Ultra High Temperature Ceramics based on metal borides, such as zirconium diboride (ZrB2) and hafnium diboride (HfB2), with intended aerospace applications such as sharp leading edges hot structures for reentry vehicles or hypersonic spaceplanes, have been the subject of several dedicated technological research project in Italy in the past decade. These projects include the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) funded Sharp Hot Structures project, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) funded ASA project and a participation to the European Space Agency (ESA) EXPERT program with a UHTC winglet payload. The objective of this paper is to provide a perspective on the UHTC research conducted so far in Italy, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the UHTC technology and providing a clear indication of future research directions.
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