Per WSJ, the U.S. is years behind Russia and China in developing hypersonic missile technology. Silicon Valley wants to help the military catch up.
Hypersonic aircraft/weapons can fly at 5x the speed of sound or faster, at least 3,800 MPH. The aircraft must be able to withstand temperatures of thousands of degrees. China launched a hypersonic missile in 2021 at speeds >15,000 MPH. Russia is using hypersonic missiles in its war with Ukraine, including a new one they say can travel 8x the speed of sound. The U.S. currently has no hypersonic weapons in deployment.
The Defense Department (DoD)has spent >$8B since 2019 to add hypersonic weapons to its arsenal. It also has ~$19B in funding dedicated to ongoing programs. In general, funding has gone to major defense contractors such as Northrup Grumman, RTX (Raytheon) and Lockheed Martin. However, DoD is working with 15 venture-backed startups and other non-traditional vendors for hypersonic testing, manufacturing and sourcing new technologies.
Venture capital firms have traditionally avoided working for the U.S. military, preferring applications that require less upfront money and produce returns sooner. However, they have invested >$500 Million on hypersonic systems in the past two years. They are hoping that DoD is an eager customer, due to significant pressure to make progress. However, many startups don’t have clearance to work on classified contracts. The sales cycle of working with DoD can also be extremely slow.
Startups, including Hermeus and Venus Aerospace, are pushing the benefits of using private capital and the latest engineering to develop hypersonic technology at lower cost for DoD. They are building everything from services for launches and flight tests to jets to engines for hypersonic systems, though many are years away from a completed product. Ursa Major another hypersonic startup, builds propulsion systems for hypersonic aircraft and weapons. Its engine can also be used for test flights that simulate Russia’s hypersonic missiles to help the U.S. better detect/defend against Russian attack.
Developing hypersonic weapons is a complex technical challenge, and requires close coordination between venture-backed firms, major defense contractors and the government. MOSIMTEC digital twins and simulation modeling can help. For a major U.S. defense contractor that required advanced technical support in evaluating and implementing dynamic simulation solutions, MOSIMTEC supported the client with comparison analysis and custom development of templates for representing complex weapon manufacturing and assembly systems. MOSIMTEC applied best practices methodologies and provided a highly scale-able data generated simulation solution for using one model to represent multiple different facility operations. MOSIMTEC data scientists and industrial engineers can help you future-proof your business.
#aerospace #defense #digital twin development #venturecapital #privateequity #manufacturing #hypersonicmissiles