The University of Dayton Research Institute on Wednesday received a $44.3 million award for research and development of structures for existing and future Air Force air and space vehicles, according to the Department of Defense.

The award positions UDRI as a prime contractor for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Technology, Research, Integration and Demonstration (TRIAD) program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Air Force can award UDRI task orders up to $44.3 million over the contract period, which extends through June 3, 2019.

The award is a reflection of UDRI’s past work for the structures division of AFRL’s Air Vehicles Directorate and “their confidence in us going forward,” said Steven Olson, a UDRI senior research engineer.

The research will focus on aerospace vehicle parts that carry load, including the wings and fuselage.

“This program could include lab, ground and flight testing,” and will evolve based on the Air Force’s needs, Olson said.

UDRI’s first task order for $260,000, to be funded in increments, is to test for the failure point of a hole on an aircraft under expected performance conditions, as well as to evaluate carbon- and silicon carbide-based foam for structural applications.

Booz Allen Hamilton, a Virginia-based strategy and technology consulting firm with an office in Dayton, also was named a prime contractor for the TRIAD program, according to the Department of Defense.

UDRI and Booz Allen will compete for TRIAD program task orders, which limits the field of proposals to two contractors.

UDRI’s recent work for AFRL’s structures division has been in the areas of thermal structures, micro air vehicles and structural health monitoring, he said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.