save this idea for Radio Savant
Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.
Thu, May 5, 2022, 10:00 AM
In this article:
AJRD
+0.05%
Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.
OpFires' variable-range second-stage motor enables payloads to defeat targets across the medium-range spectrum. Its launcher assembly loads onto fielded transportation vehicles with the push of a button.(Lockheed Martin Artist Concept)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne has been selected by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control to build an advanced solid rocket motor booster for the second stage of a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) hypersonic weapon system, known as
Operational Fires, or OpFires.
“We continue to push the envelope in our hypersonic propulsion technologies, whether by developing a high performance solid rocket motor that can be turned off on command, like for OpFires, or by incorporating additive manufacturing into our air-breathing scramjet engines to improve affordability,” said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “We look forward to leveraging our advanced hypersonic technologies for the Lockheed Martin team and supporting DARPA’s effort to provide increased flexibility and lethality for our warfighters.”
OpFires aims to develop and demonstrate a ground-launched missile system, enabling hypersonic boost glide weapons to penetrate modern enemy air defenses and rapidly and precisely engage critical time-sensitive targets from a highly mobile launch platform.
“As we continue actively working with DARPA’s OpFires program to demonstrate a long-term solution for the Army’s medium range capability, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s innovative variable-range rocket motor now enables OpFires to deliver payloads across the mid-range spectrum with a single, hypersonic missile,” said Jason Reynolds, vice president of Advanced Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
