Hypersonics Engineers

Employers

Hypersonics engineers are employed by defense contractors, federal government agencies, and college-based research facilities that sometimes work in collaboration with the private and public sectors. Major defense contractors and aerospace companies that are developing hypersonics technology include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Leidos Dynetics, General Atomics, Colibrium (a GE Aerospace company), and Boeing. Federal government employers include NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. Department of Defense and Energy, and the U.S. military (including the Air Force Research Laboratory, Army Research Laboratory, and Naval Sea Systems Command). A considerable amount of research is being conducted at postsecondary institutions. Purdue University has one of the greatest concentrations of hypersonics researchers in the world. One of its facilities is the Hypersonic Ground Testing Center, an independent consortium developed by the Purdue Research Foundation. Researchers also work at the University of Notre Dame, which unveiled a Large Mach 10 Quiet Wind Tunnel, the first and only facility of its kind in the world, in 2024. Researchers in this facility can simulate flight conditions up to 10 times the speed of sound. Many researchers are affiliated with one of the more than 90 universities and colleges that are members of the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics. Some hypersonics engineers launch their own consulting firms and provide expertise to the aforementioned employers.

Starting Out

People typically enter the field after first working as hypersonics technicians or by obtaining experience in general engineering and gradually building their knowledge of hypersonics technology, missile and other weapons development programs, or related areas. Some employers hire recent college graduates.

Job leads can be identified through personal and professional networks, by using one’s college career center, by joining and utilizing the resources of professional organizations (for example, the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics hosts student and industry networking events for job seekers), by hiring a recruiter, by attending career fairs, and by contacting employers directly about job openings.