Three U.S. companies are finding ways to create and use new materials for directed-energy weapons, as well as to protect U.S. and allied weapon systems and warfighters from these same kinds of weapons. U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, awarded contracts and task orders to General Dynamics Information Technology in Fairfax, Va.; Azimuth Corp. in Beavercreek, Ohio; and UES Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, to advance materials technologies that control and protect light and electromagnetic energy sources. The three companies will share as much as $121.1 million for materials research and survivability studies involving hardened materials and photonic materials. The three companies will work on advancing hardened materials for sensor protection; hardened structural materials; and personnel and aircrew protection. The goal is to add capabilities and increased survivability for aircrews and systems that lead to increased mission effectiveness for the warfighter.
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