SBIR-STTR Award

The feasibility of using aerodynamic heating loads on the hpj jammer body to activate a high power miniature battery will be investigated. A molten electrolyte battery of novel design appears capable of achieving more than twice the volumetric power density required by the jammer and roughly 50 to 100 times the power density of small lithium liquid-electrolyte cells. Automatic battery activation and electrical performance in the 350 kft to 50 kft jammer launch regime will be studied and a preliminary battery design developed.

The work performed under this contract will result in the development and test of an aerodynamically-heated, high-power, miniature battery system for the Precursor Jammer System. The Phase I program demonstrated analytically that this novel molten electrolyte battery could be activated by aerodynamic heating from 310kft to 50kft with satisfactory activation and operating times. In Phase II, the battery design will be optimized, fabrication techniques developed, and the battery tested under simulated reentry conditions to fully characterize the system. The integration of the battery with the other Jammer components (nosetip, structure, electronics) will be investigated to optimize the Jammer construction as a whole. The integrated Jammer package (with the exception of jamming electronics) will be tested in an arc jet to evaluate battery performance and material response in a simulated reentry environment.