Alum Recognized with 2025 AIAA Missile Systems Award

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) recognized University of Maryland aerospace engineering alum Gary Sullins, ’80, M.S. ’81, Ph.D. with the 2025 AIAA Missile Systems Award on 17 April during the AIAA DEFENSE Forum held in Laurel, Maryland.

AIAA awarded Sullins for his more than “35 years of contributions to the development of multiple variants of the U.S. Navy Standard Missile.”

Sullins is a retired chief engineer of the Air and Missile Defense Sector at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

According to the story published in Aerospace America, Sullins joined APL in 1982 to work on direct-connect scramjet combustion tests. Over his long APL career, he served in several leadership positions within the Air and Missile Defense Sector (AMDS). As AMDS’s managing executive, he oversaw a staff of over 700 engineers and scientists working on a variety of Navy and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) programs.

As the SM-3 program manager, he provided technical oversight from the initial concept development through the first intercept of a ballistic missile. He held two temporary government office assignments – first as the Standard Missile Technical Director and then as the Aegis BMD Technical Advisor. Before retirement Sullins was the lab’s lead for the MDA Independent Readiness Review Team for regional defense.

Sullins has published over 60 papers in journals, presented at AIAA events and other professional conferences, and was named an Aegis BMD Pathfinder for his contributions to the program.

“I had a tremendously interesting career at APL and got to be involved with so many fascinating tests and brilliant people through the years,” Sullins told Aerospace America. “The award was a very pleasant surprise.”

Published April 24, 2025