The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory recently awarded WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research a $23.5 million contract for modeling composite inspection and repair techniques for aircraft in active service.

The research will allow Air Force aircraft to remain mission-ready for longer periods and save repair costs over a span of decades.

The grant will allow the institute to hire more student employees, which means it is currently seeking students with U.S. citizenship to work under the Department of Defense (DoD) contract.

Through this grant, the institute’s new Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) will perform materials research and development on new manufacturing, repair and inspection processes for the contract.

ATLAS is currently under construction in an annex at the rear of the institute’s headquarters on campus. Early next year, it will expand into additional adjacent space that is currently occupied by the Crash Dynamics Lab, when it moves to the new Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing building on the east side of campus.

High profile DoD visitors have increasingly visited WSU and the institute in recent months, and the Institute anticipates increased engagement with multiple U.S. military branches in the future.