Intern – Atmospheric Science Summer 2026 - Huntsville, AL

US Navy's next-gen jammer to harness airflow to suppress enemy air defenses. The technology powers a Navy jammer targeting enemy defense networks. Marotta Controls, a US aerospace and defense contractor, will be supplying technology for two subsystems on the US Navy's Next Generation Jammer-Low Band (NGJ-LB) program. The NGJ-LB is an airborne electronic warfare pod developed for the EA-18G Growler, a carrier-based electronic attack and warfare aircraft primarily used by the Navy. The New Jersey-based company announced the two contracts on September 2. The work includes a subcontract from CFD Research Corporation covering a ram-air turbine power-generation system and a separate direct contract from L3Harris Technologies, the NGJ-LB prime contractor. A Ram Air Turbine (RAT) power-generation system is a fail-safe emergency system used when an aircraft loses primary power. It keeps the aircraft's critical functions running during emergencies. The contracts bring Marotta into the airborne electronic warfare market as the Navy develops a jammer capable of disrupting enemy air defenses and ground communications. Ram-air turbine system powers jammer pod. Under its subcontract with CFD Research, Marotta will supply equipment for the Turbine Speed Control System within the NGJ-LB pod's ram-air turbine power-generation assembly. The system forms part of the technology used to generate and regulate power aboard the electronic warfare pod.

CFD Research awarded $1.2 million DHA SBIR contract to support Warfighter Brain Health through blast exposure monitoring. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - CFD Research has been awarded a $1.2 million contract from the Defense Health Agency Small Business Innovation Research Program (DHA SBIR) to advance a mobile technology designed to help monitor and estimate blast overpressure exposure during military training. Blast overpressure exposure, particularly in confined training environments such as shoot houses and breaching operations, has become an increasing focus across the Department of War as part of ongoing efforts to better understand and protect warfighter brain health. While training remains essential to military readiness, there is a growing need for practical tools that help instructors, range personnel, and unit leaders assess and document blast exposure in real time. To address this challenge, CFD Research developed a Blast Overpressure (BOP) Mobile App that provides users with a fast, accessible way to estimate blast exposure during training activities. Building on successful proof-of-concept work, the next phase of development will transform the application into a field-testable platform capable of supporting a wide range of training scenarios involving weapon systems and explosives in both open and confined environments. The mobile platform will leverage advanced modeling, mobile device sensors, and user-friendly interfaces to simplify blast exposure estimation while reducing the need for manual data collection. The system will also support after-action review, exposure tracking, and reporting capabilities, providing military leaders with improved visibility into training-related blast exposures. "Protecting warfighter brain health begins with understanding and measuring the exposures our service members experience during training," said Carly Norris, Senior Engineer in CFD Research's Biotechnology & Life Sciences Division. "This effort will provide instructors and leaders with practical tools to better characterize blast exposure, support informed decision-making, and contribute to safer, more effective training operations." In addition to the mobile application, CFD Research will develop enhanced analytics and reporting capabilities to support long-term trend analysis and integration with broader Department of War systems. The resulting platform will help provide a more comprehensive understanding of blast exposure across training environments while supporting the objectives of the Department of War's Warfighter Brain Health Initiative. This award reflects CFD Research's continued commitment to developing innovative technologies that enhance military readiness, improve health outcomes, and support the safety and performance of service members. *This material is based upon work supported by the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs/Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) under DHA Contracting Activity (DHACA) under Contract No. HT942726CE022. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of War, DHA, SBIR/STTR Programs, BIRCO, or DHACA. About CFD Research: Founded in 1987, CFD Research is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) engineering and technology firm specializing in advanced capabilities across hypersonics, artificial intelligence & machine learning (AI/ML), sensing, power & energy, electronics, health & human performance, and space. The company develops and commercializes cutting-edge multi-physics simulation software, component and system technology prototypes, multidisciplinary analyses, and expert support services. This work has earned multiple national awards, along with recognition on the Inc. 5000 list six times in the past seven years. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, with facilities in Dayton, OH, Hollywood, AL, and Fort Walton Beach, FL, CFD Research is CMMC Level 2 Enterprise Certified, ISO 9001:AS9100D registered, and CMMI Level II appraised for Services. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com.

CFD Research awarded $1.8 million U.S. Air Force contract to advance ai-powered infrared target detection and tracking. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - CFD Research has been awarded a $1.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop an AI-driven framework that improves the speed, reliability, and efficiency of infrared-based systems used to detect and track airborne targets. Modern air defense depends on the ability to find and follow threats quickly and quietly. Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems do this by sensing the heat signatures of aircraft and other airborne targets without emitting signals that could reveal their presence to an adversary. While this gives them a significant advantage over radar, these systems still struggle to perform consistently across changing environmental conditions, are constrained by limited training data, and must operate within the strict size, weight, and power limits of airborne platforms. The result is a capability gap between what these systems need to do and what current technology can reliably deliver. To close that gap, CFD Research is developing a comprehensive, AI-powered framework that addresses each stage of the detection and tracking process, from generating high-quality synthetic training data to detecting and tracking targets in real time, to streamlining the pipeline that keeps the system current as new data becomes available. The framework is designed from the ground up to run efficiently on the compact, power-limited hardware found on operational airborne platforms, making it practical for real-world Air Force use rather than just laboratory demonstration. "The challenge with IRST isn't just building a system that works, it's building one that works consistently on limited hardware, across the full range of conditions it will actually encounter," said Jackson Cornelius, Manager in the Intelligence, Software, and Sensing Division at CFD Research. "This framework is designed to meet that bar, bringing the latest advances in AI to a capability the Air Force depends on." This work supports the Air Force's broader effort to integrate advanced AI and machine learning into operational defense systems, improving the speed and accuracy of threat detection while reducing the burden on human operators. The tools and methods developed through this program are designed for direct integration into Air Force workflows, accelerating the path from research to operational impact. *This material is based upon work supported by the United States Air Force under Contract No. FA2377-25-C-B014. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Air Force. About CFD Research: Founded in 1987, CFD Research is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) engineering and technology firm specializing in advanced capabilities across hypersonics, artificial intelligence & machine learning (AI/ML), sensing, power & energy, electronics, health & human performance, and space. The company develops and commercializes cutting-edge multi-physics simulation software, component and system technology prototypes, multidisciplinary analyses, and expert support services. This work has earned multiple national awards, along with recognition on the Inc. 5000 list six times in the past seven years. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, with facilities in Dayton, OH, Hollywood, AL, and Fort Walton Beach, FL, CFD Research is CMMC Level 2 Enterprise Certified, ISO 9001:AS9100D registered, and CMMI Level II appraised for Services. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com.