Article

DARPA has introduced the Carbon Crunch program to accelerate the production of heat-resistant structures for hypersonic weapons. This initiative focuses on developing faster manufacturing processes for carbon-carbon aeroshells, essential for protecting hypersonic vehicles during flight.

Current production methods are slow and not scalable, hindering the ability to produce sufficient components for hypersonic systems. The program encourages innovative approaches to streamline the manufacturing of existing carbon-carbon materials, with the objective of enhancing speed and efficiency. Multiple research teams are expected to participate, with potential applications in operational U.S. military hypersonic programs.