Low Cost MLMI as a Hypersonic Aerostructure with TPS

As Hypersonic weapons enter the US arsenal there is a need for cost control and high rate of production which is currently not being met by the current state of the art material systems, like Carbon-Carbon. What is needed is a Thermal Protection System (TPS) for aero structures that can survive the Hypersonic environments of high heat in oxygenated environments. A means to do this is using Peregrine’s Multi-Layer Metal Insulation (MLMI) that relies upon niobium alloys with a titanium substructure integrating Hafnium at strategic locations to address extremely high temperatures. Peregrine’s MLMI has been found to be successful under LHMEL, Arc Jet and Sounding Rocket Testing to provide a durable TPS with integrated structure, resulting in a light weight and production ready aerostructure that can be produced in 100’s even 1000’s per year. MLMI relies upon conventional metal processing technology including water jet cutting, forming and thermal cycles for joining. The major primes and the different agencies throughout the DoD have been briefed and are proponents of such technology to enable high rates of production. Current MLMI technology has been a technological success. Where the TRL is currently a 4 and MRL is above a 3, we need to bring both TRL and MRL to a higher level of 6 to allow for low-rate initial production. The goal of this proposal is to further reduce the cost of MLMI while improving processes to gain further control and enable high manufacturing rates.