Tom Vice, formerly president of aerospace systems sector at Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), has joined Reno, Nevada-based Aerion Supersonic as president and chief operating officer.
Vice will report to Brian Barents, Aerion chairman and CEO, and oversee the development, certification and delivery of the firm’s AS2 supersonic aircraft, the company said Wednesday.
Barents said Vice’s appointment comes as the company transitions from aircraft design to “program development and production orientation.â€
Vice spent three decades at Northrop, where he previously served as president of technical services sector and held leadership roles across several areas such as information technology, program management, engineering and supply chain management.
He serves on the advisory board of Purdue University’s School of Astronautics and Aeronautics, board of councilors for the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering and on the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum’s board.
Aerion has partnered with Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and General Electric’s (NYSE: GE) aviation business to develop the supersonic jet and expects AS2 to perform its initial flight in 2023 and achieve certification by 2025.
Founded in 2003, Aerion has collaborated with NASA and other aeronautical organizations to develop the supersonic natural laminar flow wing technology behind its AS2 aircraft.
