Sarah Horn

Sarah Horn serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. She specializes in negotiating complex research and development contracts for next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonic flight technologies, and high-performance functional materials. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate the transition of foundational science into operational capabilities, ensuring that cutting-edge innovations in adaptive flight control and advanced manufacturing are rapidly integrated into the defense ecosystem. She handles primarily cost-reimbursement and other transactional agreements under FAR Part 35 and 37, with a focus on technical risk mitigation and performance-based outcomes. Sarah maintains consistent, long-term relationships with leading aerospace and defense contractors including UES Inc., General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit AeroSystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are characterized by deep technical collaboration, iterative prototyping, and sustained R&D engagement rather than transactional procurement. She frequently works with prime contractors who bring integrated teams of subcontractors to address multidisciplinary challenges in propulsion systems, composite materials, and thermal management, fostering innovation through structured contractor collaboration and milestone-driven delivery frameworks. Sarah’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong emphasis on full and open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted without set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic programs. This reflects the highly specialized, technology-intensive nature of the work, where only a limited number of industry participants possess the requisite expertise in hypersonics, propulsion physics, and advanced materials science. While small business participation is not mandated through set-asides, she actively encourages subcontracting opportunities within the prime contractor teams to enable technology infusion from niche innovators. Her procurement focus is exclusively under NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where she acquires advanced engineering services, computational modeling, materials characterization, and prototype development for propulsion systems. Her domain expertise spans gas turbine design, scramjet integration, ceramic matrix composites, and high-temperature structural materials, ensuring that contract requirements align with the rigorous technical standards of aerospace propulsion research.