New Jersey, USA-based aerospace and defence firm Marotta Controls is to develop the new Control Actuation System for the US Navy’s Supersonic Propulsion Enabled Advanced Ramjet (SPEAR) project.
Boeing is developing and testing the Supersonic Propulsion Enabled Advanced Ramjet (SPEAR) missile demonstrator under a US$30 million contract for the US Navy with the first launch planned for next year. SPEAR will be used by the F/A-18 Super Hornet and carrier strike group.
Marotta’s Control Actuation System will be used on SPEAR during the planned demonstration flight slated for late 2022.
The CAS consists of high-power density electronics and electromechanical actuators capable of producing a minimum of 8,000 Watts of power and a bandwidth of greater than 18 Hertz.
The company aims to accomplish testing in less than half the typical time by using its recently acquired in-house test capabilities which it claims is one of the “U.S.’ most sophisticated test facilities”. That expansion included the addition of vibration testing systems capable of supporting the SPEAR CAS’s pre-flight qualification analysis.
Adit Girdhari, business development director of aerospace and tactical systems at Marotta said, “We thrive on interesting, complex technology challenges at Marotta.
“We have the best end-to-end engineering talent under one roof and the necessary resources and tools to move quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality. Not to mention direct experience in control actuation system development, which certainly helps us move faster.”
