NSTXL GAMMA-H
Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics
The Department of the Navy (DoN) is seeking prototypes in support of the GAMMA-H project to comprehensively advance the domestic manufacturing readiness in support of hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) development and transition to production. This includes high-temperature materials technology, specifically addressing additive manufacturing (AM) for scramjet propulsion systems, as well as airframe components where appropriate.
The Department of the Navy (DoN) is seeking prototypes in support of the GAMMA-H project to comprehensively advance the domestic manufacturing readiness in support of hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) development and transition to production. This includes high-temperature materials technology, specifically addressing additive manufacturing (AM) for scramjet propulsion systems, as well as airframe components where appropriate. Specific improvements are sought to reduce the development turn-time, increase production process rate capability, yield, and performance, reduce defects and variability, while driving down the cost per unit. Hypersonic weapons require specialized lightweight structures capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and flight environments. Specialized materials manufacturing and production processes are being developed to manage temperature requirements, while maintaining robust, lightweight designs. For airbreathing HCMs, AM enables construction of complex, thin-walled, multi-channeled structures with heat-resistant materials, capable of dealing with engine thermal management requirements during operation. However, adoption of metal AM in Defense supply chains, with capability to achieve desired production rates and costs, is currently limited for hypersonics. Furthering the development and maturing the manufacturing capability of AM, and critical supporting processes for hypersonic development programs, would enable shorter engineering prototype and production lead times, optimal designs and performance, reduced cost per unit, and higher production rate capability for both propulsion and airframe parts
