanced Lethality

NanoSonic has recently developed nanostructured, large area (3’ x 10’) Shape Memory Metal Rubber™ (SM-MR™), a highly flexible, shielding, morphing ballistic defense missile super skin. NanoSonic would develop advanced synergistic morphing-sensing-shielding materials for interceptor kill vehicle structures and as key enablers for state-of-the-art adaptive UAV, missile and munitions airframes, corresponding adaptive flight control systems, and deployable space structures. Next generation adaptive missiles and munitions demand multifunctional materials that do not currently exist; which must simultaneously enable highly compact, stowable and morphing wings, with built-in sensing of stress, strain, skin surface shear stress, and ambient static pressure. NanoSonic’s multifunctional SM-MR™ and negative index Meta-Rubber™ shall ultimately result in structures that would enable sensing, optical and shielding technologies integrated into an advanced munitions super skin. The ultra-lightweight (< 0.99 g/cc) wide service temperature range (-75ºC to 450ºC) deployable wings would result in exoatmosphere KVs with significantly enhanced speed and agility for enhanced lethality. The integral sensors would concurrently monitor dynamic operational environmental conditions such as temperature, acoustic levels, maneuvering shock and vibration loads for on-the-fly reconfiguration. SM-MR™ wireless sensing super skins shall be demonstrated in simulated KV environments (HAENS level 2 and wind tunnel) during Phase I to reach TRL 6.