Firehawk Aerospace, a producer of superior energetic programs for protection purposes, introduced it has been awarded a US$1.25 million Section II Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis (SBIR) contract by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Division of the Air Pressure, supported by the Air Pressure Analysis Laboratory (AFRL). The funding will advance Firehawk’s work on next-generation shelf-stable propellant applied sciences to help nationwide protection initiatives.
“Our staff seems ahead to additional demonstrating the efficiency, scalability, and affordability of our propellant options for air-to-air weapon programs,” mentioned Mike Stark, President of Firehawk Aerospace.
AFWERX, by means of applications like SBIR, helps rising applied sciences that deal with essential operational wants, connecting small companies to protection priorities and contributing to a extra resilient industrial base.
Firehawk’s Technological Developments
Underneath the Section II contract, Firehawk conducts a complete examine of its additive manufacturing strategy to strong propellants. The mission scope contains formulation growth, subscale motor validation, full-scale static-fire demonstrations, lifecycle value analyses, and efficiency assessments.
By combining superior manufacturing strategies with manufacturing strategies, Firehawk is working to modernize strong rocket motor design and manufacturing. The corporate’s objectives embody enhancing shelf life, facilitating environment friendly storage and deployment, and enabling fast activation in contested or distant environments, serving to to make sure a resilient, domestically sourced provide chain for essential energetic supplies.
Current AFWERX Awards Supporting Protection Innovation
In November 2024, AFWERX awarded Kansas Metropolis-based startup Raven House Programs a US$1.8 million Section II Small Enterprise Expertise Switch (STTR) contract to develop 3D printed reentry aeroshells for hypersonic flight testing. Raven House Programs is collaborating with SpaceWorks Enterprises and the College of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Heart for Hypersonics and Entry System Research (CHESS) on the mission.
Equally, AscendArc secured a US$1.8 million Section II STTR contract to advance its Fast, Scalable Geosynchronous Bandwidth expertise. In partnership with Portland State College, AscendArc goals to reinforce safe, resilient navy communications to deal with essential U.S. Division of Protection operational wants.
Who received the 2024 3D Printing Business Awards?
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Featured picture Michael Stark, Firehawk President and George Liddell, Director of Operations. Photograph by way of Firehawk.
