Award Data

The goal of this program is to develop high-speed interceptor communications solutions that are hardened to space and nuclear radiation, including high altitude nuclear explosions (HANEs). As part of this program, AET will specifically investigate the use of advanced diamond technology for communications applications. The approach of AET, Inc. is to first identify a communication system architectu ...

Power electronic converters are essential in every MDA vehicle, with use in critical systems ranging from electric power management applications, to power distribution, to on-board servo motor/actuator drivers. Advancing state-of-the-art power electronics technologies through the use of SiC semiconductors will produce significant savings across the board in almost all areas of MDA power management ...

The overall objective of the pellet production automation program is to develop alternative methodologies for: 1) precise powder measurement, 2) powder preparation for transfer into the die cavity, 3) uniform powder dispersion. Pellet production is currently a rate limiting step in the production of thermal batteries. The chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the powders are different e ...

The Airborne Laser (ABL) is a key component of the US government's overall ballistic missile defense systems. In an operational scenario, the ABL's sensor system will detect and track enemy's boosting missile, determine its position and destroy it with a high energy laser. The ABL's sensor system also identifies the launch location and predicts the impact location, which is communicated to other a ...

ORBITEC proposes to continue the development of MAELSTROM, an advanced hybrid rocket motor, to meet the demands of highly flexible boost propulsion for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense applications. Key MAELSTROM features include: versatile energy management, high propulsive performance, inherent safety of a hybrid, non-toxic and insensitive propellants, and a long-term storable system. The benef ...

The objective of this proposal is to develop and validate first-principles modeling tools that will significantly advance the use of spectroscopic techniques for identifying materials present in hypervelocity impact events. Impact flash spectroscopy (IFS) has the potential to identify the presence of special nuclear materials (SNM) during the impact flash phase of hypervelocity interceptor-missil ...

The extremely long and multiple polishing steps represent one of the critical challenges for affordable, volume production of high quality 100 mm SiC wafers. As SiC is relatively chemically inert and mechanically hard, aggressive polishing methods involving very hard particles have been used to achieve high removal rates, but such methods create a high degree of sub-surface damage and scratches. T ...

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has a responsibility to provide a capability for notifying government and military officials of the potential consequences of falling debris and the primary and secondary effects of ballistic missile engagements over the United States and coalition territories. The MDA needs advanced consequence mitigation (CM) technologies which provide post-intercept debris fall ...