Award Data

krtkl (“critical”) will conduct a Phase I Feasibility Study to identify the best approach for reducing aviator cognitive load by optimizing information delivery and decision-making based on a thorough analysis of existing platforms, sensors, data sources, and onboard compute resources. This information will be used to identify Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning based algorithms for p ...

Sensor systems aboard aircrafts address unique problems and are siloed in their objectives. A data silo is a term used to describe a data system that is insulated from other data systems. While keeping information categorized may lead to easier organization, the costs often outweigh the benefits. In aviation systems, data silos often lead to miscommunication, cognitive overload, and waste. These d ...

In manned aviation environments – both military and commercial – AI support is being developed and researched for ground-based planning and operational decision support. Using AI in real-time with crews poses additional questions and issues. This research will provide the means to understand the measures and requirements to architect potential AI-Agent solutions before implementation. This fea ...

The Missile Defense Agency is seeking innovative material and manufacturing processes for advanced metallic components for hypersonic flight systems. Triton Systems and their academic partner are proposing to develop the manufacturing and qualification evaluation techniques for reliable production of hypersonic environment appropriate metallic components at reduced cost and timelines compared to t ...

The harsh environment posed by hypersonic flight makes antenna design challenging due to extreme temperature exposure coupled with often competing mechanical/aero and RF performance requirements. FIRST RF proposes an advancement to its numerous conformal antenna technologies utilizing additive manufacturing of dielectric materials. This approach will decouple the competing RF and mechanical requir ...

Estes Energetics and Battelle Memorial Institute will apply a fast, affordable manufacturing technology—proven to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 4—that manufactures a layer of carbon-carbon directly on composite structures without requiring use of an autoclave or densification process holds, resulting in reduced manufacturing time while improving com ...

Diode-pumped alkali lasers (DPAL) offer the potential for scaling to high output powers required for directed energy weapons systems. As power-scaling studies have progressed, increasing concern has emerged about uncertainty in the roles of higher-lying states and the degree of ionization, and their effects on device performance. Ionization by multi-photon absorption and collisional energy pooling ...

BlazeTech is collaborating with University of Colorado using their hypersonic CFD code LeMANS as a platform on which to integrate a novel combustion code that iteratively adapts its chemical model based on the local flow structure. In this way, the chemistry and fluid mechanics are closely coupled, and simplified models may be leveraged for their low computational cost when more detailed models ar ...

Through this MDA Phase I STTR program, NanoSonic shall work with the high energy laboratory at Penn State and with input from a major US integrator of hypersonic vehicles to develop improved high temperature radome materials for uncooled aerodynamic reentry and hypersonic vehicles. Through prior work, NanoSonic has developed and demonstrated high temperature materials with good thermal insulating ...

NanoSonic will work with Penn State to develop inexpensive automated manufacturing processes for the production of ceramic matrix composite thermal protective system materials with high temperature thermal performance and high thermal insulation propertiesWe will fabricate materials using automated robotic production methods, and perform testing, including high energy irradiation at Penn State’s ...