ORLANDO, Aug 9, 2022–Helicon Chemical was awarded a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract at the recent U.S. Air Force Armament Directorate’s Pitch Day held July 20-21 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The product delivered to the Air Force through this project will help warfighters engage enemy targets at a greater range – increasing lethality and better protecting U.S. military assets.
“Working together we will help expand the effectiveness of current and future weapons and bring the concept of Open Architecture to the domain of hardware and propellants, helping to drive down budgeted costs,” said Dr. Wes Naylor, Helicon Chemical Chief Executive Officer. “These fast-track contracts accelerate what can be a long and arduous process, which allows us to bring needed dual-use technology to the Department of Defense quicker and at a better price point.”
Seventy-three businesses from around the country competed for the $30M solicitation with 18 being selected to receive individual contract awards valued at up to $1.8M each. The contract awards give small businesses the opportunity to continue developing their technology for future integration with the U.S. Air Force Armament Directorate program priorities.
Pitch Days have been likened to the Air Force’s version of “Shark Tank” – as the process is focused on lowering the barrier to entry through accelerated, same-day contracting for entrepreneurs, technologists and small businesses, who are intent on bringing cutting-edge ideas to the Air Force.
Helicon Chemical is a client company of the UCF Business Incubation Program at Research Park.
“This is a tremendous step for a company that has been a part of UCF since its early days of research at the University and we could not be prouder,” says Carol Ann Logue. “Helicon is another perfect example of the entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Central Florida that generates great technology and then provides the resources for entrepreneurs to scale into great businesses.”
Helicon Chemical is developing drop-in-ready, upgraded propellant binder that will improve the performance of missiles, rockets, aerospace propulsion systems and munitions for government and commercial customers.
Helicon’s patented technology allows for the rapid modernization of current armaments and future hypersonic weapons programs — aligning with one of the DoD’s top R&D priorities for 2022. The binder will help increase speed, lift and overall mission effectiveness of propulsion systems.
For more information visit: https://heliconchemical.com/
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