ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force awarded a follow-on contract to Advanced Photonix Inc. to continue development of a quality-control technology.
U.S. company API says its Picometrix subsidiary was awarded the phase II Small Business Innovative Research contract following its successful completion of feasibility work during phase I.
As part of the phase II deal, API will continue development of a terahertz quality control system, designed to evaluate the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet's coated exterior surface thickness and provide a subsurface inspection among other applications. Officials say the quality-control system will be based on the company's T-Ray 4000 instrument.
"The application of our T-Ray 4000 product platform to help solve the difficult manufacturing challenge posed by the next generation military aircraft is a potentially significant opportunity to deploy multiple systems for the manufacturing and maintenance of the F-35 throughout its life," Richard Kurtz, API chief executive officer, said in a statement.
