Northrop Grumman Corporation received funding through the Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for enhancements to its hypersonics manufacturing technology. The $8.8 million contract supports improvements that will help to shorten production times and drive affordability for hypersonic weapons in production.
“Increased manufacturing capacity is key to enabling our nation’s need for cost-effective hypersonic production at scale,” said Dan Olson, vice president, and general manager, of weapon systems, at Northrop Grumman. “Through our partnership with AFRL and our internal investments in propulsion infrastructure and innovation, we are making hypersonics a cost-effective reality.”
The company combines traditional manufacturing techniques with innovative manufacturing approaches and digital engineering to reduce part counts, inspection, and touch labor. This comprehensive approach ensures the successful transition of hypersonic weapons from research and development to production while enabling sustainable, predictable, and affordable life-cycle costs.
Northrop Grumman is a leader in hypersonic propulsion development. The company recently marked the successful completion of the first and second flight tests of a scramjet-powered hypersonic weapon concept and was selected as a partner for the first-of-its-kind Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program. Northrop Grumman is also constructing a first-of-its-kind hypersonics capability center in Elkton, Maryland, designed to provide full lifecycle production, from design and development to production and integration for hypersonic weapons.
Northrop Grumman is a technology company, focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect, advance, and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.
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