University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded an $8,844,258 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development. This contract provides for an opportunity to advance non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and machine learning to speed up NDE interpretation and automate manufacturing; promote advancement of materials used in carbon-carbon production and thermal protection; gather improved understanding of material/hypersonic environment interactions and material failure, and integrate hypersonic flow and material damage investigations for hypersonic materials and aerothermodynamics simulations to facilitate the prediction of materials performance at mission conditions. Work will be performed in Dayton, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 1, 2026. This contract was a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-22-C-5293). (Awarded Sept. 12, 2022)