<p>As my name suggests, I am very interested in alternative fuels. Biofuel, hydrogen, and how we can make cars run on them. I am also interested in finding ways to extract natural gas, improve hydrofracking, etc.
So my original thought was to go into chemical engineering. But I am also interested in firearms testing and designing. As well as working with UAVs, designing cars, etc.</p>
<p>I am wondering if there are jobs available to test, design, etc firearms, bullets, and all of that. Sort of a weapons engineer. I am guessing that it would be best to stick with MechE for this sort of work, but are there ChemEs that can be hired for the same thing?</p>
<p>It seems like Lockheed would be a place to work on Defense, but I have looked around and seen that they don't hire ChemEs, nor have I seen that they work specifically on firearms, more so on jet fighters.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m in materials science and my research group has been involved in projects such as kinetic energy penetrators (aka bullets/shells) as well as energy absorbing materials for APCs, ships, and bulletproof armor. That said, it’s not our primary focus and more due to the kind of materials we make than being a lab focused on doing defense research.</p>
<p>^thats awesome. That is something I am very interested in. I didn’t know MSE worked with defense stuff. I am looking into it now.</p>
<p>Chemical definitely sounds like the straightest route for alternative fuels, and I would think that mechanical would be the most relevant for firearms design, but “weapons design” involves nearly all disciplines at one point or another.</p>
<p>If you want to work specifically on firearms design I would start by looking at the employment websites for big firearms manufacturers and see who they are hiring, but I do not think that they hire many engineers - they are mostly manufacturing company, with little design work and most of it done by non-engineer anyway.</p>
<p>Another option is to look at working for places like the Aberdeen Proving Ground where the military tests and evaluates weapon systems. It requires a security clearance but when they were recruiting me it really looked like a cool job.</p>
<p>Do you know of any place that would hire a meche or cheme for weapons designing? I don’t know if places like that exist around Seattle.</p>
<p>I have heard talk of the need for metallurgical engineers. I know the people I go to school with have zero problem finding jobs. Have you looked into that?</p>
<p>
What kind of weapons? Weapons is a very broad category, like “vehicles” or “appliances”, so a little more specificity would help.</p>
<p>Mostly things along the lines of firearms, firearm protection(vests,etc), and ammunition.</p>
<p>Maybe vehicular as well. Planes, tanks, etc. But I know that Lockheed/Boeing hire for planes, what about tanks?</p>
<p>For tanks Cadillac Gage, BAE, and General Dynamics come to mind for the actual vehicles. Vehicular weapons are made by a variety of companies, including Colt and US Ordnance in the US - note that a great many military cannon and machineguns are designed overseas, even if they are manufactured here.</p>
<p>Missiles are usually manufactured by aerospace companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc.</p>
<p>From what I have heard, it is actually pretty hard to break into small arms engineering - there is relatively little truly innovative work going on, the design teams are small, and most of the designers work first as armorers and may never have a college degree. Most engineers in small arms are on the test and manufacturing side.</p>
<p>Honestly, my best recommendation for this sort of thing is to start out on the government side at one of the proving grounds. It is much easier to get a job and will provide a broad but solid introduction to the field.</p>
<p>Nice. Thanks for that info.</p>
<p>I looked at many of those companies and sites and contacted them to see if they recruit at my future school, as well as internships.</p>
<p>Every chemical engineer has told me the same thing: they don’t do any chemistry, they just do process engineering. For example, they come up with the process by which something will be created (like things being mixed in vats and stuff) but chemists do the actual R&D and come up with formulae and whatnot. So my understanding of how new chemicals and solutions are made goes like this:</p>
<p>Chemists (i.e. people with chemistry degrees) come up with the formula by using chemistry.
Chemical engineers come up with a process for mass-producing the formula.
Electrical, mechanical, and computer engineers actually implement the process that the chem E’s invented (mixing systems, control systems, electrical systems, etc.).</p>
<p>So if you like the idea of actually coming up with new chemicals, you may want to go the chemistry route.</p>