Mentis Sciences, Inc., Manchester, New Hampshire, was founded in 1996 by John F. Dignam and his son John J. Dignam.  John F. Dignam, retired from the U.S. Army, had a distinguished Civil Service career in development of advanced materials for hypersonic flight, and prior to retirement headed a related team for the Missile Defense Agency.
 Mentis Sciences, now headed by John J. Dignam, has grown from two employees to some 35 employees and has developed unique materials for missile interceptor radomes and nose cones, as well as other applications. Mentis is known for the use of textile braiding for radome production, with much of this technology development funded through SBIRs and other programs in MDA and the U.S. Navy.  Mentis developed prototype radomes for the PAC-3 program that were tested in severe aero-thermal and rain erosion environments. The Office of Naval Research down-selected Mentis over two other major aerospace firms to develop a composite radome for SM-6 and Mentis has produced over 60 prototypes for testing.
 With SBIR funding, Mentis has developed a unique composite material formulation, MSIL 1136, which exhibits low dielectric properties while at the same time protecting the radome structure against thermal stress and rain erosion.  Made from quartz fiber with sizing in a polysiloxane resin matrix, both materials unique and proprietary to Mentis, this combination allows greater fiber matrix bonding and, with a surface coating developed by Mentis, exhibits superior performance in high stress environments. The same material can be used as both a structural material and a Thermal Protection System for nose cones.  In this regard, SBIR funds are now being used for the development of the SM-3 Block IB and IIB nose cones.
 Because of the unique characteristics of the MSIL 1136 formulation, it became a material of interest for the developers of the David’s Sling Weapon System (DSWS) Stunner Interceptor Radome Assembly (RA).  After initial discussions with the principals, MDA encouraged Mentis to apply for and execute a Technical Assistance Agreement, TA 1673-09, with the Ministry of Defense of Israel, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Ltd, and Israel Aerospace Industries, Ltd (IAI) to facilitate technical data and hardware exchanges for development of a Mentis RA for DSWS. The RA consists of a Mentis-made composite radome shell, with a metal frame integrated by Mentis for attachment of the RA to the Stunner interceptor. The Stunner RA program at Mentis has been made possible by SBIR funding and is a major reason why Mentis Sciences. Inc. is considered a candidate for the Tibbetts Award.  
 After two years of intense design, development, and testing activity, working hand-in-hand with the IAI Radio Frequency (RF) sensor team, Mentis has produced an RA that meets all of the DSWS requirements and has been notified by IAI that the Mentis RA is being recommended to Rafael and the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD) as IAI’s choice for acquisition. Mentis Sciences is now engaged with IAI in planning for radome production.
 Mentis Sciences, Inc., Manchester, New Hampshire, was founded in 1996 by John F. Dignam and his son John J. Dignam.  John F. Dignam, retired from the U.S. Army, had a distinguished Civil Service career in development of advanced materials for hypersonic flight, and prior to retirement headed a related team for the Missile Defense Agency.
 Mentis Sciences, now headed by John J. Dignam, has grown from two employees to some 35 employees and has developed unique materials for missile interceptor radomes and nose cones, as well as other applications. Mentis is known for the use of textile braiding for radome production, with much of this technology development funded through SBIRs and other programs in MDA and the U.S. Navy.  Mentis developed prototype radomes for the PAC-3 program that were tested in severe aero-thermal and rain erosion environments. The Office of Naval Research down-selected Mentis over two other major aerospace firms to develop a composite radome for SM-6 and Mentis has produced over 60 prototypes for testing.
 With SBIR funding, Mentis has developed a unique composite material formulation, MSIL 1136, which exhibits low dielectric properties while at the same time protecting the radome structure against thermal stress and rain erosion.  Made from quartz fiber with sizing in a polysiloxane resin matrix, both materials unique and proprietary to Mentis, this combination allows greater fiber matrix bonding and, with a surface coating developed by Mentis, exhibits superior performance in high stress environments. The same material can be used as both a structural material and a Thermal Protection System for nose cones.  In this regard, SBIR funds are now being used for the development of the SM-3 Block IB and IIB nose cones.
 Because of the unique characteristics of the MSIL 1136 formulation, it became a material of interest for the developers of the David’s Sling Weapon System (DSWS) Stunner Interceptor Radome Assembly (RA).  After initial discussions with the principals, MDA encouraged Mentis to apply for and execute a Technical Assistance Agreement, TA 1673-09, with the Ministry of Defense of Israel, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Ltd, and Israel Aerospace Industries, Ltd (IAI) to facilitate technical data and hardware exchanges for development of a Mentis RA for DSWS. The RA consists of a Mentis-made composite radome shell, with a metal frame integrated by Mentis for attachment of the RA to the Stunner interceptor. The Stunner RA program at Mentis has been made possible by SBIR funding and is a major reason why Mentis Sciences. Inc. is considered a candidate for the Tibbetts Award.  
 After two years of intense design, development, and testing activity, working hand-in-hand with the IAI Radio Frequency (RF) sensor team, Mentis has produced an RA that meets all of the DSWS requirements and has been notified by IAI that the Mentis RA is being recommended to Rafael and the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD) as IAI’s choice for acquisition. Mentis Sciences is now engaged with IAI in planning for radome production.