Brian Porter

Brian Porter serves as a key procurement lead within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), managing high-priority research and development contracts to advance next-generation aerospace propulsion, hypersonic systems, and mission-critical materials. His work directly supports the agency’s mission to sustain U.S. air and space dominance by accelerating the transition of foundational science into operational capabilities. He specializes in securing technical services and engineering solutions through competitive and sole-source acquisitions under the R&D umbrella, with a focus on experimental design, prototype development, and materials characterization for extreme-environment applications. Porter maintains long-standing partnerships with industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC, all of which provide specialized expertise in propulsion system integration, adaptive flight control algorithms, and high-temperature composite manufacturing. His procurement approach emphasizes technical excellence and mission-critical performance, often engaging these vendors through cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contracts to deliver complex, non-commodity R&D outcomes. These relationships are characterized by sustained collaboration across multiple contract cycles, reflecting deep technical alignment and proven delivery in high-stakes aerospace domains. His contracting activity shows no reliance on socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a mission-driven prioritization of technical capability over socioeconomic preferences, consistent with the highly specialized nature of propulsion and hypersonics research. While small business participation is not formally incentivized, contractors of all sizes are evaluated strictly on technical merit, system readiness, and past performance in advanced materials and propulsion engineering. Porter’s portfolio is exclusively focused on NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—covering advanced propulsion testing, computational fluid dynamics modeling, thermal protection systems, and functional material development for hypersonic flight. His acquisitions target high-fidelity simulation tools, experimental test apparatuses, and integrated system prototypes that push the boundaries of air-breathing and rocket-based combined cycle propulsion technologies.