ROCHESTER, N.H. — September 29, 2026 — Albany Engineered Composites, a segment of Albany International Corp., announced today that its AEC Advanced Programs, Inc. business has received a new contract, with a total value of $21.2 million over the 30-month period of performance, through the U.S. government’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program for Strengthening America’s Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base (SAMDIB).
The award, through the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Rock Island and Cornerstone Other Transaction Authority (OTA), supports the development of carbon-carbon composite thermal protection systems (TPS) for hypersonic vehicles and solid rocket motors (SRM). The effort focuses on advancing, scalable manufacturing capabilities for critical extreme-environment defense applications.
Albany will leverage its experience in advanced composite manufacturing, including 3D-woven, near-net-shape preforms and Resin Transfer Molding (RTM), together with carbon-carbon densification capabilities.
“Hypersonic systems and solid rocket motors place extraordinary demands on the material systems used and the manufacturing processes required to produce them,” said Chris Stone, president of Albany Engineered Composites. “This award brings together Albany’s advanced composite expertise and production-focused capabilities to address an important challenge for the U.S. defense industrial base: establishing the manufacturing capacity required to support next-generation hypersonic and solid rocket motor systems at scale.”
The program focuses on establishing a vertically integrated production facility for carbon-carbon composite manufacturing, creating critical domestic industrial base capacity for the continued development and scalable production of cost-effective thermal protection solutions for hypersonic weapons and SRMs.
“Production readiness is a critical element of both hypersonic and solid rocket motor missions,” said Brent Stevenson, vice president, emerging markets & technology at Albany Engineered Composites. “Albany’s proven experience in 3D-woven near-net-shape composite preforms and RTM provides a strong foundation for advancing scalable manufacturing solutions for these critical missions.”
The effort expands Albany’s capabilities for extreme-environment applications, combining advanced materials technology with manufacturing infrastructure and production engineering. The program includes engineering studies, facility planning, supplier selection, procurement and installation of key manufacturing equipment and development of the infrastructure required to support carbon-carbon composite thermal protection system production.
Advancing Hypersonic and Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing at Scale
Hypersonic vehicles and solid rocket motors operate in some of the most demanding aerospace and defense environments. Their thermal protection systems must withstand extreme conditions while also meeting increasingly important cost objectives with scalable production.
Through this IBAS effort, Albany applies its advanced composite manufacturing expertise to help strengthen the U.S. industrial base and establish the vertically integrated infrastructure needed to support future hypersonic and SRM production. The award reinforces Albany’s commitment to advanced composite solutions for extreme environments and to expanding domestic manufacturing capabilities for critical aerospace and defense applications.
Posted: September 29, 2026
Source: Albany Engineered Composites
