Liquid Measurement Systems, Inc. (LMS) has been awarded a contract to design, develop, qualify, and deliver the fuel quantity indicating system (FQIS) for Stratolaunch's Talon-A hypersonic flying testbed.

Stratolaunch designs, manufactures, and launches aerospace vehicles and technologies to fulfill several important national needs, including the need to significantly advance US hypersonic flight test capabilities and help improve the nation's ability to design and operate cutting edge hypersonic vehicles.

The company is developing Talon-A as a flexible, fully reusable, autonomous vehicle that, flying at speeds up to Mach 6, will provide a reliable test environment for hypersonic research, experiments, and enabling operational missions. Talon A will be capable of take-off and landing on a traditional runway, or via mid-air launch from the Stratolaunch Carrier plane. It is currently planned to begin operation 2022.

LMS' system will interface with Talon-A's fuel and avionics systems. It consists of a super-lightweight and durable carbon-composite fuel probe and a signal conditioner unit that will communicate fuel quantity to the aircraft avionics over an ARINC 429 bus, utilizing software developed by LMS in accordance with the guidelines of DO-178C DAL-C.

LMS will deliver production hardware in May 2021. The company has also developed and delivered the fuel quantity indicating system for the Stratolaunch Carrier aircraft.

Operating at speeds approaching Mach 6 (6 times the speed of sound), this aircraft and its components will be exposed to extraordinary levels of heat, vibration, and shock. These conditions demand extraordinary ruggedness and reliability from electro-mechanical equipment like the FQIS.

LMS President Scott Fewell says, “We are pleased that Stratolaunch has selected LMS again to be a part of their pioneering work on the hypersonic frontier, supporting applications that will advance work in government, commercial and academic sectors.”