−62%
Cycle time
Single-cure layered skin
Collapsed a four-stage bonding sequence into one autoclave cure, removing the interlayer adhesive that drove most early delamination failures.
Project Prometheus
The milestones that took Prometheus from formulation to production.
A showcase of the research phases, manufacturing breakthroughs, and qualification results behind the program.
- Program start
- 2024
- Destructive tests
- 1,200+
- Qualified cells
- 2
- First-pass yield
- 94%
Research phases
Four phases from formulation to field data.
Each phase closes with a documented test package before the next one opens.
- PHASE 01Q1 – Q3 2024
Material formulation
Screened 47 ceramic-metal layup candidates against thermal shock, abrasion, and delamination criteria. Down-selected to three formulations carried into coupon testing.
Complete47 → 3 candidates - PHASE 02Q4 2024 – Q2 2025
Coupon-level validation
Over 1,200 destructive coupon tests across thermal cycling, ballistic impact, and long-duration fatigue. Established the baseline performance envelope for AEGIS-SKIN Mk.I.
Complete1,200+ coupon tests - PHASE 03Q3 2025 – Q1 2026
Full-assembly qualification
Panel and sub-assembly testing against aerospace and defense qualification standards, with instrumented fatigue runs at representative operating loads.
In progress9 of 12 test articles cleared - PHASE 04Q2 2026 →
Field trial instrumentation
Sensor-instrumented panels deployed to partner platforms for in-service data capture, closing the loop between modelled and observed degradation.
Planned4 partner platforms
Manufacturing breakthroughs
Process wins that made the material producible.
Every entry below is a change to the line, not a lab result — measured against the process it replaced.
±0.4°
Ply alignment
Robotic layup cell
Automated fiber placement on curved tooling holds ply alignment inside a fraction of a degree, repeatably, across full production shifts.
100%
Panels inspected
In-line ultrasonic inspection
Void and inclusion detection moved from post-cure sampling to in-line scanning of every panel, catching defects before they reach assembly.
−48%
Tooling spend
Tooling cost reduction
Reusable modular mold sets replaced part-specific tooling, cutting the fixed cost of introducing a new panel geometry to the line.
94%
First-pass yield
Yield stabilization
Process control on cure temperature and vacuum ramp brought first-pass yield above the threshold required for sustained production rate.
2 cells
Qualified capacity
Rate readiness
Second production cell qualified and mirrored from the first, giving redundant capacity and a validated path to rate manufacture.
High-impact results
What the test articles actually look like.
Imagery from qualification testing and the production line, captured under instrumented conditions.
Fig. 1 — Layer integrityPost-cure cross-section after 400 thermal cycles. No measurable interlayer separation at the bond line.
0 delaminations / 400 cycles
Fig. 2 — Production cellQualified robotic layup cell running a full-shift production sequence on curved panel tooling.
94% first-pass yield
Fig. 3 — Impact responseInstrumented ballistic strike on a production-representative panel. Spall contained within the outer layer.
No through-penetration