1. Biography
Mick L Blackledge
Mr. Blackledge was the Senior Research Scientist for Missile
System Technology and Testing, Deputy for Architecture and
Engineering, Missile Defense Agency in the Office of the
Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
He was born in Flora, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Science
in Aeronautical Engineering from Saint Louis University and a
Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University
of Colorado. He has extensive course work in Education, Biology
and Engineering at the University of Missouri and the University
of Alabama.
From their inception, Mr. Blackledge was with the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization ,the
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the Missile Defense Agency. He was responsible for
the content of the kinetic energy interceptor programs as the Assistant Director for Interceptors.
As a Senior Executive Scientist, his programs developed the first miniaturized "smart"
interceptors, which are the primary prototypes for all emerging interceptor systems in the missile
defense acquisition programs. He established nationwide centers of excellence for individual
interceptor components, vehicle integration and vehicle testing which minimized duplication of
effort and optimized expenditure of defense dollars among the military services.
His knowledge of basic missile defense requirements and entrepreneurial abilities lead to the
system concepts of a space based missile defense system, a Navy sea based system and an Air
Force land based option for deploying the National Missile Defense System. He conceived and
developed the the Lightweight Exo Atmospheric Projectile, the Atmospheric Interceptor, and the
Miniature Surveillance Satellite technology programs. The miniaturization achieved in these
developments has allowed the deployment of missile defense in existing military infrastructure.
The now deployed Navy AEGIS Standard Missile III Missile Defense capability resulted from
these efforts.
After establishing these technology advances, Mr. Blackledge served as the Senior Exchange
Scientist to the Kwajalein Marshall Islands and the Ministry of Defense in the United Kingdom.
Prior to joining the government Mr. Blackledge worked twenty years in the private sector as a
defense contractor. His company affiliations include the then: Lockheed Missiles and Space
Company, McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, The Aerospace Corporation, the System
Development Corporation and the Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Company. At these
organizations he was responsible for detailed missile system design through modeling simulations
and flight test performance verification. His technical specialties include: aerothermo physics,
interceptor guidance and control, real time surveillance and missile tracking and subcomponent
defensive system design. Mr. Blackledge has authored many technical publications and
innumerable technology briefs. His professional awards include the AIAA Strategic Defense
Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Executive Rank Award, the United Kingdom
Exchange Scientist Award and the AIAA Missile Sciences Technology Achievement Award. Mr.
Blackledge is an accomplished computer user and details of his experience and present insights
may be seen at http://www.blackledge.net

2. NAME: Mick L. Blackledge Capstone Village
601 5th Ave. East
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
EDUCATION: University of Colorado M.S., Aeronautical Engineering
St. Louis University B.S., Aeronautical Engineering
University of Missouri Unfinished Ph.D. Candidate
University of Alabama Education and Engineering
CLEARANCE: Top Secret TELEPHONE: 850-249-4950 EMAIL: ml@blackledge.net
WORK SUMMARY:
Twenty years as engineer and manager in government service. Twenty years as engineer and manager with the
aerospace industry. Master of aero-thermo-physics of missile launch and reentry systems. Recipient of the AIAA
Missile Defense Technology and Lifetime Achievement Awards. Led team that developed first miniaturized kill
vehicles for missile defense interceptors for MDA defense acquisition programs. Managed for SDIO, BMDO and
MDA a national interceptor component, test facility and vehicle integration program implemented by Air Force,
Navy, and Army executing agencies. Conceived the Lightweight Exoatmospheric Projectile (LEAP), the
Atmospheric Interceptor Technology (AIT) and the Miniature (MSTI satellite) Sensor Technology Integration
Programs. First proposed Spaced Based Singlet Interceptors (Brilliant Pebbles) and the Navy Aegis (SM3) for
advanced missile defense systems. Was one of the principal authors of the original SDIO Phase One architecture
consisting of Space Based Interceptors (SBI), Ground Based Interceptors (GBI), Space Based Infrared Sensors
(SBIRS), and Ground Based Radars (GBR).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Blackledge and Sons Laboratory 2002 – Present
Led development of the System Integration and Test Program for the MKV Development Program proposal with
Raytheon and SAIC. Do consulting and proposal writing for Small Business research efforts.
MDA (Missile Defense Agency) 1999 – 2002
Led the Innovation Cell of the Advanced Concepts Directorate. Served as Navy Theater Surface Combatant
Technical Director for SM3 and Aegis Program Office. Was Senior Research Scientist for Missile System
Technology and Testing while stationed at Kwajalein.
BMDO (Ballistic Missile Defense Organization)1994 – 1999
Planned an extensive Missile Defense Technology Readiness Program for the acquisition of the first Theater and
National Missile Defense programs. Promoted Navy entry into the Missile Defense Program. Served as the
Missile Defense Exchange Scientist to Great Britain.
SDIO (Strategic Defense Initiative Organization) 1985 – 1994
Responsible for content of the kinetic energy interceptor programs, as the Director for Interceptor Technology.
This program developed the first miniaturized interceptors. Conceived and oversaw the procurement of the
Lightweight Exo Atmospheric Program (LEAP) and the Advanced Interceptor Technology Program (AIT).
Provided concept development for Brilliant Pebbles, Navy Theater Wide, and the Minuteman IV option for
deploying a National Missile Defense System.
AFRPL (Air Force Rocket Laboratory) 1982 – 1985
Chief of Air and Space Launched Missiles. Technical expert in design and development of kinetic energy
weapons. Space Technology Center Technical advisor to KEW division of SDIO. Responsible for rocket booster
and miniature vehicle development for kinetic energy, surface and space based weapons launched by rocket
boosters. Technical and management consultant for Air Force, Army, Navy and Strategic Defense Initiative
Organization, concerning these kinetic energy weapon programs.

3. TRW (Thompson Ramo Wooldridge) 1979 – 1982
Program Engineering responsibility in the Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems (ABRES) organization. Analyzed
system requirements and design performance of missile propulsion, warheads, against counter measured foreign
weapon systems. Addressed nuclear payloads and payload decoys. Supported test design and data reduction for
aerothermodynamic testing of Ballistic Missile Reentry Vehicles.
Kentron International, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands 1978 – 1979
Responsible for engineering modeling and real time software for directing best estimated tracks of the Kwajalein
Missile Range Real Time Data Acquisition System. The radar systems included TRADEX, ALCOR, ALTAIR,
TPQ18, MPSA, MPSB and the STP sites. Data from these radars were continuously compared to nominal and
best estimated tracks and linked to RADOT, BC4, TM and other radar sites. This support was given to STREP,
AMARV, ABRES, DOT, HOE, and SAC Army and Air Force missions.
System Development Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama 1975 – 1978
Responsible for bringing together discrimination flow field and sensor modeling software with guidance and
control simulation software into a real time user orientated package for the Ballistic Missile Defense Advanced
Technology Center computer facility. Provided software for user friendly manipulation of the Lincoln Laboratory
radar database. Provided phased array ambiguity functions and multisatic data for advanced radar concepts.
Northrop Aircraft Company, Huntsville, Alabama 1972 – 1975
Responsible for establishing techniques to provide ground test and data extrapolation for the Space Shuttle power
on Aerodynamics. Worked as central analysis engineering manager and supplied technical direction of a multi
organizational team. Developed the software for the data reduction scheme, which eventually reduced the Space
Shuttle ground test data and allowed its application to full scale vehicle design.
The Aerospace Corporation, El Sequndo, California 1971 – 1974
Provided in depth software for analysis of reentry vehicle flow fields. Assessed infrared sensor signal production
and survivability in the nuclear environment. Provided aerothermodynamic analysis of Air Force and Navy
advanced maneuvering reentry vehicle systems. Reduced metric data from experimental reentry flights into White
Sands and Kwajalein.
McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, Huntington Beach, California 1969 – 1971
Responsible for plume definition and sensor interaction requirements for the Dual mode Modified Spartan Anti
Ballistic Missile. Was program engineer for a series of chemical and gas dynamic laser proposals to the Air Force
and Army. Calculated infrared signals produced and attenuated by chemically reacting rocket engine flow fields
Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Huntsville, Alabama 1965 – 1969
Responsible for developing and applying software for the solution of aerothermodynamic problems associated
with Space Shuttle, Saturn and Apollo vehicle design. Performed vehicle aerothermodynamic testing for Air
Force, Army and Navy ballistic reentry and missile defense missile systems.
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri 1963 – 1965
Responsible for applying modeling techniques in early software development for maneuvering reentry vehicle
aerothermodynamics. Worked as reentry aerothermodynamic environment and structural heating vehicle design
engineer for the Gemini Program.
COMPUTER PROFICIENCY:
Past experience with mainframe CDC 7600 and Univac 1108 programming at Machine and Fortran language
levels. Currently proficient in Apple Software, Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative program suites. Routinely
design engineering presentations and Internet web pages. Details of his experience and present insights may be
seen at http://www.blackledge.net