Wanted: aerospace engineers

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Expertise in the defense industry
In the January/February editorial of Aerospace Engineering, there was some discussion about the absence of a tactical aircraft program to follow the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the effect that it might have on the engineering expertise in this area. Both Lockheed Martin and Boeing believe there are other avenues to be explored.

What will become of the engineering expertise in the field of tactical aircraft following the Joint Strike Fighter program?

"Even though the number of programs is reduced, there will always be new platforms being investigated," said Blair Marks, Marietta Engineering Site Integrator at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "In addition, the existing programs will enjoy continuing upgrades, customizations, and modernizations."

David Swain, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at the Boeing Co., explained that Boeing's strength is that it has research and development programs in almost every domain. "If it turns out there is no tactical aircraft beyond where we are today or beyond JSF, we are already working on uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) that take the same kind of skills. We are working on new ideas with commercial airplanes and space vehicles that have some of the same characteristics of tactical airplanes."

The fundamental sciences (i.e., materials, fluid dynamics) are still the building blocks of engineering regardless of the project, according to Swain. "What makes this business so exciting is that we solve tough problems that take a variety of skills," he said. "We solve huge integration problems that cut across disciplines."

Marks sees a change in the types of products and services offered by the industry and the effects that it will have on engineering. "In the future, there will be an increasing emphasis on systems integration rather than upon specific aircraft products," he said. This will require a broader knowledge of multiple platforms and technologies beyond the military aircraft product. All of this will offer significant technical challenges and utilize the full gamut of engineering skills—from the flight sciences and observable technologies through all the structures, design, systems, avionics, software, and testing disciplines."

Although the question still remains what new programs will follow the JSF, both Lockheed Martin and Boeing believe there are many new avenues to be explored. These will require many of the same skills possessed by those working in the tactical aircraft field as well as others in the areas of systems integration.

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