Technical Directions and Boeing Sign MoU for Kratos TDI Engines

October 16, 2023

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Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. [Nasdaq: KTOS], a Technology Company in the Defense, National Security and Global Markets, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding between Technical Directions, Inc. (TDI), a business unit within Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, and Boeing [NYSE: BA] for the TDI-J85 turbine engine to provide propulsion for the Powered Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).

Boeing’s Powered JDAM combines a 500-pound ordnance, the conventional JDAM guidance kit, with a wing kit and a Kratos TDI-J85 engine to deliver high-end range at an affordable price. The cost savings is in part due to the low-cost turbine engine technology developed and enhanced by TDI over four decades. Powered JDAM will provide low-cost stand-off capability against land and maritime threats. Leveraging the JDAM family of weapons, it is designed to be produced at scale, exportable to any of the 35 JDAM partner nations, at a cost-point that enables affordable mass.

“We are proud that Boeing has selected our TDI-J85 engine for the Powered JDAM system. Incredible potential exists for this long-range, precision strike capability,” said Joseph Kovasity, Senior Vice President for TDI. “At Kratos TDI, we have been singularly focused on producing small, low-cost, military-grade turbine engines at quantity in the United States with U.S. suppliers and partners. With the Kratos acquisition of TDI, we have substantially invested in manufacturability for production scale resulting in an incredibly high engine performance-to-cost ratio, while ensuring we can meet the large quantity deliveries predicted for the Powered JDAM system and program.”

“Powered JDAM is the next step in the modular evolution of the JDAM and JDAM Extended Range family of weapons systems. Its ability to complement exquisite weapons system with low-cost stand-off capability will add new weapons capacity to the U.S. defense industrial base to support the current fight and deter future fights,” said Bob Ciesla, Vice President of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems.

The TDI-J85 straightforward architecture is capable of producing 200-lbf of net thrust at Sea-Level Static conditions. Specific Powered JDAM requirements are met with design adjustments achieving the desired thrust output at design point. The TDI-J85 is compatible with commercial and/or military kerosene-grade turbine fuels. The TDI-J85’s shaft-integral permanent magnet generator will produce up to 1.5 kW of AC power, from idle through maximum engine speeds, for P-JDAM’s onboard power requirements.

Source : Kratos Defense & Security Solutions