Aerospace Division
What is your role at Babcock?
Dominic Ferrett (DF): I am the Chief Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Technologist at Babcock. The main part of my role is scoping the market to seek out and develop technology opportunities for the business that can help us create a safe and secure world, together. We currently work with a variety of UAS systems, from sub 25kg all the way through to over 1000kg systems.
What do you really enjoy about your role?
DF: I really enjoy my role at Babcock as the UAS area of the business is growing so rapidly, there is so much work to get involved in and the UAS technologies are developing and improving so quickly. There is a lot of autonomy and responsibility, and we get the chance to work with a vast range of stakeholders from Government to small suppliers. We’re given the scope to pursue what we enjoy and find projects we want to get involved in.
What’s your background?
DF: I studied Aerospace Engineering at The University of Sheffield and have had many roles in UAS engineering. I currently cover engineering and technology, strategy and business development, which means I get to work across multiple disciplines.
What top tips would you give to engineering graduates looking to take the next step in their career?
DF: Take opportunities when they come along and don’t be afraid to take changes. Experiment, try different things and if you fail, learn from it – failure is not the end of the world. Also, identifying a technology that really interests you is an important step in building your career path.
How do stem events like the UAS challenge encourage and help the next generation of technologists to establish themselves in a competitive industry?
DF: Competitions and events like UAS and Formula Student are vital proving grounds for young engineers. Your vehicle may crash, but that means you can go back, work through the challenge and learn from those mistakes. There are also the softer engineering skills you learn from events like this; working as part of a team, leadership, collaboration, understanding the different contributions each member brings to the table and how to take something from design concept into either an MVP or a fully functioning prototype.
Whatever the mistakes, teams can learn a huge amount about how to design and build a UAS system. I took part in a similar design and build UAS project at university, our system only flew for about five seconds but it got me very interested in pursuing a career in this area. I hope this similar experience with IMechE encourages other to pursue a career in UAS.
What are the main changes you foresee happening in the next few years?
DF: I expect that in the future we will see unmanned systems integrated much more into our everyday lives, whether that’s Urban Air Mobility – virtual take-off and landing (VTOL) in the civilian sector or Swarming systems in the Military. UAS systems will be a game changer for multiple sectors especially in defence.
As technology develops we’ll see increased range and endurance on UAVs and given it’s technology people can operate remotely – means complex tasks can be performed from a safe distance.
What is Babcock doing in the autonomous systems space?
DF: For Babcock, we’re really excited about the future of autonomy and autonomous systems. We are already collaborating closely with industry and our academic partners both in the UK and internationally. Earlier this year Babcock Australasia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Israel Aerospace Industries to pursue remotely piloted aircraft solutions in Australia, and in May our UK-based UAS team responded to a customer requirement to develop, build and flight-test a novel jet powered UAS rapid prototype in just 19 days.
Does Babcock have any career opportunities in this space?
DF: I would definitely say watch this space! This is a rapidly growing part of our business and I’d encourage all graduates to keep an eye on our Careers - Babcock International website for upcoming technology roles.