AREPI – ASCENT Rapid Emergency Power Igniter

Within the TA-001 Aerospace Systems Technology technical area, there is a mission focus to develop a fuel catalyst replacement for F-16 Emergency Power Units (EPU). These EPUs currently use a hydrazine blend (“H-70”) to combust and provide both electrical and hydraulic emergency power to the aircraft. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft that would become quickly uncontrollable if the engine became inoperable and the EPU did not provide emergency power. Lynntech, a 2016 winner of the SBA Tibbetts award, proposes to adapt our already-in-development ASCENT igniter/injector as a drop-in replacement decomposition chamber for the EPU igniter so that hydrazine can be completely removed from the aircraft, resulting in significant cost and time savings. In Phase 1, we will perform a feasibility study to determine the steps to conversion, identify and communicate with USAF end users, and estimate the new igniter’s performance. We will utilize our SRPA prototype igniter, which has begun testing, to assist in assessing what changes would be needed to match the flow rate and power output requirements for the EPU. We have also developed a tank to contain the ASCENT monopropellant. We are confident that this technology would also work with LMP-103S. Lynntech has formed a formidable industry and academic team to tackle adapting Lynntech’s later-stage technology to solve the USAF problem.