The Role
You will own the aerodynamics of Wardstone’s interceptors. You’ll shape the vehicle’s external design, build and maintain the aerodynamic database (ADB) that our flight simulations depend on, and run the analyses that tell us how the vehicle will fly. You’ll report to [the founders / Head of Engineering].
The vehicle has to maneuver hard at supersonic speeds while fitting the size limits of existing launchers. You’ll work directly with the founders and with the mechanical, GNC, and propulsion engineers. You’ll take the aerodynamic design from first concept through wind tunnel testing to flight, and use flight data to improve your models.
What You’ll Do
Design the interceptor
- Own the aerodynamic design of the outer mold line (OML) together with the mechanical team, balancing drag, stability, maneuverability, and internal volume.
- Design and size the control surfaces and fins for the authority GNC needs across the flight envelope.
- Run trade studies on vehicle configuration, such as body shape, nose shape, and control surface layout.
Build and maintain the ADB
- Build the aerodynamic database: force and moment coefficients across Mach number, angle of attack, sideslip, and control deflection, including damping derivatives.
- Deliver the ADB in a form the GNC team’s 6DOF simulation can use directly, and keep it under version control.
- Quantify uncertainty in the ADB so GNC can run meaningful Monte Carlo analysis.
Run aerodynamic models and simulations
- Use engineering-level tools (e.g., Missile DATCOM) for fast trades, and CFD for detailed analysis.
- Analyze stability, control effectiveness, and the transonic and supersonic flight regimes.
- Estimate aerodynamic heating and distributed aerodynamic loads for the mechanical and thermal designs.
- Model propulsion and aerodynamic interactions, such as plume effects, with the propulsion team.
Test and validate
- Plan and run wind tunnel tests, including working with test facilities, defining test matrices, and reducing data.
- Correlate the ADB against wind tunnel and flight test data, and update the models.
- Support flight tests through pre-flight predictions, post-flight trajectory reconstruction, and aerodynamic analysis.
Required Qualifications
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. M.S. or Ph.D. preferred.
- 5+ years of applied aerodynamics experience on flight vehicles.
- Experience building aerodynamic databases for flight simulation.
- Strong command of supersonic aerodynamics and stability and control.
- Hands-on CFD experience (e.g., Star-CCM+, Fluent, FUN3D, Cart3D, or similar).
- Experience with engineering-level aerodynamic prediction tools (e.g., Missile DATCOM or similar).
- Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for analysis, data reduction, and automation.
- Must be a U.S. person as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual). [Must be eligible to obtain a U.S. security clearance.]
Nice to Have
- Aerodynamics experience on missiles, interceptors, rockets, or other high-speed vehicles.
- Experience planning and running wind tunnel tests.
- Experience with aerothermal analysis or high-speed heating prediction.
- Experience correlating models with flight test data or reconstructing trajectories.
- Familiarity with 6DOF simulation and how GNC uses aerodynamic data.
- Experience with OML design within packaging and launcher constraints.
- Prior early-stage startup experience.