Department of Defense Annual Report

The technical objective of this effort is to develop a family of new generation high-energy propellants for tank gun applications and high-performance, gun propellants for tank and artillery application. Improved gun propulsion performance will be accomplished through propellants designed to provide high energy low-flame temperature, low vulnerability, low glass transition temperature, reduced wear and erosion of gun barrels and good mechanical properties at extreme temperature.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement has provided the flexibility for the contractor to team with the Government, University of Maryland, Alliant Techsystems, and Thiokol Propulsion and encourage the contractor’s cost sharing. The Contractor will leverage their team’s expertise to gain access to technology and has a stake in the success of the effort. This Other Transaction has contributed to the broadening of the industrial base by providing student researchers at the two major universities valuable experience that will make them more valuable employees in either government or industry where energetic work is accomplished. This interaction between government, industry, and academia will spread the use of good ideas and best practices.

Use of the Other Transaction created a unique teaming among Academia, Industry and Government. This teaming arrangement will enable the contractor to leverage the knowledge of the team to develop quicker Very High Explosive Formulations. This Other Transaction has fostered within the industrial base new relationships by a unique teaming arrangement that allows researchers at two universities to gain insight into the production process of a major propellant manufacturer. It also allows the producers access to the researchers at two Government labs.

The scope of work encompasses the manufacture and evaluation of a matrix of hybrid propellant samples to determine how key propellant characteristics influence the mechanical and vulnerability properties of hybrid propellants. The contractor will design an advanced hybrid gun propellant through the use of perforated grain geometry and the use of deterrent gradients to enhance progressivity and ballistic efficiency.

Under this Other Transaction and through leveraging of contractor’s cost share, the Department of Defense will broaden propulsion technology by obtaining improved next generation gun propulsion through the use of hybrid propellants to maximize performance, minimize barrel wear and reduce vulnerability for tank and artillery charges. This Agreement broadens the industrial base by moving the propellant technology for large caliber weapons from a Government unique design that can only be produced in a Government owned facility to a design that can be produced in contractor owned facilities utilizing equipment and processes.

Use of the Other transaction fostered the Recipient to cost share to achieve the stated objectives. This cost sharing is a new teaming provision between this contractor and the Government and indicates the contractor’s willingness to accept greater risk in the success of the proposed effort. This Prototype Agreement fosters new relationships and practices by involving the country’s largest producers of commercial sporting ammunition propellant to leverage technology for the design of military large caliber propellants. When successful this program will provide a dual use production capability and offer an alternative to unique designs that must be produced in Government owned ammunition plants.

The technical objective of this effort is to improve upon the X-Caliber warhead technology. Emphasis will be to design and analyze the X-Caliber liners for compaction efficiency, length optimization, and flare formulation.

Under the use of the Other Transaction Agreement, the contractor and Government will share their technical expertise in warhead technology. Through this exchange, the contractor will design and test various configuration of warheads. After each testing, the Government will use the test data to provide guidance for the design of the next warhead. This Other Transaction broadens the industrial base through collaborate activities among Government and industry partners. The close interactive design process required would be less efficient if used with a standard contract.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement has provided the flexibility to the contractor t freely exchange their expertise with the Government resulting in more test data for improving the X-Caliber Warhead Technology. This Other Transaction has fostered new relationships and processes by making the liner manufacturing process available for incorporation into the Totally Integrated Manufacturing Enterprise which will allow digital manufacturing at any linked site.

The technical objectives of this effort are to improve combustible cartridge case for advanced gun systems through formulation approach selection, screening, and down-select, and prototype cases produced and delivered to the Government.

The flexibility of an Other Transaction Agreement has broadened the technology to meet the Department of Defense’s needs by providing a contractual vehicle in which the contractor will share their knowledge with the Government and with Brigham Young University and the successful development of improved combustible cartridges will reduce the amount of contaminated waste water produced during the current combustible cartridge case process. This Other Transaction has contributed to the broadening of the industrial base by establishing a unique teaming arrangement between two industry partners and the Government. This teaming arrangement coupled with favorable governable data rights will allow the expansion of this promising technology.

Use of the Other Transaction resulted in a unique sharing arrangement between the Government, Industry and Academia. Through this sharing arrangement, the contractor will be able to leverage off the knowledge of the Government and Academia to develop combustible cartridge cases quicker. This Other Transaction fosters within the industrial base new relationships and practices by establishing a collegial and collaborative partnering arrangement that will make available prototypes compatible with the Totally Integrated Manufacturing Enterprise (TIME) program. TIME will allow manufacturing at any linked manufacturing plant.

The technical objectives of this effort are to evaluate the use of fine and ultra-fine aluminum in high-energy and high blast explosives; develop aluminized explosive formulations and delivery of prototype energetic material for Army applications.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement has allowed the contractor and the Government to share energetic material knowledge and for the contractor develop ultra-fine aluminum powders that will achieve high detonation reaction rates that maximize energy and blast for Army applications. This Other Transaction contributes to a broadening of the industrial base by fully characterizing fine and ultra fine aluminum explosives. This characterization includes determining safe handling procedures and safe manufacturing processes as well as determining the DoD Hazard Class so that other researchers may safely handle and ship their energetic materials.

Use of the Other Transaction resulted in a unique sharing arrangement between the Government and Industry. This sharing arrangement will enable the contractor to leverage Government expertise in energetic material and result in quicker development of high energy and blast aluminized explosives. This Other Transaction fosters new relationships and practices through collaborative partnering among industry and Government. This collaboration will result in a manufacturing process that is applicable to the Totally Integrated Manufacturing Enterprise (TIME) program. The twin screw extrude linked within the TIME system will allow manufacture at any digitally linked twin screw extruder.

The technical objectives of this effort are to supply new energetic ingredients and explosive formulations, which provide exceptional energy density and survivability such that warheads will experience significant performance gains without the increased hazard sensitivity.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement has allowed the contractor and the Government and Brigham Young University to share energetic material knowledge and for the contractor to leverage this knowledge to develop a set of formulations that significantly exceed the performance of the HMX-containing explosive LX-14 energetic material, with a manufacturing process geared toward producing high quality explosive molding powders at low cost and in an environmentally friendly manner. This Other Transaction has broadened the industrial base through utilization of twin screw extruder technology that can be reproduced at multiple linked sites through the Totally Integrated Manufacturing Enterprise program.

Use of the Other Transaction resulted in a unique sharing arrangement between the Government, Industry and Academia. This sharing arrangement will enable the contractor to leverage the government’s expertise in energetic material and Academia’s scientific knowledge which will result in a quicker development of very high explosive formulations for energetic material. This Other Transaction has fostered within the industrial base new relationships and practices through the teaming of Contractor, Academia, and the Government that focuses on accomplishing a common objective. This new relationship allows Academia insight and experience in solving real energetic problems. The graduates are better able to compete for jobs in the energetics industry and bring with them valuable experience.

The technical objectives of this effort are to minimize the vapor pressure, and significantly the vaporization of TNAZ energetic material so that it can be employed as a main constituent of high performance melt cast explosives.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement allowed the Government to share energetic material knowledge and for the contractor to leverage this knowledge to develop a lower melting TNAZ explosive, with a lower performance melt cast explosives that will be a drop-in, or superior, product for existing melt cast performance. This Other Transaction has contributed to broadening the industrial base through close collaboration with Government labs and favorable Government use data rights.

Use of the Other Transaction resulted in a unique sharing arrangement between the Government and Industry. This sharing arrangement will enable the contractor to leverage Government energetic material expertise and result in quicker development of 1,3,3-Trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) Melt/Pour Explosives. This Other Transaction has fostered within the industrial base new relationships and processes through a close collaborative relationship between Government labs and industry. The TNAZ manufacture will be available for incorporation into the Totally Integrated Manufacturing Enterprise (TIME) program. TIME allows manufacture at any digitally linked manufacturing site.

The technical objectives of this effort are propellant development and initial characterization through formulation definition, propellant processing and characterization, and propellant scale-up, testing and delivery of prototype propellant.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement has broadened the technology base through a sharing of knowledge arrangement between the contractor and the Government and Brigham Young University which will result in the development of propellants that balance high impetus and flame temperatures and minimize vulnerability and use environmentally friendly processing. This Other Transaction has contributed to broadening the industrial base through close collaboration with Government labs and favorable Government use data rights.

Use of the Other Transaction resulted in a unique sharing arrangement between the Government, Industry and Academia. This sharing of knowledge will enable the contractor to develop advanced artillery and tank gun propellant quicker. This Other Transaction has fostered within the industrial base new relationships and processes through a close collaborative relationship between Government labs and industry. The TNAZ manufacture will be available for incorporation into the Totally Integrated Manufacturing Enterprise (TIME) program. TIME allows manufacture at any digitally linked manufacturing site.

The technical objectives of this effort is to investigate possibilities for synthesizing high-energy, high-density explosives and propellants compounds and preparing those that prove possible in isolable amounts to evaluate their properties. Investigating real-world possibilities for synthesizing compound candidates will lead to high-energy, high-density explosives and propellants resulting in improved gun propulsion performance.

The use of an Other Transaction Agreement resulted in the Contractor cost sharing to accomplish the technical effort. This cost sharing enabled the Government to gain more research into High Energy Density Compound technology. This Other Transaction has contributed to a broadening of the industrial base by creating a dynamic teaming arrangement between Academia and the government coupled with favorable government data rights to expand the development and production of this promising compound.

Use of an Other Transaction resulted in the Recipient cost sharing to accomplish the effort. This cost sharing is a new teaming provision between the University of Chicago and the Government for High Energy High Density Compound research and indicate the contractor’s willingness to accept greater risk in the success of the effort. This Other Transaction has fostered new relationships by teaming a non-traditional defense research organization with Government labs to focus on a common goal.