The US Army has launched a next-generation propulsion program to enhance the range of the Stinger man-portable surface-to-air missile.
Inducted in 1981, the system’s range has remained largely static, primarily due to its solid fuel rocket motor technology.
Under the Red Wasp initiative, the US Army intends to replace the missile’s traditional solid fuel rocket motor with solid fuel ramjet propulsion technology.
The technology has a dual propulsion cycle wherein a conventional solid rocket motor initially boosts the missile to supersonic speeds.
It leads to air intake into the combustion chamber and the ignition of ramjet fuel.
“When the booster burns out, a port opens at the front end of the rocket motor allowing air to enter the combustion chamber and ignite the ramjet fuel,” the US Army explained.
“The advantage when operating in a ramjet cycle is that the primary oxidizer, air, does not need to be carried on board.
The ramjet cycle thus greatly increases the engine’s delivered performance and ultimately the missile’s range.”
Red Wasp Project
Initially conceptualized in 2022, the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC) program underwent testing in 2024.
It intends to enable soldiers to counter evolving short-range aerial threats such as unmanned aerial systems with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
The AvMC team is exploring the technology’s further optimization to transition it into a larger science and technology project.
“We will fly some more in July,” Red Wasp Principal Investigator Brian McDonald said.
“We’ll have a few different ramjet fuels, looking at the delivered performance of several different formulations, and we’ll have some different insulators in them.
The idea is to take six motors out there, each with a little bit of variance from what we had in May 2024 and see what we get in an actual flight test.”
Seeking Expansion
The fully government-owned project is currently an applied research project conducted by government propulsion subject matter experts.
However, the project team expects to expand it and bring in industry partners.
“We are looking at just the propulsion with this effort,” Deputy Capability Area Lead for Air and Missile Defense Chappell Ray said.
“The greater goal is to work with outside partners to integrate a full air defense interceptor, while DEVCOM AvMC engineers continue to mature our in-house design to further develop technologies that may benefit industry concepts.”
Following a successful technology transition, the propulsion design will be scaled up for other US Army applications.
