Kacey Roberts
Spirit AeroSystems has booked a contract to develop a concept for making airframe structures for a project that supports NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership with the aviation sector.
NASA awarded the grant under the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing project involving 14 organizations that will conduct initial development efforts, Spirit said Tuesday.
The HiCAM awardees collectively secured an initial $50 million in March to offer concepts for agency evaluation.
Sean Black, senior vice president, chief technology officer and chief engineer at Spirit, said the company seeks to help NASA and its commercial partners reduce aircraft emissions by developing composite structures.
The agency plans to spend $184 million on the project and expects participating organizations to invest a combined $136 million.
NASA will evaluate and select ideas that will enter the next phase of HiCAM development. Downselected partners will then aim to demonstrate their concepts in the fuselage and wing component manufacturing processes by 2028.
