Mark A. Smith

Mark A. Smith supports the Air Force Research Laboratory’s mission to advance next-generation aerospace and hypersonic systems through strategic procurement of research and development services. As a key procurement lead within F4FBFN, he manages the acquisition of high-priority technical contracts focused on advanced materials, thermal protection systems, and high-mach structural components. His work directly enables the maturation of survivable, attritable platforms by securing cutting-edge R&D capabilities from industry and academia, ensuring alignment with AFRL’s strategic imperatives in electromagnetic hardening and rapid manufacturing innovation. Smith’s contracting patterns reflect a strong emphasis on technical excellence over socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of his acquisitions classified as non-set-aside, indicating a focus on capability-driven sourcing rather than socioeconomic preferences. He engages with a broad spectrum of defense contractors, research institutions, and specialized engineering firms capable of delivering classified and unclassified advanced materials research. His partnerships are characterized by long-term technical collaboration, often involving cost-reimbursement contracts, Broad Agency Announcements, and Other Transaction Authorities to accelerate innovation cycles. His procurement activity is exclusively aligned with NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—reflecting deep expertise in engineering science acquisition. He routinely procures services related to composite material synthesis, ceramic matrix composite testing, hypersonic thermal barrier coatings, and computational modeling of extreme-environment material behavior. His domain knowledge spans aerospace materials science, structural integrity under hypervelocity conditions, and high-temperature system survivability, making him a critical liaison between AFRL’s technical teams and the industrial base delivering next-generation aerospace capabilities.