Process for producing fiber reinforced composite

A process for producing a fiber bundle reinforced ceramic or metal matrix composite material comprising:

• a) impregnating more than one plurality of inorganic fibers oriented in one direction with at least one of precursors capable of forming at least one selected from the group consisting of C, SiC, TiC, BN, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, B.sub.4 C, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, B.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 ;
• b) heating the impregnated fibers to form solidified inorganic fiber bundles;
• c) mixing the fiber bundles with either:
• 1) a slurry of ceramic components;
• or
• 2) a molten metal;
• d) extruding the mixture to shape;
• and
• e) drying the shape and sintering the dried shape if the mixture comprises (1) to provide said ceramic matrix composite material, or cooling the shape to solidification if the mixture comprises (2) to provide said metal matrix composite material.