Dr. Gabriel Xu, an expert in experimental plasma science, in-space electric propulsion and rotating detonation engines, is leading a The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) research team exploring a solid-fuel rotating detonation ramjet technology. The study combines the two technologies of solid fuel ramjets and rotating detonation engines to provide high-efficiency, air-breathing propulsion using high-density fuel. Uniting these two concepts can improve the range of supersonic and hypersonic aircraft and missile systems.
Awarded in 2021 by the Department of Defense through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics, a Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station administered consortium, the $1.5 million, three-year project is led by the UAH team who is conducting the experimental portions of the project, while the industry partner CFD Research Corporation is conducting the computational modeling portion.
Learn more about solid-fuel technology for hypersonic flight.
University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics
Managed by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics is a five-year, $20 million-per-year U.S. Department of Defense initiative for modernizing hypersonic flight capabilities.