“The Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) is a portable spectrometer that can determine if a composite is heat damaged. We developed it to serve that purpose. It was originally invented for geological surveys, then we (modified) it with the help of Boeing to determine chemical changes in composite materials to find out if they are heat damaged or not.” Source: Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) materials engineer Justin Massey, discussing how an assignment to access the integrity of an MV-22 Osprey wing at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in North Carolina earlier this year resulted in the validation of a non-destructive inspection (NDI) method that stands to save the Navy and Marine Corps millions of dollars in maintenance and repairs to the primarily composite-based airframe.
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