Hypersonic weapons and air and missile defense are key priorities of U.S. defense agencies. A significant challenge to fielding hypersonic weapons is the lack of suitable materials that can survive the extreme temperatures incurred due to friction from the air as the missile accelerates through the atmosphere. An additional requirement is to be able to cool the weapon from the highest temperature on the surface to low enough temperature to protect internal systems, avionics, and payloads. ACM has been developing high porosity, ultrahigh temperature ceramic (UHTC) foams with super low thermal conductivity using a highly scalable manufacturing process that produces cost-effective, near-net-shape, rigid insulation. In this Phase I, ACM proposes to technically and economically optimize these porous foams for hypersonic weapon applications.
