MANASSAS, Va. — BAE Systems has received $16 million in Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III funding to demonstrate and qualify its RH45 radiation-hardened 45-nanometer (nm) semiconductor technology.
The funding is being provided through the Department of War’s Warfighting Investments, Resourcing, and Execution (WIRE) directorate. The investment was announced on July 7 following a July 2 award and is intended to strengthen domestic production of radiation-hardened microelectronics used in missile, space and strategic systems.
RH45 ASIC Storefront
The investment will allow BAE Systems to reestablish its RH45 Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) Storefront, which has supported space customers for more than a decade. The platform provides a library of qualified building blocks and proven design and manufacturing methods that allow customers to develop custom ASICs using industry-standard design tools.
RH45 chips will be manufactured using GlobalFoundries’ 45nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process at its facility in Malta, New York. Maintaining a domestic manufacturing path is important because changing semiconductor processes can require existing systems to undergo redesign and requalification.
Radiation-Hardened Technology
RH45 is based on commercial 45nm technology and is designed to operate in the harsh radiation environment of space. BAE Systems said the technology provides improved power efficiency and processing performance compared with earlier generations of transistor electronics.
The technology can support planetary exploration, satellite communications, national security, surveillance and weather monitoring across military, civil and commercial applications, as well as strategic radiation-hardened defense missions.
Joe Dziezynski, Space Systems product line director at BAE Systems, said the RH45 ASIC library provides customers with design flexibility while meeting radiation-hardened requirements.
GlobalFoundries Partnership and Space Systems
GlobalFoundries is supporting the program through its U.S.-based 45nm SOI manufacturing process. Ezra Hall, senior director of the company’s Aerospace and Defense Business Line, said the investment builds on the companies’ longstanding partnership and supports continuity of supply for critical defense applications through secure, U.S.-manufactured semiconductor solutions.
RH45 technology is also being incorporated into space-grade single-board computers, including BAE Systems’ Endura™ SBC. The system combines processor cores, hardware-accelerated input/output and security capabilities intended to improve speed, size and power efficiency.
BAE Systems supplies high-reliability space electronics ranging from standard components and single-board computers to complete system payloads.
Development and management of the RH45 ASIC platform are being conducted at BAE Systems’ Space Systems facility in Manassas, Virginia. The site is designated a U.S. Department of War Category 1A Microelectronics Trusted Source and provides semiconductor design, aggregation, brokerage, packaging and assembly, and testing capabilities.
The Department of War has described radiation-hardened microelectronics as critical for missile, space and strategic systems. Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi said the project helps ensure qualified products remain available, while Jeffrey Frankston, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Resilience and overseer of the WIRE directorate, said maintaining 45nm SOI technology can help avoid system redesign and requalification costs.
The RH45 award is one of five DPA Title III investments made by the WIRE directorate since the beginning of fiscal year 2026. Together, the five awards total $102.6 million and focus on strengthening key parts of the domestic defense industrial base.
The funding will support continuity of a U.S. manufacturing path for radiation-hardened chips used in civil, commercial and defense space and strategic missions.
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