Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) Prototype Opportunity to Propel Manufacturing to Hypersonic Systems

The Department of Defense (DoD) is releasing its Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) prototype opportunity in its efforts to expand current manufacturing processes to intricate hypersonic weapons parts.

Currently, traditional manufacturing processes are unable to meet intricate geometric specifications that advanced hypersonic weapons require. GAMMA-H will assist additive manufacturing processes that can meet the propulsion and temperature requirements that modern hypersonic airbreathing systems demand. “We need to be pushing the envelope with materials that are produced using the additive manufacturing process” stated Keith DeVries, OSD ManTech Deputy Director, “The science has proven it’s possible, but the practice is not widespread enough and this is where GAMMA-H will progress that innovation to hypersonics.”

The objective of GAMMA-H is not only to expand the additive manufacturing processes utilized during production of hypersonic systems that will mitigate the number of individual parts that need inspection, shipment, and construction; but also, to give small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors opportunities to engage in defense manufacturing. “GAMMA-H will be focused on revolutionary changes in applying additive manufacturing to airbreathing hypersonics and that will only be achieved through the partnership of large companies, small businesses, and academia,” noted DeVries, “we are very interested in expanding the roster of teammates of all sizes that are contributing to the hypersonic air breathing mission.”

The GAMMA-H Request For Solutions (RFS) was released in October 2022, which is National Manufacturing Month. Since the inauguration of Manufacturing Day in 2012, the first Friday in October is declared National Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing Day is supported by the Fabricators and Manufacturers’ Association (FMA) along with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), in a national effort to promote manufacturing practices and processes, as well as highlighting efforts across the nation to train the workforce needed to support advanced manufacturing.

“The upcoming National Manufacturing Day will give a voice to the manufacturing base that is currently underheard and encourage the small and medium manufacturing base to engage in all advanced manufacturing practices,” stated DeVries, “Innovation to advanced manufacturing processes will provide a wide range of possibilities for the government and DoD to tap into for solving the hypersonics airbreathing maturation challenge.”

The GAMMA-H prototype opportunity wase released through the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS), managed by NSTXL, Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) vehicle with joint support from OSD ManTech program office.