Hypersonic Interceptor Technology Testbed (HITT) 1997-2000

[flateric]

In 1998, SMDC commissioned the Hypersonic Interceptor Technology Testbed program
which was designed to fly between Mach 8 and 9 (project 29). This program spawned hardware which deflected
canted carbon-carbon fins into full Mach 9 airflows in under 4.5ms with piezoelectric elements. This
demonstrated that not only were these actuators capable of inducing large moments to counter the Mach 9 flows,
but they are among the world’s fastest (if not the fastest) proportional missile fin actuator ever developed.
Figure 5 shows the HITT test vehicle configuration and different fin deflections corresponding to various types
of maneuvers.

 

[sferrin]

Very interesting. (Did Barrett Arms come up with the idea? ??? )

 

[stealthflanker]

interesting, piezoelectric based actuator.

 

[TomS]

Very interesting. (Did Barrett Arms come up with the idea? ??? )

Nope. Barrett Aerospace Technologies looks like a small consultancy run by Ronald Barrett, an Aerospace Engineering professor at Kansas University (hence the KU logo on the slide). He's Director of KU's Adaptive Aerostructures Laboratory, whihc explains his interest in this project.

https://ae.engr.ku.edu/ron-barrett

 

[sferrin]

Very interesting. (Did Barrett Arms come up with the idea? ??? )

Nope. Barrett Aerospace Technologies looks like a small consultancy run by Ronald Barrett, an Aerospace Engineering professor at Kansas University (hence the KU logo on the slide). He's Director of KU's Adaptive Aerostructures Laboratory, whihc explains his interest in this project.

https://ae.engr.ku.edu/ron-barrett

Wonder how the Barrett Arms log ended up on it.

 

[TomS]

It's slightly different? Three crosshairs instead of one, and not on the A.

More seriously, it looks like they stole a version of the Barrett Firearms logo. That's embarrassing.

 

[marauder2048]

In their defense, the PI had worked on a guided round for the Barrett .50 cal.

 

[TomS]

In their defense, the PI had worked on a guided round for the Barrett .50 cal.

Oh, I hadn't seen that. Quite a coincidence of names, isn't it?