A $50 million contract with the U.S. Army is the largest research contract in Auburn University’s history, the university says.
The $50 million grant is for a three-year project designed to help the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center increase its modernization efforts.
The grant will be facilitated through Auburn’s Applied Research Institute in Huntsville, relying “extensively” on research expertise from Auburn’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence and the Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems.
“Our main objective is to enable the Army to incorporate advanced manufacturing materials and methods into existing and future aviation and missile systems,” said Robert Dowling, AUARI director of research development. “To do that, we’ll develop prototype advanced manufacturing processes required to analyze, design, develop, test, integrate and sustain qualified components for existing and future aviation and missile systems. The advanced manufacturing materials we’re considering include alloys, polymers and composites. The methods will include everything from machine learning to material properties characterization.”
