Aircraft Engineering Intern

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results. The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic. READ THIS PART FIRST An aircraft internship should involve more than updating drawings. You should be able to point to hardware and explain what you changed, why you changed it, and what happened when it was built or tested. WHAT WE DO Swarm Aero is redefining air power. We are building autonomous aircraft and Legion, command and control software designed to coordinate large numbers of heterogeneous autonomous systems. Our team combines experience building novel aircraft, scaling startups, and delivering technology for national security. THE INTERNSHIP You will own a scoped project with a clear technical or business outcome, work directly with the people responsible for the system, and present what you built and learned at the end of the summer. The goal is not to give you practice work. It is to give you useful work with the support to do it well. WHAT YOU'LL DO · Design primary or secondary aircraft structure, mechanisms, brackets, routed-system supports, or other flight hardware · Create and revise 3D models, drawings, and bills of material using sound GD&T practices · Support structural analysis, trade studies, tolerance work, mass-property estimates, or design reviews · Work with manufacturing and suppliers to resolve producibility, assembly, and inspection issues · Support component, structural, ground, or flight-test preparation and use the results to improve the design WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR · Currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related field, with graduation and enrollment requirements to be confirmed. · Experience with a CAD package such as NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, Creo, or Fusion 360 · Fundamentals in statics, mechanics of materials, machine design, materials, and manufacturing · Evidence that you build things through a design team, Formula SAE, rocketry, UAVs, research, a machine shop, or personal projects WHAT SETS YOU APART · Composite or metallic aircraft structures · FEA tools such as Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, or HyperMesh · Mechanisms, actuation, thermal, fluids, propulsion integration, or routed systems · GD&T, drawing release, machining, composites, or test experience WHAT YOU DO NOT NEED Aerospace experience, a perfect GPA, or a previous internship at a famous company. Show us what you have built, analyzed, tested, organized, or improved, and be ready to explain your contribution clearly. THE HONEST VERSION The pace is fast, the problems will not arrive fully defined, and you may spend part of the summer learning why your first approach was wrong. We will expect you to ask questions, test your assumptions, document your work, and leave the project better than you found it. ITAR requirement To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability. What We Offer - Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company - Competitive base salary commensurate with experience - Medical, dental, vision, and 401k - PTO and paid sick leave - Monthly wellness stipend - Daily catered lunch (office) - Paid parental leave - Direct impact on a critical national security mission - A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems