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The HyFly program was initiated in 2002 by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the U.S. Navy's ONR (Office of Naval Research) to develop and test a demonstrator for a hypersonic Mach 6+ ramjet-powered cruise missile. Prime contractor for the HyFly missile was Boeing, while Aerojet built the sustainer engine. The vehicle was air-launched from an F-15E aircraft, and is accelerated to ramjet ignition speed by a solid-propellant rocket booster.
The sustainer engine of HyFly is a so-called dual-combustion ramjet (DCR). This complex experimental engine was constructed of carbon/carbon composite with ceramic conversion coating. Lx3 involvement in this project spanned 6 years and pertained to Ramjet sustainer engine.
Lx3’s involvement included:- Manufacturing of composite layup tooling for various components.
- Manufacturing of assembly fixtures and tools.
- Design and manufacturing of machining fixtures.
- Developing machining program for carbon/carbon components.
- CNC machining and inspection of carbon/carbon components.
Our CNC lathes and mills were able to meet ultra-precision tolerances, down to +/- 0.0003". We additionally polished the surface of all layup tooling, performed CMM and dimensional inspections on all tooling and components, and shipped the finished items to our client's facility in Arlington, Texas.
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