Glenn Liston heads hypersonic branch at AEDC

  • Published
  • By Deidre Ortiz
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, TENN. --  The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) formed the High Speed Experimentation Branch at Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), with Glenn Liston selected to head the new venture.

As chief of the branch, Liston will oversee the operations of the government and contractor team that will conduct experimental research in AEDC's facilities.

"For most of my career, I've conducted analysis and developed program plans within the Air Force's laboratory system," he said. "That has been fascinating work, and it's given me a solid grounding in hypersonic technologies."

Liston will be supervising about a dozen laboratory employees to include civilians, military personnel and interns. Four to six on-site contractor engineers and technicians will also be working as part of the branch.

"The new branch has the mission to conduct foundational and systems research in propulsion, aeronautics and structural applications providing technology maturation related to the hypersonic flight regime," he said.

Liston mentioned how his past experience has prepared him for this position. He served as an Air Force captain assigned to Onizuka Air Force Base. There he was a member of the Advance Echelon (ADVON) as the Air Force's satellite control network transitioned from Air Force Materiel Command to the Second Space Wing. 

"It was at Onizuka that I learned about quality assurance management, award fees and similar issues associated with operations," he said. "Up to that time, all of my experience was with research and development contracts."

In 1999, Liston served for a year as an acting branch chief. He stated that it was an interesting position to be in, as that branch was split between Edwards Air Force Base and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

"That experience convinced me that I could indeed serve as the chief of a branch that is not co-located with the rest of the organization," he said.

And having worked with AEDC personnel on several occasions, Liston said he should be comfortable in his new surroundings. 

"For the past several years, I've worked closely with a number of AEDC team members as a subject matter expert for the Test Resource Management Center's High Speed System Test program," he said. "As a result, I had some pretty close working relationships even before opening up the office at AEDC."

AFRL anticipates that the High Speed Experimentation Branch will be at initial operating capability by the beginning of next year. According to Liston, both AEDC and AEDC will see positive outcomes as a result of this endeavor, and he's excited to get started.

"For AFRL's benefit, the branch will use the AEDC facilities and expertise to conduct research in larger scales than what we can typically handle in the facilities at Wright-Patterson AFB," he said. "One benefit to AEDC will be the ability to engage the test and evaluation (T&E) workforce in the research process, generating new knowledge for hypersonic systems while improving their capability to test revolutionary new flight systems.

"AFRL and AEDC will together facilitate the transition of high speed S&T (science and technology) through T&E to fielded systems, serving the development of the nation's aerospace capabilities."