# Project 624347 — Materials for Structures, Propulsion, and Subsystems

**Program element:** 0602102F — Materials  
**Project:** 624347  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F/624347  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F

## Summary

Project 624347 — Materials for Structures, Propulsion, and Subsystems requests $55.1M in FY2027, 39% of the $139.9M requested for program element 0602102F, down 42% on FY2026. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 80.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 95.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 55.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 59.9 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 64.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 65.7 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 62.9 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0602102F; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 624347 buys

This project develops and transitions materials and processing technologies to enhance the affordability, maintainability, and performance of current and future Air Force weapon systems. A key focus is affordable, lightweight materials for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and propulsion systems. These materials include metals, polymers, ceramics, metallic and nonmetallic composites, and hybrid materials, designed to improve the structural and performance of existing systems and to address future system needs. Key features of the materials and structures being developed are that they have improved ablation and oxidation resistance, structural integrity, thermal management capabilities, and strength to weight ratios. These attributes enable expanded mission capability for missile and aircraft systems. New processes are developed to provide more affordable solutions while maintaining the performance of fielded and future operational systems. To maintain the performance of fielded systems, the project develops alternative or replacement materials that address obsolescence challenges. The project develops advanced processing methods to enable adaptive manufacturing of aerospace materials.

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramics and Composites | 25.3 | 29.4 | 26.1 | −11% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F/624347/a0) |
| Metals | 17.1 | 19.9 | 18.9 | −5% | [a1](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F/624347/a1) |
| Thermal Protection Materials | 5.1 | 5.9 | 5.9 | +0% | — |
| Pervasive and Affordable Metals Technologies | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.2 | +0% | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Ceramics and Composites

- Continue the validation, demonstration, and maturation advanced processing methods of ceramic matrix composites. Activities include: -- Increase production of durable, electromagnetically transparent materials from ceramic powders. -- Demonstration and refinement of the processing of ceramic powders into shaped parts to enable…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F/624347/a0

### Metals

- Continue the validation, demonstration, and implementation of advanced computational methods to accelerate the invention, development, and characterization (including physical properties modeling) of next-generation alloy systems for future weapon systems. Activities include: -- Validation of first order predictions of high temperature…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F/624347/a1

### Thermal Protection Materials

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue the validation, development, and refinement of unique experimental techniques to assess behavior in extreme environments such as thermal shock for use in future expendable and reusable hypersonic systems. Activities include: -- Test a large test matrix of state-of-the-art 3D woven and other unique architecture fiber ceramic matrix composites in a custom-built thermomechanical chamber. - Continue the validation and demonstration of material properties, using novel high temperature testing methods with advanced techniques (automated, robotic torch testing, autonomous experimentation, and combined thermal/mechanical tests) for understanding material performance in the most extreme environments (hypersonic nosetips, leading edges, and aeroshells) for evolving mission requirements. Activities include: -- The set-up, validation, and testing of multiple newly developed materials using a custom-built robotic torch test which allows for multi-angle of incidence heat flux testing necessary for predicting performance in complex hypersonic missions with varying angles of attack. - Continue the development of computational models using new Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) characterization and modeling techniques to understand material environmental degradation in a multiphysics hypersonic environment. Activities include: -- Development of a computational model to predict material performance in a rotary detonation rocket engine environment. - Commence the scale-up and performance validation of ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites (UHTCMCs), with novel polymer chemistries and processing methods (prepreg) to meet new requirements for evolving threats and extreme environments. Activities include: -- Documentation of process control methodologies to produce up to greater than 100 kg of preceramic polymer for aeroshell structures for re-entry and hypersonic missions. - Commence the scale-up, complex shape demonstration, and RF performance validation of high temperature aperture materials for hypersonic and reentry systems. Activities include: -- Demonstration of the ability to produce shaped / conical structures for radomes with materials capable of withstanding 1900C and thermal shock for hypersonic apertures while maintaining RF transparency for mission communications.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Not applicable.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete the validation and maturation of processing methods for fabricating materials such as carbon silicon carbide (C/SiC) and ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites required for expendable hypersonics. - Continue the validation, development, and refinement of unique experimental techniques to assess behavior in extreme environments such as thermal shock for use in future expendable and reusable hypersonic systems. - Continue the validation and demonstration of material properties using high temperature testing methods (e.g., torch testing, laserheating, arc jet, etc.) and predict performance to meet future mission requirements for control surfaces, leading edges, aeroshells, and apertures in hypersonic environments. - Continue the development of computational models to assess environmental degradation of materials in a hypersonic environment.

### Pervasive and Affordable Metals Technologies

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue the development of low cost, complex shape metallic components made through additive manufacturing supporting qualification, certification, and sustainment for use in advanced weapon system component prototypes and legacy aircraft. Activities include: -- Development of additive manufacturing qualification and certification methodologies into cold spray repair techniques. - Continue the development and extend computational methodologies that incorporate the impact of surface residual stress into additively manufactured components, focused on improved manufacturing on the ability to extend life and lower life cycle cost of air vehicle propulsion system and structures components. - Continue the development of advanced titanium, nickel and refractory alloys and processes targeted for platforms operating in extreme environments and requiring capability beyond legacy alloys. Activities include: -- Development of a minimum property set of legacy nickel replacements for transition to interested internal customers. - Commence the validation of the value of integrated analytical tools to optimize the design and certification of additively manufactured metallic components, thereby reducing system cost and testing requirements. Activities include: -- A focus on industry efforts to develop acceptance criteria and probabilistic nucleation modeling for additively manufactured components. - Commence the development and transition of materials and processes for high temperature applications in extreme environments for future weapon systems. Activities include: -- Determination of preferred techniques to reduce cost of powder metal reconditioning.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 funding increased by $0.020 million compared to FY 2026 due to minor programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete the demonstration of affordable metallic turbine engine disks made via powder processing technologies through high temperature, aggressive environment testing to enable acceptance/certification of engine components. - Continue the development of low cost, complex shape metallic components made through additive manufacturing supporting qualification, certification, and sustainment for use in advanced weapon system component prototypes and legacy aircraft. - Continue the development of computational methodologies that incorporate the impact of surface residual stress on the ability to extend life and lower life cycle cost of air vehicle propulsion system components. - Commence the development of advanced titanium, nickel and refractory alloys and processes targeted for platforms operating in extreme environments and requiring capability beyond legacy alloys.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602102F.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0602102F project 624347 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602102F")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*