Battelle, USAF Enter Cooperative Agreement for Aircraft Ice Protection Tech R&D

Battelle and the U.S. Air Force‘s Life Cycle Management Center will collaborate to build anti-icing technology for aircraft under a cooperative research-and-development agreement.

The Air Force said Tuesday that Battelle is developing an ice protection technology with the use of a carbon nanotube dispersant as a resistive heater for anti-ice and de-ice purposes.

The nonprofit will continue to test and validate studies on test wings and engine air inlets from operational systems as part of the CRADA.

“Access to government furnished equipment allowed Battelle to validate multiple modeling and simulation tests and brought developments to the current integration stage on operational aircraft,” said Randy Johnson, a program manager at Battelle.

“This agreement will also allow the Air Force to provide us with detailed technical information required for the actual integration,” Johnson added.

Battelle also seeks to leverage its partnership with the military branch to secure additional external funds through several proposals and grants.