Kinetic Energy Weapons (KEW) Support KEW Propulsion Support

AED provides continuing engineering and technical assistance to support and monitor the technical and program progress of solid and liquid propulsion development programs related to Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) kinetic kill vehicles (KKV's), launchers, Solid Rocket Motor Upgrade (SRMU), and advanced solid rocket motors such as Advanced Solid Axial Stage (ASAS) and Solid Divert. AED support includes the integration of these propulsion systems into flight vehicles. The main program involved currently is the adaptation of the ASAS motor for the Third Stage Rocket Motor (TSRM) for the Navy Standard Missile-based theater defense missile.

KEW Development, Integration and Test Support

AED provides support to the Propulsion and Space Experiments Directorates of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at the National Hover Test Facility (NHTF). The NHTF is operated by the AFRL for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO). The facility provides Kinetic Energy Weapon (KEW) programs a capability to perform free flight testing of interceptor prototypes in an observable, recoverable, and repeatable environment. The facility, active since 1987, has flown 17 interceptor prototypes including the Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), Anti-Satellite (ASAT) interceptor, numerous versions of the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile (LEAP), an early space-based interceptor prototype of the Brilliant Pebbles program and many others. Both solid and liquid-fueled vehicles have been launched and flown in the facility over its 12 years of operation.

Spiral Technology's AED provides systems engineering support to the NHTF and its related interceptor and spacecraft programs, and more recently its non-toxic propellant testing using small thrusters, in the areas of test design, planning, integration, test, and execution.

In addition to the interceptor programs mentioned above, AED has provided systems engineering support to AFRL for the concept, design, integration, test, and on-orbit operation of the Miniature Sensor Technology Integration (MSTI) series of small satellites and for test planning, integration, and test of the interceptor payload portion of the Air Force National Missile Defense (AF NMD) Program.