Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD) will supply rocket motors and sleds to a joint U.S. Air Force-Navy program under a $98.5 million other transaction authority contract from the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium.
The OTA award will benefit multiple U.S. military flight test tracks through the Joint Economical Sled Track Rockets program, the company said Thursday.
To simulate flight environments, sleds are mounted on solid rocket motors and launched on iron tracks at speeds exceeding Mach 5. They are observed for impact survivability, sensor and guidance system performance, and reactions to weather and aerothermal factors. Such tests are applied to missiles, ejection seats, hypersonic components and other aircraft parts.
The propulsion system maker’s work will support the China Lake Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track, the Eglin Air Force Base Test Track, and the 9.6-mile Holloman High Speed Test Track, the longest such facility in the world.
