Spray-On Thermal Protection for Hypersonic Missiles

The development hypersonic missiles is one response to the current need of weapon systems with the ability to attack time-critical targets at long range. Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) is a missile development program to design, develop, and deploy kinetic energy-based missiles that can intercept and destroy enemy ballistic missiles during their boost phase. Future MDA requirements for hypersonic missiles, like the KEI, necessitate advances in structural and insulation materials as enabling technologies. These hypersonic vehicles will experience severe aero-thermal loading, high G accelerations, and must be capable of flight in all-weather conditions. It is clear that a thermal protection system (TPS) will be required to ensure the successful development of hypersonic missiles. While a range of insulation materials are currently used to provide thermal protection for supersonic missiles, none of these appear to be a viable solution for the hypersonic KEI. To meet the need for an effective, robust, nonablating TPS that can applied using efficient manufacturing methods, we propose to design and demonstrate the feasibility of a novel composite, spray-on thermal barrier system. We envision this TPS providing thermal protection and adverse weather resistance for ceramic and organic composite structures of hypersonic missiles.