Aerojet To Develop Variable-Thrust Motor (June 13)
SACRAMENTO, Calif.---Aerojet recently won a two-year, $3 million contract from Raytheon Company to design, fabricate, test and deliver nine variable thrust motors for U.S. Army NetFires missiles.
"Aerojet's motors will provide varying thrust levels during the missile's launch, boost and sustain phases of flight depending on target requirements,'' said Bob Keenan, Aerojet program manager for controllable thrust propulsion.
Described as "putting a gas pedal'' on a missile, this technology allows tactical missiles to be used for multiple missions with one motor. Aerojet has been at the forefront of developing variable thrust motors since first demonstrating them in the 1960s. Recent advances in electronic controllers and actuators have made the technology more viable for missiles.
The contract began in October 2000 with initial design work and runs through October 2002. Major expected milestones include: ground demonstrations in summer 2001, acceptance testing in early 2002 and first flight deliveries in summer 2002. Follow-on work could extend the contract to production beginning in 2009.
NetFires is run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is the Department of Defense research and development arm, and the Army. Raytheon is prime contractor for the program, which is under consideration for the Army's new Future Combat System.
In May 2000, the U.S. Army awarded Aerojet a three-year, $5 million contract to develop controllable thrust propulsion for other Army tactical missiles, primarily Modernized Hellfire and Common Missile but also Compact Kinetic Energy Missile.
Aerojet, a GenCorp company, is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the space electronics, missile and space propulsion, and smart munitions and armaments markets.
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Aerojet Wins $3 Million Contract to Develop Variable Thrust Motors for Army NetFires Missiles
