S²MARTS OTA Partners with JHTO to Advance Next-Gen Hypersonics

The Joint Hypersonics Transition Office (JHTO), in partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, has awarded six Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) to six organizations that will support the JHTO Science & Technology (S&T) mission. The awardees are Leidos, Inc., GoHypersonic, Inc., Special Aerospace Services (Aurex), Purdue Applied Research Institute, Halo Engines, LLC, and Kratos SRE, Inc. 

The JHTO advances the nation’s next generation of hypersonic capabilities, a crucial effort in supporting the Warfighter. Hypersonic systems (vehicles that travel faster than Mach 5) offer significant strategic advantages by enabling long-distance travel in minutes, allowing for in-flight maneuvering, and outpacing traditional missile defenses. However, these benefits come with significant engineering challenges due to extreme heat and demanding flight paths. These challenges are what the JHTO program seeks to address in this initiative. 

The awarded efforts will address a myriad of capabilities in the areas of interest that align with the JHTO S&T priorities, including: pilot to the target, improved aerodynamic system and propulsion design, enhanced effectiveness, and mission planning. Through these S&T priorities, the awarded organizations will develop and demonstrate new subsystem technologies, strengthen the scientific foundations behind hypersonics, and explore emerging technologies with the potential to transform future systems. Each award will mature through modeling and simulation, and relevant ground or flight experimentation. 

The partnership between JHTO and NSWC Crane is strengthened through the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) OTA, managed by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). S²MARTS is specifically designed to streamline acquisition, attract cutting-edge industry and academic innovators, and accelerate the development of emerging technologies. By leveraging the flexibility of the S²MARTS OTA, JHTO and NSWC Crane can rapidly prototype, test, and transition critical hypersonic advancements, significantly shortening timelines and ensuring the warfighter benefits from next-generation capabilities more quickly. 

About S²MARTS 

The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS), managed by NSTXL, is the premier rapid OT agreement vehicle for the Department of War (DoW) in trusted microelectronics, strategic & spectrum mission, and other critical mission areas. The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division created S²MARTS to grow and engage an elite network of innovators, shorten the path to defense prototype development, and advance national security efforts.