High Conductivity Carbon Microfibers for Infrared Obscuration

Obscurant materials for protecting assets on the battlefield are an important component of the U.S. armed forces defensive portfolio. Recent adversary capability improvements past the visible range have driven requirements into the infrared spectrum. In Phase I/II, ASI has focused on process and production optimization and development of quality assurance protocol for carbon microfiber-based obscurant materials, as well as the development of a cost model. In the proposed Sequential Phase II (SP2) program, ASI will work on elevating the Technical and Manufacturing Readiness levels of the carbon microfiber-based obscurants through fabrication and testing of prototype grenades and obscurant cartridges for testing in relevant and real-world conditions. The program will include establishment of design and performance requirements for battlefield obscurant technologies with inputs from critical program executive offices (PEO), and DoD obscurant suppliers. In addition, the effort will include an investigation into the best means of packing the CNF obscurant into the selected delivery system(s), shelf-life and impact of time on dispersibility, as well as toxicology analysis. Furthermore, the effort will feature large volume production of at least 25 kilograms of the CNF obscurant material. The anticipated TRL at the conclusion of the SP2 is 8, and an MRL of 9.