The latest management appointment by Aerion, as the company accelerates the development of its AS2 supersonic business jet, is Tom Vice. The former president of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector is joining Aerion as its president and chief operating officer.
Vice will be responsible for the AS2’s design, development, certification and delivery. Aerion has joined forces with GE Aviation and Lockheed Martin to develop the jet, which it expects to fly in 2023 and achieve certification in 2025.
“We are immensely pleased to attract someone of Tom’s accomplishments and experience. He is a visionary and inspiring leader, with relentless discipline and long-term focus,” said Brian Barents, executive chairman and CEO of Aerion. “He strengthens our impressive team as we transition from a focus on advanced design to a program development and production orientation.”
“This appointment is further evidence that Aerion is gathering momentum and attracting the industry’s top talent,” said Robert Bass, chairman at Aerion.
Vice (55) retired as head of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems in 2017, having joined the company in 1986 as an engineer on the B-2 stealth bomber. Over the course of his 30 years at the company, Vice led a huge variety of sections – engineering, program management, advanced programs and technology, manufacturing and operations, supply chain management, business development and information technology. Vice holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California.
March 16, 2018
