TRW-Built Gel Missile Propulsion System Demonstrates Capabilities in First Flight Test.

REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 1999--

An innovative "gel" missile propulsion system built by TRW Inc. performed flawlessly in the first-ever flight test of an energy-managed gel system at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida last month.

In testing conducted by the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM), the gel propulsion smart tactical missile prototype was fired from a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The system flew 8.0 kilometers, and its motor fired five times during the 51-second flight.

Equipped with a computerized, preprogrammed flight profile but no seeker, the gel propulsion system missile nonetheless hit its target zone. A second flight test is planned for this summer.

Gel propulsion systems are fueled with a very viscous, semisolid propellant and combine the best characteristics of solid and liquid propellants. The gel system stores like a solid but flows like a liquid when pressurized.

"The gel system performed beautifully under rigorous testing conditions," said Robert Sackheim, manager of the TRW Propulsion Systems Center. "It's a tremendously flexible propulsion system with the potential to perform as a multimission missile and replace a more expensive family of single-purpose missile systems.

"This, in turn, could reduce overall operation and support costs for the Army's missile inventory, as well as significantly increase range and overall capabilities to meet more demanding future mission requirements."

The flight test follows successful static firing tests, which were performed last December. During tests at Redstone Arsenal, the gel system was fired six times during a 45-second test, with the first firing lasting 1.6 seconds and subsequent firings lasting for 300 milliseconds.

An inspection following the test showed the engine, gel propellant tank, electronics and adjacent missile hardware in excellent condition and available for additional testing.

Gel engines offer the same throttling capability as conventional liquid propellants but are safer because they do not leak, spill or explode. Because they can be controlled much more easily than solid rockets, gel engines permit missiles to lock on targets before or after launch, slow down and search for targets, loiter, speed up and maneuver precisely to home in on targets.

Gel engines are capable of completely shutting off and restarting multiple times, something solid rockets cannot do.

The versatility of this breakthrough in missile propulsion systems will enable the development of a new generation of tactical and interceptor missiles, able to counter ground-to-ground and air-to-ground threats much more cost-effectively and accurately than today's solid rocket propelled missiles.

"This technology promises greatly expanded capability for the Army of the next century," said Steve Nelson, TRW's gel propulsion system program manager.

TRW and teammate Talley Defense Systems developed the gel system under AMCOM's Future Missile Technology Integration program (FMTI). The objective of FMTI is to develop missile technology that can be integrated into future weapons.

Talley Defense Systems, based in Mesa, Ariz., has been teamed with TRW for almost two decades in developing gelled propellant and pressurization technologies.

TRW is an industry leader in propulsion products and technology. The company provides propulsion components, engines and systems for spacecraft attitude and velocity control, orbit insertion and maneuvering, and tactical missile boost and steering.

TRW Space & Electronics Group builds communications, scientific and defense spacecraft; produces, integrates and tests payloads; develops advanced space instruments; and integrates experiments into spacecraft. It is an operating unit of TRW Inc., which provides advanced-technology products and services for automotive, space and defense, and information-technology markets worldwide.

TRW's 1998 sales totaled approximately $12 billion.