Susan E Day

Susan E. Day serves as a key procurement professional within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate, supporting the FA8650 organization’s mission to advance next-generation aerospace propulsion, hypersonics, and high-performance materials. She manages complex acquisition programs focused on research, development, and prototyping of advanced propulsion systems, adaptive flight control technologies, and mission-critical functional materials. Her work directly enables the Department of the Air Force’s strategic imperatives in air and space dominance by facilitating timely access to cutting-edge engineering solutions through competitive contracting mechanisms. She routinely handles research and development contracts, prototype agreements, and technical services acquisitions under FAR Part 35 and Other Transaction Authority frameworks. Her primary contractor relationships include industry leaders such as UES Inc., General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC, reflecting a preference for established defense aerospace contractors with deep expertise in propulsion systems, composite materials, and systems integration. These partnerships are characterized by sustained, multi-year collaborations on high-priority technical programs, often involving classified or controlled unclassified information requiring stringent security protocols and specialized technical oversight. Susan demonstrates no reliance on socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic focus on technical excellence and mission-critical capability over socioeconomic preferences, prioritizing proven technical capability and industrial readiness over size-based contracting mechanisms. Her procurement portfolio centers on advanced aerospace engineering domains, including propulsion system design, hypersonic vehicle integration, high-temperature materials development, and adaptive control systems. She consistently sources specialized services in computational fluid dynamics, materials characterization, propulsion testing, and additive manufacturing—domains requiring highly specialized engineering talent and advanced test infrastructure. Her expertise lies at the intersection of defense R&D and industrial-scale technology transition, ensuring laboratory innovations are rapidly matured into operational aerospace systems.