News Release: 24 Oct 2022

The DoD announced today a three-year, $4.5 million research award to the University of Notre Dame to advance hypersonics technology. This award is sponsored by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH). The research will focus on developing a system to extend scramjet propulsion capabilities, thereby enhancing operational durability and expanding operational range.

Notre Dame will use electric signals to stabilize air flow traveling thousands of miles an hour within the scramjet combustor. This technology advances the development of a propulsion system resilient to off-design conditions, including high altitudes, low Mach flight, and high incidence angles that lead to internal flow distortion.

One of the main objectives of the UCAH and JHTO is workforce development. The research conducted by Notre Dame will provide direct hypersonics and industry experience to all participants, including faculty and graduate students at the University of Notre Dame and the Univerity of Illinois Urbana-Campaign. The team will also include research scientists at Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin, and FGC-Plasma, a minority-owned small business.