How an operational need becomes an engineering specification. CONOPS development, trade studies, requirements hierarchy, and the V-model — the discipline that separates professional builds from everything else.
Fixed-wing, multirotor, hybrid VTOL, flying wing — as engineering decisions driven by mission, payload, and endurance. CFD methodology, stability margins, wing loading trade-offs.
Composite theory, additive manufacturing for structural airframe components, load analysis, factor of safety, joint design, carbon fiber layup schedules, and fiberglass mold-making.
Electric motors, turbines, hybrid propulsion, and jet-drive. Thrust-to-weight ratios, endurance calculations, fuel system design, and motor integration into the airframe structure.
Autopilot integration, sensor fusion (GPS, IMU, barometer, LiDAR), flight modes, redundancy design, failsafe logic, and GPS-denied autonomy. Why different programs call for different autopilot stacks.
From CAD model to physical part: CNC machining, FDM and SLS 3D printing, composite layup and mold-making, tooling design, and quality control across fabrication methods.
System integration sequence, bench testing methodology, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, static thrust testing, and the pre-flight checklist philosophy that connects design intent to physical reality.
What changes when you go from air to water: hull design, jet-drive vs. propeller propulsion, waterproofing architecture, mast and antenna integration, and sea-state design considerations.
Pressure hull design, O-ring sealing and depth rating, buoyancy compensation, underwater propulsion, acoustic vs. tether communication, and AUV vs. UUV architecture trade-offs.
Test plan development, data acquisition strategy, performance envelope establishment, anomaly investigation, and how test data closes the loop back into the design — the discipline that validates everything in Modules 01–07.