Teledyne Technologies has promoted JihFen Lei to senior vice president, effective Jan. 1, 2026, expanding her responsibilities across the company’s defense and aerospace businesses.
Lei will retain her existing role as president of defense at Teledyne FLIR and assume oversight of the aerospace and defense electronics segment, Teledyne said Monday.
George Bobb, president and CEO of Teledyne Technologies, said Lei’s leadership at FLIR Defense has driven strong financial performance and delivery of advanced capabilities, including surveillance platforms and loitering munitions, for global defense customers.
“In this new leadership role, Dr. Lei will focus on leveraging the full breadth of Teledyne’s Defense and Aerospace technologies to coordinate closely with our customers and bring them comprehensive solutions in a rapidly evolving Defense and Aerospace landscape,” Bobb added.
The company’s defense and aerospace group focuses on unmanned systems, surveillance and sensing technologies, avionics, energetics and high-reliability electronic components.
Who Is JihFen Lei?
Lei brings senior government and industry experience spanning defense research, aerospace systems and technology management. Prior to returning to Teledyne in 2021, she served as acting deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and as principal deputy director of defense research and engineering for research and technology.
Earlier in her career, Lei led NASA’s research and technology directorate at the Glenn Research Center and held roles at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and NASA headquarters. She previously led Teledyne Judson Technologies from 2015 to 2019.
Lei’s latest appointment follows Teledyne’s continued expansion across defense markets. In 2024, the company secured a potential eight-year contract with the Marine Corps for loitering munition drone platforms. It also acquired select Excelitas aerospace and defense electronics businesses, now operating as Teledyne Qioptiq, under a $710 million deal.
