$8.8 Million to Improve Efficiency and Affordability

The Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Division of the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has provided $8.8 million in funding for Northrop Grumman to enhance its hypersonics manufacturing technology, supporting 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,” observed Dan Olson, VP/GM, Weapon Systems, 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 approaches and digital engineering to reduce part counts, inspection and hands-on labour. This comprehensive approach ensures the successful transition of hypersonic weapons from R&D to production, while enabling sustainable, predictable and affordable life-cycle costs.

Northrop Grumman recently completed 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 programme. The company is also constructing a first-of-its-kind hypersonics capability centre in Elkton, MD, designed to provide full lifecycle production from design and development to production and integration for hypersonic weapons.