DARPA’s 30 May 2026 announcement of the Strategic Materials Accelerator & Research Test Bed (SMART) at the University of Utah adds a new U.S. government instrument for shoring up critical minerals and rare earth supply chains with direct impact on aerospace and defense manufacturing. The Utah-based facility is intended as a national hub to test, evaluate and scale technologies for identifying, extracting and processing strategic materials, with a specific focus on moving laboratory concepts toward industrial deployment.
SMART is designed to support programs targeting rare earth elements and other critical inputs used in advanced avionics, propulsion systems, sensors and power electronics. The initiative seeks to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign—particularly non‑allied—sources of rare earths, a long‑standing vulnerability for jet engine alloys, high-performance magnets and radar systems. DARPA positions SMART as part of a broader portfolio that includes biotechnology-based processing concepts, providing aerospace OEMs and their supply chains with a clearer pathway to validate alternative domestic sources prior to large-scale qualification and certification.