Phase II Amount
$1,250,000
Modern helicopter armor systems, often referred to as Ballistic Protection Systems or BPS, are currently on most DoD rotorcraft; however, development of the BPS for each aircraft type has been largely independent of each other and often in reaction to a hostile combat action. While these systems are effective against their intended threat, they are far from optimal with respect to ballistic performance, weight, cost, durability, and lifecycle. As implied by the name, BPS is a system. Numerous materials are combined to ensure all of the BPS requirements are met. While specifics vary based on aircraft requirements, typically, the requirements that drive the system are weight, threat, environmental resistance, structural integrity, and time to install/remove the system. Acceptable values for each of these parameters are defined by the customer/user, and it is up to the system developer to meet all these requirements without exceeding weight limits. Unfortunately, these requirements often differ from program to program and can be vague, incomplete, or incompatible. These inconsistencies drive the system developer to focus on meeting all of the generalized requirements in part, rather than developing a holistic approach that meets the true requirement of the BPS. The net result of this is a BPS that is unoptimized in performance and often costing more than the initial program goal. MACRO Industries, an employee-owned small business with locations in Lenexa, KS, and Huntsville, AL, has identified several specific critical materials, design, and integration technologies, currently in use on multiple BPS platforms, that are far from optimal. MACRO has also identified a number of existing, off-the-shelf, TRL 9/MRL 10, commercial technologies that can be used to replace these inefficient technologies, mitigating the current performance deficiencies, while improving performance, reducing weight, and reducing acquisition and life cycle costs. MACRO will work with the Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) and AFLCMC/WIH (Helicopter Program Office) in executing the necessary R&D, engineering, integration, testing, and evaluation to demonstrate specific and holistic improvements in BPS design. While the anticipated results of this effort will be applicable to the fixed and rotary-wing aircraft across the Air Force and DoD, this effort will focus on the HH-60W Jolly Green II for demonstration purposes, as this aircraft that currently has one of the most demanding, complex, and expensive BPS within the DoD.
