Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has secured a contract from the US Department of Defense’s Joint Hypersonics Transition Office (JHTO) to support test and evaluation activities for thermal protection systems in hypersonic vehicles.
Under the agreement, Kratos will analyse various mission scenarios and flight conditions to determine suitable testing environments.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The company will also develop standard testing procedures and techniques intended to speed up materials development for hypersonic vehicles.
These methods are expected to serve as baseline standards for similar aerothermal test facilities.
As part of the programme, Kratos will conduct a series of material test campaigns using the newly developed procedures.
These campaigns will seek to validate the methodologies and further advance material solutions relevant to hypersonic applications.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataKratos SRE programmes vice president Ben Dempsey said: “The Kratos team is committed to advancing materials for hypersonics through testing and evaluation.
“Our focus is on accelerating the development of systems for our warfighter. This begins with increased throughput of our nation’s testing infrastructure, and by making investments in new infrastructure, like the recently awarded Project Helios.”
The JHTO was created by Congressional direction and has its authorities renewed in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
Based at the Pentagon, the office is responsible for setting out strategies and roadmaps for developing hypersonic technologies, transitioning them into operational capability, coordinating with foreign allies and partners, and supporting workforce growth within the hypersonics sector.
In addition to its work with industrial partners like Kratos, the JHTO has established a university consortium focused on applied hypersonics.
In April last year, Kratos selected Rocket Lab to conduct a full-scale hypersonic test flight for the US DoD as part of the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) 2.0 initiative.
