RTX (Raytheon)
Canvas Category OEM : Aerospace
At Raytheon Technologies, we’re accelerating ideas to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges by bringing together the brightest, most innovative minds across aviation, space and defense. We form an unrivaled company, with one team coming together across the globe to push the limits of known science and redefine how we connect and protect our world. We are advancing aviation, building smarter defense systems and creating innovations to take us deeper into space.
Assembly Line
NPS Completes $17.5M Series B Funding for Software-Defined Radar Led by Cota Capital with Key Strategic Investment from GM Ventures and RTX Ventures
Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS), a pioneer in software-defined radar, announced it secured a $17.5 million Series B funding round. The round is led by Cota Capital with contributions from GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), and RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of RTX (NYSE: RTX). This collaboration marks a transformative step in enhancing roadway safety (benefiting pedestrians, drivers and all other traffic participants) and defense radar systems.
NPS will use the investment to further develop and apply its award-winning Atomic Sensing Platform to automotive radar technology. The platform provides significantly enhanced, reliable radar resolution and groundbreaking precision. The improved performance stems from a new mathematical framework known as the Atomic Norm (AN), revolutionizing how the raw sensor data is processed into relevant information.
Ursa Major Raises $138 Million to Introduce Solid Rocket Motor Line and Scale Rocket Propulsion for Space and Hypersonic Applications
Ursa Major, America’s leading privately funded company focused solely on rocket propulsion, today announced that it closed $138 million in its Series D and D-1 funding rounds. The investments were led by Explorer 1 Fund and Eclipse, and include RTX Ventures, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Exor Ventures, Mack & Co., LLC, XN, and other institutional shareholders.
With this investment, Ursa Major will continue to develop Lynx, the company’s innovative new solid rocket motor (SRM) program, while scaling production capacity and advancing multiple propulsion programs. While the initial Series D round was completed earlier in the year, Ursa Major extended fundraising to include a Series D-1 round due to strong interest in accelerating development on several future programs.
Scalable in situ non-destructive evaluation of additively manufactured components using process monitoring, sensor fusion, and machine learning
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Additive Manufacturing (AM) is among the metal 3D printing technologies most broadly adopted by the manufacturing industry. However, the current industry qualification paradigm for critical-application L-PBF parts relies heavily on expensive non-destructive inspection techniques, which significantly limits the use-cases of L-PBF. In situ monitoring of the process promises a less expensive alternative to ex situ testing, but existing sensor technologies and data analysis techniques struggle to detect sub-surface flaws (e.g., porosity and cracking) on production-scale L-PBF printers. In this work, an in situ NDE (INDE) system was engineered to detect subsurface flaws detected in X-Ray Computed Tomography (XCT) directly from process monitoring data. A multilayer, multimodal data input allowed the INDE system to detect numerous subsurface flaws in the size range of 200–1000 µm using a novel human-in-the-loop annotation procedure. Furthermore, a framework was established for generating probability-of-detection (POD) and probability-of-false-alarm (PFA) curves compliant with NDE standards by systematically comparing instances of detected subsurface flaws to post-build XCT data. We also introduce for the first time in the AM in situ sensing literature the flaw size corresponding to a 90% detection rate on the lower 95% confidence interval of the POD curve. The INDE system successfully demonstrated POD capabilities commensurate with traditional NDE methods. Traditional ML performance metrics were also shown to be inadequate for assessing the ability of the INDE system’s flaw detection performance. It is the belief of the authors that future studies should adopt the POD and PFA approach outlined here to provide better insight into the utility of process monitoring for AM.
Electrifying success: H55 the leading provider of certified electric propulsion technologies raises CHF 45 million in its Series C financing round
The secured funds will be deployed to finance H55’s ongoing infrastructure investments including building a factory in its recently established Montreal, Quebec facility, moving to semi and automated production in the company’s production facilities in Switzerland and Canada and opening a subsidiary in Toulouse, France. These financial resources will also expedite the development and commercialization of H55’s electric aviation technologies, encompassing advanced propulsion systems and state-of-the-art battery technologies.
IMPULSE SPACE SECURES $45M IN SERIES A FUNDING ROUND
Impulse Space, Inc. – a leader in the development of in-space transportation services for the inner solar system – today announced it has secured $45 million in its Series A funding round. The round is led by RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of RTX (NYSE: RTX).
With an oversubscribed funding round, Impulse Space will be continuing its progress with its work in upcoming missions, such as LEO Express-1, a GEO refueling mission and the upcoming mission to Mars. Specifically, this funding will support the development of Impulse’s largest vehicle yet, called Helios. The Helios kick stage enables direct to Geostationary Equatorial Orbit missions, thus bypassing the need for a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
🖨️ Fortify Secures $12.5 Million in Funding From Investors, Including Lockheed Martin Ventures & RTX Ventures, to Accelerate Growth in Advanced Materials & Additive Manufacturing
Fortify, a leading full-stack materials science and additive manufacturing company, announced today that it has raised $12.5 million in a funding round from investors, including Lockheed Martin Ventures and RTX Ventures, the venture capital arms of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies, respectively. This strategic investment will enable Fortify to expand its capabilities and accelerate the development of its groundbreaking Digital Composite Manufacturing (DCM) platform.
The future of manufacturing is iterative, collaborative and data-driven
Another key digital transformation practice is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate, or at least streamline and simplify, product development. At Raytheon, teams leverage model-based engineering to predict complex fluid, structural, and thermal interactions in missile systems so engineers can better understand how a product will operate at hypersonic speeds. But any industry can use AI and ML to help teams make better and smarter design choices and, ultimately, better products and experiences for customers and end users.
At companies like Raytheon, where security and safety are a top concern, the data must be organized and firewalled to ensure that only those with proper access can view classified information. But once implemented, a modern data architecture has also helped Raytheon’s teams navigate a global supply chain that continues to face challenges caused by the pandemic and ongoing political strife.
Hexagon and Raytheon Technologies developing simulation tool to improve 3D printing build quality
Hexagon and Raytheon Technologies have partnered to deliver a simulation tool that will enable evaluation and optimisation of metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes through the prediction of thermal history and defects at the laser path and powder layer scale.
Combining technologies from Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Raytheon Technologies’ Pratt and Whitney business, the new software will predict defects before the expensive and time-consuming printing process begins. This analysis will help designers and engineers evaluate the print outcome and test combinations of materials, geometries, and print processes.
The software will be made available to a range of companies engaged in additive manufacturing and will be complementary to Hexagon’s existing Simufact Additive tool. The similarity to the existing user interface will allow easy integration into existing manufacturing processes by users without the need for extensive training.
RTX Ventures invests in H55 to advance electric propulsion technologies for clean and efficient air mobility applications
RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), has made a minority investment in electric propulsion system company H55 to drive the development of electric aviation solutions. The investment in H55 aligns with Raytheon Technologies’ longstanding leadership in the development of innovative and sustainable propulsion technologies.
As part of this investment, H55 will benefit from RTX Ventures’ guidance in supporting H55’s plans to accelerate electric propulsion solutions and battery systems. H55 is already working with the company to develop and demonstrate hybrid-electric propulsion technologies. RTX Ventures will also facilitate opportunities to work together on future product development.