Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research won a five-year, $100 million award to provide digital engineering and transformation support to the U.S. Air Force.
The cooperative agreement includes the completion of the digital twins for the F-16 Fighting Falcon and B-1 Lancer aircraft, as well as the sustainment of the B-52 Stratofortress bomber and C-130 Hercules air transport, the university said Wednesday.
Under the terms of the contract, NIAR will develop and integrate digital models and data of the planes across multiple platforms. The institute will also build prototypes, create additive manufacturing capabilities, and demonstrate the modeling tools.
The contract was awarded through the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Logistics and Product Support.
“This contract will extend our reach in military sustainment R&D efforts, growing the Wichita workforce and providing additional applied learning opportunities for Wichita State students,” said Melinda Laubach-Hock, director of NIAR’s Sustainment Lab and the program’s principal investigator.