Raytheon Company

James Kendall Villarreal

Matt H Summers

Mark T Langhenry

Jeremy C Danforth

Frederick B Koehler

Ward D Lyman

Richard D Loehr

Jared D Stallings

Paul E Pontius

Brian M Pape

Thomas Villarreal

Richard Dryer

Thomas M Deppert

Matthew H Summers

Stephen D Haight

Daniel Chasman

Daniel K Johnson

Daniel V Macinnis

F Scott Whipple

Adrianne M Norwood

John M Hitner

John W Walter

David A Smallwood

A method includes receiving, using a first graphical user interface, information associated with a request for proposal, quote, bid, or information (RFX) to be generated and provided to a supplier. The method also includes identifying one of multiple acquisition scenarios associated with the RFX to be generated based on the received information. The method further includes generating the RFX based on the received information and the identified acquisition scenario. The method also includes receiving, using a second graphical user interface, an RFX response from the supplier. The method further includes identifying multiple requirements associated with the RFX response based on the identified acquisition scenario and comparing contents of the RFX response to the identified requirements. In addition, the method includes automatically informing the supplier of one or more identified requirements for which the RFX response is non-compliant.

Graphical user interface-based platform supporting price analysis visualization and control

A satellite has thrusters that are integral parts of its frame. The frame defines cavities therein where thrusters are located. The thrusters may include an electrically-operated propellant and electrodes to activate combustion in the electrically-operated propellant. The frame may be additively manufactured, and the propellant and/or the electrodes may also be additively manufactured, with the frame and the propellant and/or the electrodes also being manufactured in a single process. In addition the thrusters may have nozzle portions through which combustion gases exit the thrusters. The thrusters may be located at corners and/or along edges of the frame, and may be used to accomplish any of a variety of maneuvers for the satellite. The satellite may be a small satellite, such as a CubeSat satellite, for instance having a volume of about 1 liter, and a mass of no more than about 1.33 kg.

Satellite with integral thrusters

Microwave energy is used to ignite and control the ignition of electrically operated propellant to produce high-pressure gas. The propellant includes conductive particles that act as a free source of electrons. Incoming microwave energy accumulates electric charge in an attenuation zone, which is discharged in the form of dielectric breakdowns to create local randomly oriented currents. The propellant also includes polar molecules. The polar molecules in the attenuation zone absorb microwave energy causing the molecules to rapidly vibrate thereby increasing the temperature of the propellant. The increase in temperature and the local current densities together establish an ignition condition to ignite and sustain ignition of an ignition surface of the attenuation zone as the zone regresses without igniting the remaining bulk of the propellant.

Microwave ignition of electrically operated propellants

A missile includes a rocket motor that has a flow deflector in an expansion region of the rocket motor's nozzle. The flow deflector diverts flow of combustion products away from a safe region that is aft of the missile. The safe region protects an operator of a launcher used to fire the missile, such as a shoulder-fired launcher, from harm caused by the combustion products. The flow deflector may be small enough such that it does not significantly adversely affect the performance of the rocket motor. The presence of the flow diverter may allow for the rocket motor to be started sooner in the flight of the missile, or at a distance closer to the operator, while still keeping the operator safe. The flow deflector and supporting structure, such as struts, may be additively manufactured with at least an aft part of the nozzle, as a continuous single-piece part.

Rocket motor with combustion product deflector

Electrically operated propellant is used to supplement the thrust provided by solid rocket motor (SRM) propellant to manage thrust produced by a SRM. The gas produced by burning the electrically operated propellant may be injected upstream of the nozzle to add mass and increase chamber pressure Pc, injected at the throat of the nozzle to reduce the effect throat area At to increase chamber pressure Pc or injected downstream of the throat to provide thrust vector control or a combination thereof. Certain types of electrically operated propellants can be turned on and off provided the chamber pressure Pc does not exceed a self-sustaining threshold pressure eliminating the requirement for physical control valves.

Electrically operated propellant for solid rocket motor thrust management

A motor assembly is provided for use with projectiles, such as munitions, having relatively low length to diameter ratios. The motor assembly has an aerospike nozzle and a casing disposed about the aerospike nozzle, where interior aerospike volume contains propellant and where walls of both the cowl of the casing and of the aerospike nozzle jointly define a combustion chamber.

Aerospike rocket motor assembly

The rate of combustion of an electrically operated propellant having a self-sustaining threshold of at least 1,000 psi is controlled to produce chamber pressures that are sufficient to produce a desired pressure profile in the airbag to accommodate a range of human factors and crash conditions yet never exceeding the self-sustaining threshold. The combustion of the propellant is extinguished to control the total pressure impulse delivered to the airbag. Propellants formed with an ionic perchlorate-based oxidizer have demonstrated thresholds in excess of 1,500 psi and higher.

Electrically operated propellants with elevated self-sustaining threshold pressures

A device is provided. The device includes at least one SMM component fabricated from an SMM. The SMM component is configured to change shape in response to receiving a stimulus. The SMM component is also configured to deploy from a device body of the device allowing the device to change shape in an advantageous way. A method implemented by a device is also provided. The method includes changing a shape of an SMM component of the device in response to receiving a stimulus. The SMM component is fabricated from an SMM. The method also includes deploying the SMM component from a device body of the device allowing the device to change shape in an advantageous way.

Base drag reduction fairing using shape memory materials

Electrical ignition of electrically operated propellant in a gas generation system provides an ignition condition at an ignition surface between a pair of electrodes that satisfies three criteria of a current density J that exhibits a decreasing gradient along an axis normal to an ignition surface, is substantially constant across the ignition surface and exceeds an ignition threshold at the ignition surface. These criteria may be satisfied by one or more of an angled electrode configuration, a segmented electrode configuration or an additive to the electrically operated propellant that modifies its conductivity. These configurations improve burn rate control and consumption of the available propellant and are scalable to greater propellant mass to support larger gas generation systems.

Electrode ignition and control of electrically operated propellants

A gas generation system for generating gases, such as for use as or as part of a rocket motor in propelling a projectile, includes two or more propellant charges and electrically operated propellant initiators operatively coupled to respective of the propellant charges, to initiate combustion in the propellant charges, wherein the propellant charges are operatively isolated from one another such that the propellant charges can be individually initiated and are not ignited due to gases generated from other of the propellant charges being combusted.

Electrically operated pulse initiators and ignition

The rate of combustion of an electrically operated propellant having self-sustaining threshold of at least 1,000 psi is controlled to produce chamber pressures that are sufficient to produce a desired pressure profile in the airbag to accommodate a range of human factors and crash conditions yet never exceeding the self-sustaining threshold. The combustion of the propellant is extinguished to control the total pressure impulse delivered to the airbag. Propellants formed with an ionic perchlorate-based oxidizer have demonstrated thresholds in excess of 1,500 psi and higher.

Electrically controlled variable force deployment airbag and inflation

An apparatus includes a slotted multi-nozzle grid with a plate having multiple elongated slotlettes through the plate. Each of at least some of the slotlettes has a convergent input, a divergent output, and a narrower throat portion separating the convergent input and the divergent output. At least some of the slotlettes are arranged in multiple rows. The plate further includes multiple cooling channels through the plate. At least some of the cooling channels are located between the rows of slotlettes. Each cooling channel is configured to transport coolant through the plate in order to cool the plate, such as to cool the plate as hot combustion gases pass through the plate. Each of at least some of the rows may include at least two slotlettes, and two adjacent slotlettes in one row may be separated by a structural ligament (which may have a tear-drop cross-sectional shape).

Slotted multi-nozzle grid with integrated cooling channels

An electrically operated propellant is configured to ignite and extinguish over a range of pressures. In examples, the electrically operated propellant is included in a gas generation system having a combustion chamber and at least two electrodes coupled with the propellant. The electrically operated propellant is configured to ignite at an ignition condition and extinguish under an extinguishing condition. In the ignition condition an electrical input is applied across the electrodes to ignite the electrically operated propellant. In the extinguishing condition the electrical input is interrupted while the pressure within the combustion chamber is greater than 200 psi, and the ignited electrically operated propellant extinguishes.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

James Kendall Villarreal