| Company |
Vanguard Composites Group, Inc. (San Diego, CA) |
| Technology |
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) Structural Aft Flange |
| Description |
Vanguard Composites has developed a lightweight, producible prepreg honeycomb aft flange for the EKV structure. Initially, Raytheon Missile Systems had concerns about meeting the minimum natural frequency requirement for the EKV structure. Funded by the MDA's Producibility and Manufacturing Directorate, engineers at Vanguard Composites used data provided by Raytheon to develop a cost-effective structure that significantly increased the stiffness at the base of the filament-wound KV structure assembly. Subsequent test articles were fabricated and were subjected to qualification testing to validate the design. |
| MDA Use |
The aft flange is intended for incorporation into the EKV structure assembly. The technology developed is applicable to all kill vehicle structures, as well as an integral structure upgrade for EKV. |
| Insertion Opportunity |
Vanguard has completed qualification testing of this component and has been producing it for over two years for Raytheon. |
