Ballistician & Igniter Design Engineer

About Prometheus Energetics

Prometheus Energetics is an independent U.S.

-based merchant supplier of solid rocket motors and warheads. A joint venture between Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Prometheus combines U.S. industrial speed and credibility with decades of combat‑proven designs, manufacturing know-how, and technical training to deliver field‑ready products at scale.

Prometheus Energetics is seeking an experienced Ballistician & Igniter Design Engineer / Senior Ballistician to serve as a primary technical authority for interior ballistics modeling, propellant grain geometry design, and igniter system architecture for Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs). Reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, this role owns the internal ballistic lifecycle—from initial conceptual sizing, burn rate tailoring, and ignition transient modeling through static fire correlation, qualification, and high‑rate production support.

Solid Rocket Motor performance relies on precise pressure‑time profiles, energetic gas generation, and reliable ignition sequences under extreme environmental conditions. The ideal candidate brings 4 to 10 years of hands‑on propulsion experience in interior ballistics analysis, 2D/3D grain geometry optimization, pyrogen/BKNO₃ igniter hardware design, and propellant‑ballistic performance tailoring.

• Lead interior ballistics analysis and performance prediction for solid rocket motor programs, developing 1D, 2D, and 3D pressure‑time, thrust‑time, and mass flow rate profiles across all operational temperature bounds.
• Design and optimize 3D propellant grain geometries (e.g., star, finocyl, slotted tube, wagon wheel, end‑burning) to meet tight volumetric loading, total impulse, thrust profile, and center‑of‑gravity constraints.
• Perform thermochemical equilibrium calculations (e.g., NASA CEA) to evaluate propellant formulations, theoretical specific impulse, characteristic velocity, gas composition, and two‑phase flow losses.
• Evaluate burn rates, pressure exponents, temperature sensitivity coefficients, erosive burning phenomena, and nozzle throat erosion behavior.
• Collaborate with propellant chemists and processing teams to specify burn rate targets, burn rate modifiers, and lot‑to‑lot ballistic acceptance criteria.

• Own the end‑to‑end design, sizing, and qualification of SRM ignition systems, including pyrogen igniters, pyrotechnic canisters, initiator interfaces, and BKNO₃/pellet charges.
• Model ignition transients, flame front propagation, pyrogen gas flow, mass discharge rates, and pressure rise rates to ensure smooth, hangfire‑free motor startup without over‑pressurization.
• Design igniter structural housings, closure caps, nozzle orifices, weather seals, and mechanical interfaces into motor forward domes or polar bosses.
• Oversee initiator/squib selection, safe‑and‑arm (S&A) device interfaces, electrical harness integration, and ESD/RF safety compliance for ordnance hardware.
• Lead subscale igniter bomb testing, closed‑bomb testing, and standalone igniter firing campaigns to characterize pyrogen ballistics prior to full‑scale motor integration.

• Plan, analyze, and reduce data from strand burner tests, subscale motor firings, igniter bomb tests, and full‑scale static motor tests.
• Correlate analytical ballistic and ignition models against measured test data (chamber pressure, thrust, ignition delay, burn duration) to refine burn rate property decks and loss factors.
• Lead root‑cause investigations and failure review boards (FRACAS/MRB) for ballistic performance anomalies, such as ignition delay/hangfire, combustion instability, pressure spikes, unpredicted erosive burning, or performance margin degradation.
• Maintain ballistic databases, lot acceptance test (LAT) trends, and motor performance history across production lots.

• Work closely with structural analysts (grain strain/slump), thermal analysts (nozzle erosion/insulation heat flux), nozzle designers, and…