Aerodynamics & Performance Engineer (R5732)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.

For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube

Job description

• We are seeking an Aerospace Engineer to own the flight performance, endurance, and mass properties for V-BAT.
• In this role, you will serve as the technical authority on aircraft performance—translating flight dynamics, aircraft configuration, and environmental conditions into validated models that guide design decisions, payload integration, and autonomous flight software.
• You will work at the intersection of design, propulsion, guidance and controls, flight test, and go-to-market teams to continuously improve the capability and reliability of the aircraft

What you'll do

Performance & Endurance Analysis: Develop and refine endurance, range, loiter, and cruise performance calculations based on flight dynamics, aircraft configuration, and operating environment (altitude, temperature, wind, and mission profile). Weight & Balance Ownership: Own the aircraft weight and center-of-gravity (CG) model, including tracking, allocation budgets, and reporting throughout design changes and configuration updates, ensuring CG remains within stable flight limits.