Materion Corporation has been awarded a contract by UTC Aerospace Systems for AlBeMet metal matrix composite parts for its MS-177 long-range, multi-spectral imaging (MSI) sensor. The sensor is currently undergoing integration testing and qualification for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

Materion produces AlBeMet, an aluminum beryllium composite, which combines the high modulus and low-density characteristics of beryllium with the fabrication and mechanical property behaviors of aluminum. Because of its excellent stiffness-to-weight ratio, AlBeMet is used extensively in optical, structural and electronic housing components in aircraft, satellite and commercial applications.

The MS-177 sensor gives the U.S. military long-range capabilities to see with greater clarity than previous technologies. The Global Hawk system is designed to gather high-resolution images of large areas of land and sea, day or night.

"We work to stay ahead of advancing technologies, and we're proud of our work with UTC Aerospace Systems which allows us to develop cost-effective advanced material components used on this cutting-edge sensor technology for the U.S. military," said W. Glenn Maxwell, President, Materion Performance Alloys and Composites. "Our advanced materials solutions enable our customers to maximize performance on high-end imaging systems."