Degree recommendations to be a weapons engineer

[Oscar9551]

Hello Fellow physicist.

I have a vision to be an aspiring weapons engineer, not just any form of weapons engineering though. But state of the art military weaponry or something along those lines.

As of now, I'm applying to a double degree course in the following specialisations,

Mechanical Engineering, Specialisation: Mechatronics
Computer science and engineering

Do you think these will aid in my prospective career?
Please tell me what you think or if i should arrange a transfer.
Thank you for your time gentleman.

 

[sam_bell]

Most weapons involve a projectile flying through the air. It might be smart bombs, jet fighters, artillery, machine guns, drones, etc. So I would recommend Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Computer Science or Computer Engineering might be valuable for guidance systems, but that would introduce a layer of abstraction between you and the machine.

Also, be more specific than saying you want to work on "weapons". It's too broad. The only concept tying together all different weapons systems is they're designed to damage or kill. Try not to give people the impression that's the part you find fascinating.

 

[Oscar9551]

How about robotics and weaponry integration? I cannot give an exact field of weaponry specialization i'd like to expertise in. Because i don't believe in propulsion systems like guns and rockets being any more useful in about 10 years or so. I'd like to expertise in something along the lines of robotics and laser systems.

Thank you for replying though, it means plenty.

 

[Oscar9551]

How about this.

i)Mechanical Engineering;Specialisation: Mechatronics
ii)Electrical Engineering

I was wondering if i did do that, would i be learning an overlap of things

I could also do,

i)Mechanical Engineering;Specialisation: Aeronautics
ii)Electrical Engineering

 

[sam_bell]

How about robotics and weaponry integration? I cannot give an exact field of weaponry specialization i'd like to expertise in. Because i don't believe in propulsion systems like guns and rockets being any more useful in about 10 years or so. I'd like to expertise in something along the lines of robotics and laser systems.

You never know when the next revolution is going to happen, but rest-assured guns and rockets are not going to be outmoded in a decade. Right now, mechwarriors equipped with lethal lasers is futuristic and speculative. Maybe you have a better idea of where weapons design is headed, like more drones. I'm sure there are many applications of robotics in weapons design, and if that's what you like, go for it. There should also be numerous job opportunities designing robots for use in factories. Programming the robots probably requires more software skills, as opposed to electrical engineering.

By the way, two engineering degrees will require hard-work. Likely an extra year.

 

[streeters]

I just finished a Materials Engineering degree and a few people have been hired to make weapons and fighter craft for large Weapons manufacturers (Qinetiq, BAE).

 

[2AlphaMales?!]

I met an old university friend of my step-father at a barbecue a few years back. He had worked as a weapons engineer - helped design an anti-tank shell which expelled evaporated copper into the interior of said tanks, killing all crew etc. He was troubled by feelings of conscience and remorse he only apparently developed in later life.

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

Might I suggest military service before getting your degree?

Things happen on the battlefield that most engineers have a very hard time imagining. Unless they've been there...

 

[luis20]

I met an old university friend of my step-father at a barbecue a few years back. He had worked as a weapons engineer - helped design an anti-tank shell which expelled evaporated copper into the interior of said tanks, killing all crew etc. He was troubled by feelings of conscience and remorse he only apparently developed in later life.

Yes.. how can anyone feel happy developing those kind of things? :s

 

[streeters]

Might I suggest military service before getting your degree?

Kind of a silly suggestion...

 

[chiro]

Kind of a silly suggestion...

I disagree: the OP probably has a distorted view of what he will be creating if he has not seen the realities in any magnitude of real war. It's not a video game or a hollywood movie: it's real.

Seeing what war is really like is probably the best thing the OP can do before they decide to make real weapons that destroy people, and completely wreck the societies and communities they live in.

Why don't you ask some of the soldiers that have been on the front lines how their PTSD is going, and why they remain psychologically screwed up?

Trying to understand something based on your own distorted fantasies or scenes from video games and movies is one thing: living and realizing it through your own senses is another.

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

Kind of a silly suggestion...

Since you did not explain yourself other than to suggest that my opinion is silly, I suggest that everyone ignore your opinion as unsupported nonsense.

 

[streeters]

Since you did not explain yourself other than to suggest that my opinion is silly, I suggest that everyone ignore your opinion as unsupported nonsense.

haha oh, suggest away.

 

[Rianu]

I agree that just wanting to be the broad title "weapons engineer" would imply that you want to create things that destroy people. I don't want to make you seem like you have malicious intent, because I highly doubt that you do, but you should look more into the reasons why you want to build weapons.

 

[damann526]

What if instead of looking weapons as tool of destruction and saying he just wants to destroy people, you looked at it at a protective point of view. A way to help protect people.

 

[mdxyz]

The growth field in weapons right now is sensor and communications technology, so probably EEE. While the application is often to aircraft, the airframes themselves don't seem to be improving very quickly as did they did in past decades. Stealth is one thing, but that too is more a branch of EEE or even physics than of aero eng.