On Monday the 8th of October, Structural Composites was awarded the Congressional Medal of Merit by Congressman Bill Posey (15th District of Florida). The Innovative Technology Award recognizes the achievement Structural Composites has made in developing and prototyping an Advanced Combatant Craft for the US Navy.
The 8.5M (850B) Prototype Advanced Combatant Craft (one of three advanced models) has a hull and deck structure that is 40% lighter than the current construction. The innovative design features lightweight composite PRISMA preforms that allow for a structure that is lighter and less expensive than sandwich composite construction yet gives the toughness, durability and ease of maintenance only possible with single skin design. In addition to the the 40% weight savings the design features a suspended deck that helps mitigate shock loads due to wave impacts. Also significant in this achievement is our ability to decrease manufacturing costs.
Scott Lewit, President, states "Performance improvement, reduction of acquision cost and reducing operational costs are major focus areas for our Military and we are glad to play a role in supporting this important mission. We are also leveraging this same low cost technology to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of Recreational Boats, RV's, Buses and Trucks. We believe that these improvements are essential to helping industry adapt to the reality of today's fuel prices and perhaps as importantly to be ready for the alternative propulsion systems of the future."
Lewit continues "We are honored to receive this very special award. I want to recognize the contribution we have received from the Navy technical community at the Combatant Craft Division of NSWC and our team members (SCRA, Brunswick Boats, Lockheed Martin and Zodiac Boats). I also want to give special thanks to the State of Florida for supporting innovation and job creation and the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research which provided grant funding to further enhance our federally funded efforts."
Structural Composites and our PRISMA technologies are helping secure our national defense, improve the fuel efficiency of our RV's and Boats and helping make mass transit more efficient. Our story is only beginning.