Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where he plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. He specializes in negotiating complex research and development contracts focused on next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonic flight technologies, and high-performance functional materials. His work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate innovation in adaptive flight control and mission-critical material science, ensuring timely delivery of technically sophisticated solutions through competitive and compliant procurement processes. Thompson maintains consistent, high-impact relationships with industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc, and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are centered on long-term R&D collaborations involving propulsion system prototyping, materials characterization, and systems integration. His negotiation approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and risk-sharing frameworks, fostering collaborative environments that bridge government requirements with industrial innovation capacity. Thompson’s procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of his acquisitions conducted under no set-aside provisions. While he does not prioritize socioeconomic programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB, his approach ensures rigorous technical evaluation and value-driven selection, aligning with the highly specialized nature of AFRL’s propulsion research. This reflects the agency’s need for deep technical expertise over socioeconomic preferences in mission-critical domains. His primary contracting activity falls under NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where he procures advanced engineering services, materials testing, computational modeling, and propulsion system development. His technical domain expertise spans hypersonics, turbine engine design, thermoplastic composites, and high-temperature material systems, making him a key liaison between government scientists and industrial R&D partners advancing the frontiers of aerospace propulsion.