Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has been awarded a contract by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) for thermo-mechanical and aerothermal ground testing of thermal protection system materials in ballistic reentry and reentry-like environments in its Kratos SRE business unit in Birmingham, Alabama. The five-year contract includes options with a total value up to $46.7 million, with an initial award of $8.6 million under a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract.
The effort will test materials supporting technical efforts for the US and the UK with direct oversight from the NSWCDD Reentry Systems Office. The support includes sample preparation, instrumentation, testing and gathering thermo-mechanical data on materials at extremely high temperatures and in high heat flux/shear environments. The contract enables Kratos SRE to conduct ground testing of thermal protection materials at external ground test facilities and produce flight hardware for the Navy. It requires the unique ability to test and collect data at maximum temperatures of 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit to properly test materials in reentry-like environments.
Michael Johns, Senior Vice President of Kratos SRE, said, “We are honored to support NSWCDD for this important program and are proud that we have been able to do so for decades. We bring a unique capability to this program and through the hard work of our expert team, we look forward to helping our nation as part of the larger Navy team.”
Dave Carter, President of Kratos’ Defense & Rocket Support Services Division, said, “Our division has a long and valued relationship with the Navy supporting research rocket and ballistic missile target programs. The addition of the NSWCDD RSO work by adding KSRE to our division team is exciting, and we look forward to continuing our role as a trusted provider for the Navy.”
Kratos SRE, formerly part of Southern Research and acquired by Kratos in May 2022, is an advanced concept group within Kratos’ Defense & Rocket Support Services (KDRSS) Division. SRE currently employs about 175 engineers, technicians and program support professionals conducting work in support of the space community, the Department of Defense and other national security customers.
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