Assessment of the DARPA Affordable Polymer Matrix Composites Programs.

Abstract : This document is a technical assessment of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Affordable Polymer Matrix Composite (PMC) program. The projects under this program were initiated to develop and demonstrate technologies that would reduce the acquisition costs of composites for high performance air vehicles and other platforms by 30+ percent, develop a composite structure equal to or lower than the cost of a metallic structure for transports and other 'lower performance' applications, and reduce prototype tooling costs and lead times by 40+ percent. The projects that were originally planned had to refocus their efforts and/or finish earlier than planned. This document summarizes the technical achievements of these projects, assesses the readiness of the technologies for systems applications, and discussed the process and exit criteria that were developed to assess the technology readiness.