Shield AI
Aerodynamics & Performance Engineer (R5732)
Dallas, Texas · Full-time · Posted Sep 25, 2026
- Experience
- 5+ years of experience in the aerospace or defense industry.
- Education
- B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent technical field).
About the job
Own V-BAT flight performance, endurance, and mass-properties analysis, developing validated aircraft models and using flight-test data to guide design, payload integration, and autonomous flight software.
What you'll do
- Develop and validate aircraft endurance, range, loiter, cruise, weight-and-balance, aerodynamic, and propulsion models.
- Collaborate across design and customer-facing teams to assess configuration and payload changes, and plan flight tests to validate aircraft performance.
- Analyze flight data, define operational requirements, and support root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent technical field).
- 5+ years of experience in the aerospace or defense industry.
- Demonstrated understanding of fixed-wing flight dynamics, aircraft performance, and aerodynamic/propulsion fundamentals.
- Experience developing or maintaining aircraft weight and CG models; proficiency analyzing large data sets using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent.
Nice to have
- Full lifecycle product experience, direct fixed-wing UAS/UAV or autonomous aircraft experience, or hands-on flight test experience.
- Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink, XFLR5, AVL, or comparable tools; aero and engine modeling for GNC; or relevant airworthiness, safety, or defense acquisition standards.
Tools
Python, MATLAB, MATLAB/Simulink, XFLR5, AVL
AI focus
Supports autonomous flight software and the autonomy stack through aircraft performance and aero/engine models.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative