HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPOSITE WEAPONS

STRAWMAN ROAD MAPS ARE BEING LAID OUT FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE MID TO LATE NINETIES OF MISSILE SYSTEMS (E.G., HAVE DASH) INCORPORATING COMPOSITE AIRFRAME STRUCTURES. IN SOME CASES, MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A MISSION ENABLING TECHNOLOGY; HOWEVER, THERE IS NO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO DEVELOP LOW COST MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING PROCESSES IN A TIMELY MANNER FOR INSERTION INTO PROTOTYPE AND FULL SCALE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. IN MOST CASES, NEITHER THE PRIMES NOR THE MATERIAL SUPPLIERS HAVE SUFFICIENT INSIGHT INTO THE MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING REQUIREMENTS TO ESTABLISH A DIRECTION. TRADE STUDIES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO QUANTIFY PERFORMANCE PAYOFFS AND MANUFACTURING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERNATIVE NEAR AND FAR TERM MATERIALS, DESIGN APPROACHES, AND MANUFACTURING STRATEGIES. A NEW COALITION IS REQUIRED BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES AND COMPANIES LIKE SPARTA WHO ARE INNOVATIVE AND WILLING TO ADVANCE HIGH PAYOFF, LOW COST MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING APPROACHES TO INSURE THAT APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY IS DEVELOPED FOR FUTURE DOD WEAPON SYSTEMS.