Continuous Composites has been awarded a U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project in collaboration with Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing Company) to develop next-generation fuselage structures for launched effects.
The project, which originated as a Navy-funded initiative, was successfully transitioned to the Army following the completion of Phase One and is now entering Phase Two with a 2 million USD contract.
The initiative focuses on enhancing the structural integrity of systems designed to be launched from canisters—similar to missile deployment systems—and aims to set new performance benchmarks for these air-launched platforms. Aurora is providing critical flight load data and geometric designs, which Continuous Composites will use to develop optimised fuselage structures through its patented CF3D technology.
Leveraging its expertise in fiber steering and topology optimisation, Continuous Composites will work to engineer lightweight, high-performance fuselage designs that maximise internal volume, directly increasing payload capacity without compromising overall performance. This approach reimagines internal architecture, using less material while embedding greater strength into the design, reducing weight and improving efficiency for mission-critical aerospace applications.
"This collaboration represents a powerful convergence of aerospace innovation and cutting-edge manufacturing technology," said Steve Starner, CEO of Continuous Composites. "By pairing Aurora's flight systems expertise with our CF3D technology, we are pushing the limits of what's possible in the development of launched effect structures, delivering more agile, functional, and cost-effective solutions for defence applications."
