A methodology for evaluating pintle system life cycle costs

Aerojet has been adopting ifs pintle rocket motor technology for use on ejection seats, namely in 4(th) Generation and in upgrade applications. A typical pintle system includes a solid rocket motor with pintles in each nozzle (typically four nozzles) controlled by an actuation system responding to commands issued by some type of electronic controller that is receiving inputs from various sensors. While it is generally agreed that this type of system offers a promise of increased system performance, there is some issue as to ifs cost impact. As part of the NACES (PI)-I-3 Program Aerojet has been tasked to evaluate the life cycle cost (LCC) of a potential pintle system for the NACES. The impression exists that these pintle systems are relatively expensive, but as a model for LCC was developed it became clear that the added costs were far less than expected depending on the system and the configuration. Added benefits of the system, including extended service life of the motor to a potential 20 years, and in combination with existing on-board systems such as the electronic sequencer, allows the development of a very favorable overall life cycle cost.