Hypersonic Triumph

A team of dedicated trailblazers spanning across Lockheed Martin was recently recognized with the Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement Award at the 69th Annual Engineers’ Council Banquet in Los Angeles, California.

This group is the Hypersonic University Engagement (HUE) team; their work feeds into a larger collaboration between the U.S. government, industry and academia called the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH). The UCAH comprises 114 universities, 198 industry partners, and 18 university-affiliated and federally funded research and development centres. This consortium was established by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) in 2020.

The UCAH was created to address a critical national security priority – hypersonic technical innovation and workforce development.

Making an Impact

Since the UCAH’s inception, we have been a trusted visionary and thought leader, working closely with the government and academia to identify technology gaps and serve as advisors and tech transition partners for research projects funded through the JHTO. To better inform university research endeavours and ensure relevancy to industry technology needs in support of our customers, it was recognized that flight vehicle geometry and flight trajectory data were necessary.

To address this need, the HUE team developed a clean-sheet boost-glide hypersonic reference vehicle design through a wide breadth and depth of complicated work including design, aerodynamics, propulsion, flight mechanics, materials and structures. Our reference vehicle application, which the team is being recognized for, will provide UCAH university members with a modelling tool to enable more flight-relevant research for the JHTO-funded applied research projects.

“This was a fast-paced effort perfectly suited for the industry. Lockheed Martin created a stand-alone vehicle package that will guide hypersonics research going forward,” said Dr. Mike Henson, project technical lead. “It was a privilege to support the UCAH team and we look forward to leveraging this strong industry-university partnership.”

JHTO appreciates the great work of our industry partners to collaborate and provide tools and models to our university community. Without the industry's commitment, UCAH cannot be the success that it is. I am grateful for the leadership of Mr. Bauer and Mr. Rhodes,

Mark Glenn

JHTO Director

This effort greatly enhances the value proposition of UCAH research outcomes and enables a successful technical transition to industry.

“The importance of the work the HUE team is executing cannot be understated – it is critical to our industry and the nation that we advance these technologies and the people who drive them forward,” said Dr. Barry Bauer, HUE program manager. “I’m extremely proud of the group’s well-deserved recognition at the Engineer’s Council.”

The Path Forward

Industry, government and academia must work together to solve the challenges of hypersonic flight and ensure the U.S. remains a leader in advanced manufacturing and global security.

“Revolutionary technologies cannot be developed or advanced without a strong, joint team willing to collaborate to meet the needs of the mission. The HUE team embodies this vision of collaborative excellence,

Dr. Barry Bauer

HUE Program Manager

Hypersonic strike capabilities are and will continue to be, a cornerstone of our 21st Century Security vision. It’s key we keep driving these technologies and the people who develop them forward, and our involvement in the UCAH is just one way we’ll continue to do so.