Lightweight Hybrid Composite Armor for Navy Aircraft Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Topic No.: N05-023 Topic Title: Lightweight Hybrid Composite Armor for Navy Aircraft Proposal No.: N051-023-1312 Firm: Wright Materials Research Co. 1187 Richfield Center Beavercreek, Ohio 45430-1120 Contact: Seng Tan Phone: (937) 431-8811 Web Site: www.wrightmat.com Abstract: The versatility of military fixed and rotary wing aircraft has made them extremely important in the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, their ability to operate at low altitudes makes them particularly vulnerable to small arms fire and shoulder-fired rockets. Because of operational requirements, they cannot afford to sacrifice much weight for crew protection. The currently used aircraft armor are either metal based, or a ceramic with a polymer backing. These materials must also be able to survive the harsh environment endured by carrier-based aircraft. All of the available armoring systems are currently too heavy to satisfy the needs of high-performance military aircraft. Additionally, these material systems only fulfill one of the aircraft's needs: ballistic protection. If the armor could replace structural components of an aircraft, the protection of the aircrew could be drastically increased, and the overall weight of the aircraft could be reduced. In this phase I research, we proposed to develop a family of lightweight foamed composites that have excellent ballistic protection and also the mechanical integrity to replace structural components of an aircraft. The proposed material can withstand the harsh environments of carrier-based aircraft, and will be able to stop the specified threats and the target weight goals. Preliminary results demonstrate our composites' unprecedented multi-hit capacity within a very small area or at the same spot, and the robust mechanical properties necessary to be used as a structural component. Benefits: Potential applications of the proposed composite armor includes portable protective shields for policeman; law enforcement vehicles; infrastructure of buildings; bridge decks and piers; high performance, high speed racing sport and civilian transport vehicles. Because this material has structural capabilities as well, its potential applications are numerous. In the Navy alone, potential aircraft applications include: A-6 Intruder, AH-1W Super Cobra, AV-8B Harrier II, C-2A Greyhound, C-9 Skytrain, C-12 Huron, C-20 Gulfstream, C-40A Clipper, C-130 Hercules, CH-53D Sea Stallion, CH-53E Super Stallion, E-2 Hawkeye, E-6 Mercury, EA-6B prowler, EP-3E Aries II, ES-3 Shadow, F-5E Tiger II, F-14 Tomcat, FA-18 Hornet/ Super Hornet, MH-53E Sea Dragon, the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, P-3C Orion, S-3B Viking, SH-2G Seasprite, H-3 Sea King, SH-60 Sea Hawk, UH -1N Huey, V-22A Osprey, Vh-3D Sea King, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This material also has potential for ground vehicle applications. Some of these applications include: IAV Stryker, High Mobility Multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), Light Armored Vehicle (LAV), Interim Fast Attack Vehicles (IFAV), Future Combat System No-Line of Sight (FCS NLOS), Armored Ground Mobility System (AGMS), Light Strike Vehicle (LSV), Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS), the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV), the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), Future Tactical Truck Systems (FTTS), 21st Century truck, Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV), Heavy Expanded Medium Tactical Truck (HEMTT), and the Helicopter Transportable Tactical Vehicle (HTTV). Return