ROCK WEST COMPOSITES, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: N101-034

Description

Supersonic air vehicles require nose radomes that can withstand high temperatures as well as have high RF transmission over wider radio frequency bandwidths. Typically nose radomes are built from solid laminate or monolithic ceramic materials which inherently have a very narrow frequency band over which they are RF transparent. The proposed concept leverages a qualified ceramic matrix composite (CMC) as the outer shell that will withstand the aero-forces, high heat rates and other environments. Phase 2 results demonstrated that the addition a tuning material to the inner surface achieved transmission over a broader range of wavelengths and high angles of incidence. The proposed program will further develop the processes to achieve optimal results and qualify an integrated radome design for high speed flight profiles. The effort will also provide test data on the RF transmission characteristics of integrated radome. Affordability is improved because proposed CMC is the lowest cost, qualified structural ceramic material available today, and the processes to achieve other attributes such as erosion protection are also fully developed and cost effective.