New CAS to be Developed for U.S. Navy

Marotta Controls has designed and will be manufacturing a new Control Actuation System (CAS) for the U.S. Navy’s Supersonic Propulsion Enabled Advanced Ramjet (SPEAR) project.

The Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division is co-developing the SPEAR demonstrator with Boeing, which will help the Navy determine technical requirements for future carrier-based weapons systems. Marotta’s CAS will be utilized on SPEAR during its technology prove-out demonstration slated for late 2022.

Supersonic speeds present an inarguably harsh performance environment. To satisfy this while also meeting thermal management and system weight requirements within the packaging specifications, Marotta is repurposing two different systems previously developed and qualified by Marotta. This hybrid solution minimizes technical risk and maximizes hardware re-use. The resulting CAS is a high-performance system consisting of high-power density electronics and electromechanical actuators. It will be capable of producing a minimum of 8,000 Watts of power and a bandwidth of greater than 18 Hertz.

Marotta aims to accomplish testing in less than half the typical time by leveraging its newly acquired in-house test capabilities. The company recently announced the expansion of its in-house testing capabilities ultimately creating one of the U.S.’ most sophisticated test facilities. That expansion included the addition of state-of-the-art vibration testing systems capable of supporting the SPEAR CAS’s pre-flight qualification analysis.

“We truly do thrive on interesting, complex technology challenges at Marotta,” said Adit Girdhari, Business Development Director, Aerospace & Tactical Systems. “We’re designed for it. We have the best end-to-end engineering talent under one roof. We also have the necessary resources and tools to move quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality. Not to mention direct experience in control actuation system development, which certainly helps us move faster. We’re proud to be part of Boeing’s time-critical project for the Navy and are deeply invested in helping SPEAR succeed.”