On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS) announced it has received a contract from the Department of War’s Joint Hypersonics Transition Office (JHTO) to support the test and evaluation of thermal protection systems (TPS) for hypersonic vehicles.
The program aims to create standardized test conditions and methodologies to increase the throughput of national testing infrastructure.
Building on the Hypersonic Industrial Base
This new award follows Kratos’ recent strategic expansions in the hypersonics sector, including the October 2025 award for Project Helios, a $68.3 million initiative to construct a mid-tier arc jet and fiber laser facility. Kratos is also a prime contractor for the $1.45 billion MACH-TB 2.0 program, which provides a flight test bed to bridge the gap between ground testing and full system flight tests. The JHTO contract focuses on maturing the analytical models and test setpoints required to validate these multi-million dollar investments.
Technical Scope of the JHTO Program
Under the JHTO program, Kratos will leverage its SRE (Southern Research Engineering) division’s decades of expertise to analyze varied flight environments. Technical objectives include:
- Standardized Setpoints: Establishing baseline aerothermal test conditions to be used across multiple U.S. test facilities.
- Test Methodology: Developing models that simulate extreme heating environments encountered during Mach 5+ flight.
- Material Campaigns: Executing specific test series to validate new thermal protection materials before they are integrated into flight-ready vehicles.
Executive Commentary
“The Kratos team is committed to advancing materials for hypersonics through testing and evaluation,” said Ben Dempsey, Kratos SRE Vice President of Programs. “Our focus is on accelerating the development of systems for our warfighter. This begins with increased throughput of our nation’s testing infrastructure.”
Timeline for Material Validation
Kratos will begin executing the material test campaigns immediately, using the newly developed methodologies as a model for the broader hypersonic testing community. These efforts are expected to alleviate current bottlenecks in the U.S. defense industrial base, where limited high-fidelity testing slots have historically delayed the transition of innovative materials from the lab to the field. The work will be performed at Kratos’ specialized facilities, with results serving as a benchmark for future aerothermal evaluations.
