Advanced Foam Core Composite Insulation for Extended Range Hypersonic Vehicles, Phase II

In the Prompt Global Strike (PGS)-Conventional Strike Missile (CSM) program, the Air Force is seeking a mid-term, land-based conventional weapon system capable of striking targets halfway around the globe within an hour of an order to launch. While candidate long-term systems are likely to include conventional variants of current ballistic missile capabilities, the PGS-CSM concept is expected to create new opportunities for hypersonic vehicle technologies, which would offer greater maneuverability approaching a target than would more simple ballistic missile reentry vehicles. Practical application of hypersonic missiles, however, requires development of structures and insulators capable of operating in the very demanding high temperature chemical, thermal, and mechanical environment. In this Phase II project, Ultramet will expand upon the Phase I success in high temperature structural foam-based insulator and refractory composite structure development to design, fabricate, and test aerostructures for application to the PGS-CSM program. Specifically, Ultramet will team with ATK, which will provide system and individual component requirements, Materials Research & Design, which will perform design and analysis, Ocellus, which will optimize aerogel processing and infiltration of Ultramet structural foam insulators, and Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies, which will fabricate C/C components for use in combination with Ultramet’s ultrahigh temperature ceramic matrix composite outer shell. Performance will be evaluated through radiant heat testing, and high temperature oxidation behavior will be established through testing at the Air Force LHMEL facility.