NASA has awarded five-year contracts to 11 companies to provide revolutionary research into new aerospace engines to support its Ultra Efficient Technology program. The contracts could total up to $197 million each. The contracts fund research into air-breathing engines, pulse-detonation engines, auxiliary power systems, propulsion and airframe integration, rocket-based combined cycle, turbine-based combined cycle, design tools and cross-cutting technologies.
The program is intended to develop a high performance, efficient, economic and environmentally compatible U.S. aircraft. The goal is to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 70% and improve fuel efficiency by 35% for large subsonic transportation.