SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 28, 2011 – Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that the company, along with its partner Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital), has received the San Fernando Valley Engineers’ Council’s Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement Award for work done on the ramjet engine development for the U.S. Navy GQM-163A “Coyote” Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target missile.
The award recognizes corporations that have proven engineering excellence and are deserving of recognition. Aerojet’s Executive Director of the Force Projection and Protection Business Unit, Dick Johnson, represented the Aerojet team at the Council’s 56th Annual National Engineers Week Honors and Awards banquet held on Feb. 26 in Universal City, Calif.
Other team members recognized for the award included: Dr. Pat Hewitt, Bryan Waltz, Eric Coble, Aaron Murphy and Dave Polen of Aerojet along with Keven Leith and Fred Little of Orbital.
“Speaking for the entire Coyote team, I am grateful for the honor of being recognized for this accomplishment, and our entire team thanks the Engineers’ Council,” said Johnson. “This development was a true step forward in propulsion technology and high speed missile design, and we were all glad to have the opportunity to participate.”
The Aerojet/Orbital team was nominated for its successful development of the world’s first variable flow ducted rocket ramjet for the Coyote SSST missile. Aerojet’s solid-fueled MARC-R282 ramjet engine powers the missile during the extended high-speed cruise phase of flight at up to three times the speed of sound.
The GQM-163A Coyote was developed by NAVAIR to provide an affordable target to simulate anti-ship cruise missiles to meet fleet training and weapons systems test requirements.
The engine was developed with a minimum of ground tests, so the team had to rely on past engine design programs and technology demonstrations. This required a great deal of research and dedication to ensure success for each test. The efforts led to a completely successful development flight test program.
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company’s excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies’ websites at http://www.Aerojet.com and http://www.GenCorp.com.
