The U.S. Army awarded Wave Motion Launch Corp., an Everett, Washington-based company, a contract recently valued around $1.6 million to continue developing its ground-breaking jet gun technology. With its special barrel-less launch mechanism, this company is becoming more well-known very quickly.
What is the technology behind jet guns?
Using a supersonic gas jet, Wave Motion’s jet gun technology accelerates a projectile at great speeds. This system is smaller than conventional rockets and guns because it lacks a physical barrel. Up to 100 times more compact than a comparable power rocket or cannon is said to be the jet gun system.
Joint Venture with the Military
Wave Motion was initially awarded a $1.3 million contract by the Office of Naval Research to advance their jet cannon technology in 2022. After several experiments turned out well, the military gave this idea more thought and funding (Market World). The U.S. Army recently awarded the firm a contract for about $1.6 million to carry out further development and application of its jet gun technology.
Benefits of Technology of Jet Gun
The jet gun technology is very flexible in a variety of tactical situations because of its benefits in size as well as in handling different projectile sizes. This adaptability helps especially in situations when there is no particular caliber ammunition, which lessens logistical difficulties.
Furthermore, the jet gun is considered to be a more affordable launch instrument. The jet cannon is supposed to reduce the cost of launching a pound of payload from the hundreds of dollars that traditional rocket launches usually cost to roughly $100.
Prospective Commercial Uses
Jet gun technology from Wave Motion offers wide industrial possibilities in addition to military uses. It offers a practical and affordable answer for mining and drilling. Using solid entrained particles to produce a longer jet, Wave Motion is creating a more sophisticated version of the jet gun that will accelerate the projectile hundreds of times the length of the launching system.
Die casting technology and the jet gun
Noteworthy is the fact that Wave Motion uses die casting technology in its jet gun system as well. Die casting improves the material strength and high precision manufacture of the jet gun system, therefore improving its performance and longevity.
Members of the Founding Team and Upcoming Events
The original team of Wave Motion is responsible for its success. Three University of Washington alums, CEO Finn van Donkelaar, COO James Penna, and former CFO Casey Dunn, started the company. In a few years, their inventiveness and commitment to technology have taken Wave Motion from a startup to a technology company that the Pentagon favors.
Future plans call for Wave Motion to keep refining and testing its jet gun technology as well as investigating additional use cases, including as space launches. The company wants to be a pioneer in effective launch systems, hence it is actively looking for breakthroughs in industrial applications in addition to the military one.
To sum up
The success of Wave Motion Launch Corp. emphasizes the need of creativity and tenacity. From a modest beginning to landing significant military contracts, the company proves the enormous potential and wide range of uses for its jet cannon technology. Wave Motion is set up to have a big influence in a number of industries as the technology advances and spreads into new ones.