Dr. Mark Lewis: Hypersonics and The Need For Speed
By Airman Magazine, Airman Magazine / Published July 07, 2021
Dr. Mark J. Lewis
Pentagon, Va. - --
Dr. Mark J. Lewis is the former Director of Defense, Research and Engineering overseeing the modernization of the portfolio in the Office of The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. During an interview with Airman magazine, Lewis defined hypersonic technology, current research and development programs and why deploying hypersonic weapons is key to increasing force lethality and overall deterrence.
Airman Magazine: When I looked you up, Dr. Lewis, I typed your name in, and it just came up as “rocket scientist.”
Dr. Mark J. Lewis: Well, first of all, we like to say, “rocket engineer,” not a “rocket scientist.” I've spent most of my career as a research engineer teaching at the University of Maryland. I spent many years working at the Institute for Defense Analysis, and I view myself as having several research area focal points. One is advanced propulsion, that's rockets, that's high-speed jet engines.
The other is air dynamics, the shaping of vehicles, especially things that go fast. And then the area that I'm most interested in is the area of essential integration, how you link an engine with the right shaped airframe for the best design for a high-speed vehicle.
Airman Magazine: Could you give us a simple explanation of hypersonics, and what are the varying degrees of its capability?
https://www.airmanmagazine.af.mil/Features/Display/Article/2682247/dr-mark-lewis-hypersonics-and-the-need-for-speed/
