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Tag: hypersonics

U.Va. leads Pentagon hypersonic project

Like a “Top Gun” fighter pilot, Christopher Goyne feels the need for speed.

Goyne directs the University of Virginia’s Aerospace Research Laboratory and leads a new team developing hypersonic engines that will enable more maneuverable missiles, jets and — eventually — spacecraft via a $4.5 million Department of Defense award announced in October.

Under the three-year effort, U.Va. will spearhead work with Virginia Tech, the University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University and several industry partners, including Arlington-based Boeing Co., to develop components for a supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet, an air-breathing jet engine that will function through extreme turns at speeds above Mach 5. The work includes engine design, maneuverability control and operational resiliency and will culminate in wind tunnel tests at U.Va. and NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton.

“They’re a very simple engine by concept, but difficult to practically implement because of the very high temperatures and high speeds involved in operating these engines,” Goyne says. Air coming into the engine at Mach 5 can reach 1,700 degrees, which would destroy a commercial jet engine.

The project comes at a crucial time as the Pentagon races to catch up with adversaries like China and Russia, which have developed and tested hypersonic missiles.

Goyne says the award builds on 35 years of hypersonic research at U.Va. and relies on the university’s wind tunnel, one of the few in the world that can conduct extended tests in hypersonic conditions. The university has previously worked on projects with the Air Force, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA, which in 2019 named U.Va. one of three national hypersonic science centers.

“U.Va. has extensive experience over many years doing scramjet engine ground testing and advanced measurement diagnostics development,” says Kevin Bowcutt, chief scientist of hypersonics at Boeing.

The award was made through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics, a network of universities, government agencies and industries developing hypersonic technology for national defense. It also aims to attract students to hypersonics research.

Nicholas Gushue, a graduate research assistant on the team, says U.Va.’s reputation in the field drew him to the university. “They … continue to get some really exciting projects,” he says. “They’ve graduated a lot of influential people from here.”

“We have an important contribution that we can make to … national security,” Goyne says. “That’s a responsibility that we all feel as well.”   

Leidos receives $334M Air Force hypersonics contract

Reston-based Leidos Inc. will help the Air Force develop its Mayhem hypersonic system under a $334 million contract, the Fortune 500 contractor announced Friday.

Under the contract, Leidos will assist the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in developing the Expendable Hypersonic Multi-mission ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and Strike Program, known as Mayhem. The system will use a scramjet engine to generate thrust to propel the vehicle at speeds greater than Mach 5. Leidos is expected to design and develop a large-class version that surpasses current air-breathing systems in range and payload capacity using digital engineering to ensure the design efforts help future development and transition.

Leidos has received an initial $24 million task order to conduct reviews of systems requirements and conceptual design.

“To deliver the next generation of air-breathing hypersonic system, we’ll leverage our years of investment, knowledge and success in the hypersonic field,” Leidos’ Dynetics President Steve Cook said in a statement. “Our team is prepared to undertake this vital mission for our nation.”

Leidos has put together a team that includes Newport News-based Calspan Systems Corp., Massachusetts-based engineering nonprofit Draper and San Diego-based technology company Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., to serve as the system design agent. The group will develop partnerships with government, industry and academia to deliver research and development needed to produce prototypes. Leidos will also lead engineering and programming to transition Mayhem from idea to operation.

“The team assembled by Leidos marries exceptional experience with innovation,” Mayhem program manager Ryan Leo said in a statement. “We’re working with the nation’s top solution providers in hypersonic vehicle and propulsion technologies. We’re proud to contribute to this important national security mission.”

Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and other potential testing sites and is expected to be completed by Oct. 15, 2028, the Pentagon said in an award announcement Friday.

In November, Arlington-based Raytheon Technologies Corp. received a $985 billion contract to continue developing the Air Force’s new hypersonic cruise missile weapon. The U.S. has been scrambling to catch up with adversaries China and Russia in the race to develop hypersonic capabilities.