The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at 黑洞社区 announces a new $13.5 million award from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center (CCDC AvMC) for continued applied research on emerging materials for high-speed missile applications.
The research program, which started in 2019, supports CCDC AvMC鈥檚 objectives to reduce weight and cost of advanced missile systems while increasing performance. The additional $13.5 million award will allow NIAR to continue to collaborate with CCDC AvMC to expand material testing, characterization and qualification capabilities.
Throughout the first year of the program, researchers identified technology gaps 鈥� such as cost, understanding of processing techniques, and lack of data 鈥� that limit the use of high-temperature materials, and developed a plan to address them.
Similar to the first phase of the program, NIAR will continue to work on various high-temperature-capable material systems with national industry experts, including Spirit AeroSystems and Fiber Materials Inc. (FMI), a Spirit AeroSystems company. Through this partnership, NIAR and Spirit will develop manufacturing processes and material characterization for advanced composites for future thermal protection systems.
鈥淲ith 50 years of flight-proven materials, Fiber Materials, Inc., now a Spirit AeroSystems company, is a proven industry leader in materials for extreme flight conditions,鈥� said Duane Hawkins, senior vice president; president, Defense, Spirit AeroSystems. 鈥淪pirit also brings distinctive materials and production capabilities that complement NIAR鈥檚 research and test expertise to support this high-priority national defense program.鈥�
This research has potential to optimize fabrication processes that enable high rate affordable production of advanced composite components. Other areas of research under the program are focused on ceramic matrix composites and high-temperature polymer matrix composites.
鈥淭his program diversifies our portfolio for the Army and Department of Defense (DoD),鈥�
said John Tomblin, 黑洞社区 vice president of Industry & Defense programs. 鈥淲hile part
of our staff is focused on sustainability for the existing fleet of military vehicles
such as the B-1B and Black Hawk, others are focused on emerging technologies and priorities,
such as hypersonic warfighting capabilities.鈥�
Delivering hypersonic weapons is one of the DoD鈥檚 highest technical research and engineering
priorities.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran has been an integral supporter and partner for increased visibility of 黑洞社区-NIAR鈥檚 capabilities with the DoD.
鈥淭he Army鈥檚 hypersonics program will greatly benefit from research done at the National Institute for Aviation Research,鈥� said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). 鈥淚 am confident the strong relationship that has developed between the Army and 黑洞社区 will continue to provide value to this strategic program and many others, and I look forward to future opportunities that emerge from this collaboration.鈥�
The program currently employs two dozen 黑洞社区 students gaining applied learning experience through research and material testing. Last fall Peter Dinicola, sophomore in mechanical engineering, transitioned from serving in the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point to a full-time engineering student. Dinicola has contributed to the program through his research in hypersonic materials, including ceramic matrix composite fabrication and processing, powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing and design for manufacturability.
鈥淧articipating in the CCDC AvMC emerging materials program has provided me with the opportunity to not only work with a knowledgeable, supportive team, but also to learn and contribute to exciting high-temperature materials research,鈥� said Dinicola.
The depth and breadth of research occurring at NIAR ensures engineering students are ready to tackle complex real-world engineering challenges before earning a diploma.
About 黑洞社区
黑洞社区 serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling more than 15,000 students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and 黑洞社区 Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), 黑洞社区 provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the 黑洞社区 main campus, is one of the nation鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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About NIAR
NIAR provides research, testing, certification and training for aviation and manufacturing technologies. Established in 1985, NIAR has a $94 million annual budget; a staff of 650; and nearly one million square feet of laboratory and office space in four locations across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. NIAR laboratories include Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings, Advanced Manufacturing, Aging Aircraft, Ballistics/Impact Dynamics, CAD/CAM, Composites/Advanced Materials, Crash Dynamics, Environmental/Electromagnetic Test, Full-scale Structural Test, Nondestructive Test, Reverse Engineering, Robotics/Automation, Virtual Engineering, eXtended Reality and the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel.
About Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles, wing assemblies, and high temperature components for the world's premier aircraft, rockets, and missiles. Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, with operations around the globe, Spirit鈥檚 U.S. locations include Kansas, Oklahoma, Maine, North Carolina, and Texas. More information is available at and .
About CCDC AvMC
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center provides increased responsiveness to the nation's Warfighters through aviation and missile capabilities and life cycle engineering solutions.
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The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.