An RQ-4 Global Hawk soars through the sky. Credit: The USAF.

UTC Aerospace Systems has contracted US-based company Materion for the delivery of its AlBeMet metal matrix composite parts for the MS-177 sensor system.

Materion’s AlBeMet is an aluminium beryllium composite that combines beryllium’s high modulus and low-density characteristics with aluminium’s fabrication and mechanical property behaviours.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

AlBeMet’s stiffness-to-weight ratio makes it suitable for use in optical, structural and electronic housing components in aircraft, satellite and commercial applications.

Materion Performance Alloys and Composites president W Glenn Maxwell said: “We work to stay ahead of advancing technologies and we’re proud of our work with UTC Aerospace Systems, which allows us to develop cost-effective advanced material components used on this cutting-edge sensor technology for the US military.

“Our advanced materials solutions enable our customers to maximise performance on high-end imaging systems.”

"Our advanced materials solutions enable our customers to maximise performance on high-end imaging systems."

UTC Aerospace’s long-range, multi-spectral imaging (MSI) sensor is currently being tested for integration and qualification for Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

MS-177 provides the US military with long-range capabilities that offer greater clarity than the previous technologies.

The RQ-4B Global Hawk UAS has been designed to obtain high-resolution images of large areas of land and sea, day or night.

AlBeMet is currently being used in the US military’s F-35 Lightning II, F-16, and the Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters, in addition to other military aircraft.