Jeff Wilcox

New Hampshire has one of the most disciplined OEM manufacturing ecosystems in the United States. From precision bearings and advanced optics to aerospace subsystems and defense electronics, NH manufacturers have earned a reputation for engineering rigor, quality control, and execution at scale. Companies like GE Aerospace, BAE Systems, and L3Harris Technologies anchor a dense network of suppliers, machinists, engineers, and production technicians who understand what it means to manufacture for mission-critical environments. Equally important is what sits beneath the primes: a long tail of small and mid-sized OEMs —#toolmakers, CNC shops, electronics #assemblers, materials #specialists —who operate with speed, accountability, and deep process knowledge. New Hampshire’s manufacturing economy has historically lacked direct exposure to frontier markets, and that is where Terra Ledger enters the picture. Terra Ledger is extending New Hampshire’s OEM ecosystem across the Atlantic ocean to the Democratic Republic of Congo. NH-engineered modular refining machinery will soon be abundant in Africa’s Great Lakes mining corridor. The IP, compliance, warehousing of Tantalum pentoxide and Niobium pentoxide, and sales will remain anchored in the Granite State. This is a win-win scenario: • Frontier markets gain modern, compliant industrial infrastructure • New Hampshire OEMs gain early-mover access to international demand, long-cycle equipment sales, and equipment maintenance opportunities • Defense and United States Department of War startups gain access to a reliable and affordable supply of critical minerals (and remember that NH does not have a sales tax...) A small state with serious manufacturing talent can contribute in ushering in the #AmericaFirst way of doing business. #NHmanufacturing #OEM #DefenseIndustrialBase #CriticalMinerals #SupplyChainSecurity #SBIR #OTA #DefenseTech #AdvancedManufacturing #PhaseIII

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This comes up more often than you might think. Digitization is a step, but digital engineering is about something deeper: models as the source of truth, continuity across the lifecycle, and evidence you can execute, not just archive.

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In the rapidly evolving landscape of aviation, the role of Systems Engineering & Integration cannot be overstated. These disciplines are the backbone of our efforts to transform the National Airspace System (NAS). Systems Engineering provides the structured approach needed to design, develop, test, and implement complex systems that ensure safety, efficiency, and reliability. Integration, on the other hand, ensures that all components work seamlessly together, from air traffic control systems to communication networks. By leveraging our proven and advanced systems engineering and integration techniques, we can: ✈️ Ensure system reliability, safety, efficiency, future-readiness, and support ✈️ Enhance capacity to meet growing airspace demand ✈️ Facilitate the integration of new technologies and procedures ✈️ Ensure the seamless operation of the NAS #FAA #NAS #BNATC #SystemsEngineeringIntegration #AviationSafety #weareparsons #ReadyNow

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Working on a new blog article and it took me down memory lane working on Formula SAE in college. One of the most fundamental rules of project management I've applied with great success over the years is the "rule of pi:" If you are doing any kind of one-off venture or other process that you aren't able to truly, quantitatively justify the time or money required, come up with an estimate, and then multiply it by pi. In practice I've found this to be the best compensation for all those projects that seem quick and easy, until you start doing them. The earliest reference I can find is from a Formula SAE forum post from 2004. Maybe it existed before then? Honestly it's hard to even find things as old as 2004 on the internet these days. It may just be one of those things like the "cheap-fast-good" triangle that have been adapted by PMI, but you could also find posted in the lobby of any decent machine shop 30+ years ago.

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There are a lot (and I do mean a lot) of New Space startups out there. While everyone is tackling hard problems in the space ecosystem, I think the one that gets me the most excited is Vast. What is the most impressive about this company is the speed of their development. Their Haven station is one of the entrants to replace the ISS as part of NASA’s Commerical LEO Destination program. Haven is being tested faster than any other CLD entrant, and in commercial space, speed wins. Creating a sustainable commercial ecosystem in LEO is the next step for humanity becoming a space-fairing species. Vast is one company making that a reality.

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Fabulous article about Maryland’s Aerospace Ecosystem with our fearless leader, Chair of the Maryland Aerospace & Technology Commission, Dale Moore, EdD! Maryland Aerospace Alliance #MarylandAerospace #Engineering #Technology #Innovation

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Rethinking Ramp-Up in Aerospace & Defense In today's high-pressure A&D environment, ramping up production isn't just about scaling—it's about transforming. In his latest byline for DirectIndustry e-Magazine, Marc Rivière, Strategic Advisor for Aerospace & Defense at PTC, explores how the digital thread can be a game-changer for manufacturers facing full order books, stretched capacities, and rising geopolitical pressures. From industrial sovereignty to agile ecosystems, Marc shares a bold vision for how digital continuity can accelerate innovation, reduce development cycles, and enable smarter, faster delivery in aerospace and defense. 📖 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e98uHp_n #Aerospace #Defense #DigitalThread #IndustrialSovereignty #Innovation #PTC #ManufacturingTransformation

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The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2026 priorities highlight the key forces shaping the aerospace and defense sector. What stands out is how many of these priorities are less about individual technologies and more about system level constraints including supply chain resilience, workforce capacity, infrastructure, and the ability to transition capability from development into operational systems. As platforms become more complex, the challenge is no longer just advancing performance at the component level but ensuring those advancements can be produced, integrated, and sustained at scale. In practice, this is often where programs are won or lost. This is especially critical across space and defense systems where reliability, manufacturability, and lifecycle performance ultimately determine operational impact. The convergence of national priorities, industrial base constraints, and increasing system complexity will continue to define how effectively new technologies move from concept to deployment. https://lnkd.in/esHcUsrt

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I agree with Tim Trimailo and Scott Sadler: the establishment of a United States Space Force Working Capital Fund is a major step forward. To understand why, see my in-depth paper with Nate Skvoretz of the power of Working Capital Funds to develop Spacepower. https://lnkd.in/eCmjFv87

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AFOSR Hosts First Space University Research Initiative (SURI) Program Review I was honored to host the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) annual program review for the Space University Research Initiative (SURI) in January 2025. Established in 2022, SURI fosters collaboration between academia, DoD, and industry to accelerate the discovery, innovation, and transition of critical research concepts into space battlefield applications. The SURI program supports both basic and applied research at U.S. academic institutions, with a strong focus on developing capabilities that address key Space Force’s challenges. By encouraging multidisciplinary research efforts, SURI fosters synergies that expedite DoD-relevant advancements in space technology and operations.

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I added some new features to the Space Data Navigator tool, including a guided tour to show what it allows you to do and the ability to share links (like this) to custom charts you make. This chart shows the NRO's Starshield satellites and how quickly they launched.

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On Tuesday I will be presenting “A Modeling and Simulation Framework for Evaluating Aircraft Survivability” authored by myself, Dr. Dimitri Mavris and Dr. Evan Harrison at the 2026 AIAA SciTech conference in Orlando. TL;DR I built a 6DOF missile engagement simulation of a low-SWAPc missile against a Shahed drone. The major effort was focused on a full FMCW missile seeker model and implementing the hooks to exercise the TIES systems engineering methodology. Details: Ukraine has shown us that modern warfare relies heavily on low cost, massively proliferated drones. The modern inventory of air interception systems relies on exquisitely designed systems that drives the cost-exchange ratio heavily in favor of the attacker. In missile systems, the seeker is typically the most expensive piece of this puzzle. TIES is a systems engineering methodology that aims to use physics based models and statistical methods to reduce the trade space of a design against mission effectiveness and cost. This helps to drastically reduce cost of a program by increasing design knowledge early in the development process. This framework intends to exercise the effectiveness of an FMCW radar design against a low cost drone. The RCS of the drone was modeled using Dr. David C Jenn’s POFacets software. The architecture of the simulation was pulled from Dr. Peter H. Zipfel’s CADAC++ suite. The FMCW radar hardware model and detection chain was programmed up in C++ with the help of several texts in the field, including Dr. DaVila’s “Radar and EW Modeling in Matlab and Simulink” (a wonderful modern text for anyone in the field- highly recommended!). With a physics based c++ simulation (read: fast execution) and the hooks in place to exercise a morphological matrix of an engagement and radar system, we now have a way to run the TIES methodology on a non-traditional application. Special thanks to Dr. Mavris for his immense support through my education at Georgia Tech (both undergrad and graduate school) as it comes to a close, and Dr. Harrison for his invaluable guidance on this project as I explored a novel application of the TIES method. If you’re interested to learn more feel free to reach out to me! If you’re at SciTech next week, I hope to see you at the presentation!

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🚨 New Podcast Episode Just Dropped! 🚨 🎙️ Brothers in Aerospace and Defense | Episode: Aerospace Cybersecurity – Threats and Resilience In this episode, Robert Wesley, MBA, PMP and I dive into one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing our industry today: Cybersecurity in Aerospace and Defense. 🔐 From zero-day exploits and AI-powered attacks to the business case for embedded resilience, we explore: ✔️ How cyber threats are reshaping the aerospace landscape ✔️ Why cybersecurity is no longer just a tech issue—it’s a mission-critical business capability ✔️ Which defense contractors and tech firms are leading the innovation curve (Palantir, Anduril, and more) ✔️ The projected $200B+ cybersecurity market opportunity ✔️ What engineers and leaders must know to stay relevant in a threat-driven future 💡 Key takeaway: Cyber is now a strategic differentiator. The companies—and people—who can design secure systems, build resilient platforms, and speak the language of cyber risk will define the next decade of aerospace success. 🎧 Tune in now and let’s shape the future together: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eGYjaNnG #Cybersecurity #Aerospace #DefenseTech #DigitalResilience #STEMLeadership #BrothersInA&D #CyberResilience #Innovation

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For those working in aerospace development , especially in new platform programs, transitioning from MRO to development, or operating under certification timelines . Where do you see the biggest disconnect in practice? 1. Is it between operational intent and engineering implementation? 2. Between system models and what development teams actually build? 3. Between certification expectations and the realities of integration, testing, production, maintenance, and lifecycle support? 4. Does growing documentation across multiple phases help preserve engineering clarity, or does it sometimes make critical technical meaning harder for development teams to retain under schedule pressure? Interested in hearing practical industrial experiences rather than textbook views.

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