Battalion Advanced Technology is a UK-based company sponsoring research at Penn State's Materials Research Institute in two fields important to modern defence and advanced industry: high-temperature materials for hypersonic flight, and wide-bandgap semiconductors.
Battalion is pursuing two fields that are important to modern defence and advanced industry. Battalion jumps an enormous barrier to entry in equipment and knowledge by partnering with Penn State.
What it powers: the materials that survive extreme heat, speed and stress. The enabling layer behind hypersonic flight, atmospheric re-entry, and next-generation aerospace and defence.
Why it matters: in these systems, the materials themselves are the limiting factor. Better materials directly unlock new capability.
Refractory alloys for hypersonicsWhat it powers: the specialised chips behind radar, electronic warfare, and high-power defence and energy systems.
Why it matters: the most demanding applications are outgrowing what today's technology can deliver, leaving a clear performance gap to close.
Wide-bandgap semiconductor integrationPenn State and Battalion Advanced Technology Ltd have entered into two research agreements worth up to $6 million to develop advanced semiconductor platforms and high-temperature materials that aim to enable next-generation energy, transportation, aerospace and industrial systems while also providing critical capabilities for national security.
Led by researchers at Penn State's Materials Research Institute (MRI), the projects bring together researchers from across the University to address two major materials challenges in technologies that operate under extreme conditions. Battalion will provide up to $1 million per year for each project. The agreements went into effect on 16 July 2026 and will run for three years.
How the research is structured“Penn State materials brings together expertise in semiconductor science, computation, manufacturing and characterization. This collaboration allows us to apply that breadth to two complex materials challenges with direct implications for U.S. technological leadership and national security.”
Joshua A. Robinson · Director, Materials Research Institute, Penn State
“We are very pleased to be supporting the development of leading innovations with essential dual uses for national security and economic technologies. We are able to work on highly sophisticated solutions immediately through our partnership with Penn State.”
R. Michael Jones · Director, Battalion Advanced Technology
Technologies that operate under extreme conditions, from national security to next-generation energy, transportation, aerospace and industrial systems.
Critical capabilities for defence applications, hypersonics, radar, electronic warfare and high-power systems.
Materials that survive extreme heat, speed and stress: hypersonic flight, atmospheric re-entry and space exploration.
Semiconductors that operate at higher voltages, temperatures and power densities; materials for nuclear systems.
Advanced electronics, communications and sensing; transportation and industrial systems.
The research agreements provide the opportunity to acquire an exclusive licence on 100% of the developed intellectual property over the initial three-year sponsored research period. Private capital blended with government, defence and industry support to improve the probability of commercialisation.
Company incorporated in England & Wales.
Two three-year research agreements with Penn State take effect (16 July).
Programmes kicked off with the principal investigators at Penn State, State College, PA.
Research collaboration announced publicly by Penn State and Battalion.
Battalion's programmes are at the research stage. Targets over the agreement term include specific patent applications filed, the signing-up of key IP end users, and licensing or partnering of the resulting IP.
Two research agreements worth up to $6 million to develop advanced semiconductor platforms and high-temperature materials.
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