Design Europe’s next-generation stealth UCAV

📍 Location: Romania / Remote (Hybrid preferred)
🕒 Full-time | Department: Engineering – C1 Strigoi Program
🌐 Company: Kalkan Defense Systems (KDS)

🚀 About Kalkan Defense

Kalkan Defense Systems is a new European aerospace company headquartered in Romania, focused on building autonomous, AI-integrated military drones for the future battlefield. Our flagship platform, C1 Strigoi, is a next-generation stealth UCAV designed to challenge the performance of global defense leaders like Baykar’s Kızılelma and the MQ-28 Ghost Bat.

This is more than a project. It’s a sovereign European response to the demand for combat-ready, modular, and intelligent aerial systems.

✈️ The Role: Lead Aerospace Engineer

As Lead Aerospace Engineer, you’ll spearhead the technical design and simulation of the C1 Strigoi platform — from mission definition to 80% prototype design. You’ll lead the airframe design, oversee aerodynamic and propulsion integration, and define system architecture in close collaboration with flight control, avionics, and stealth teams.

This is a rare opportunity to build a combat aircraft from scratch, in an agile startup setting with direct impact on defense capabilities.

🔧 Responsibilities

• Own the conceptual and preliminary design of the C1 Strigoi UCAV

• Define requirements for airframe geometry, performance envelope, and internal layout

• Oversee aerodynamic, propulsion, control surface, and stealth shaping decisions

• Run technical reviews, performance studies, and design trade-offs

• Coordinate with specialists in AI/autonomy, avionics, and systems integration

• Deliver 3D models, structural concept documentation, and digital handoff files for prototyping

• Contribute to grant documentation and EU/NATO funding applications (technical annex)

✅ You Should Have

• 5+ years experience in fixed-wing UAV or aircraft development

• Proficiency in CATIA, SolidWorks, or Siemens NX

• Strong understanding of aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, and aircraft systems

• Familiarity with CFD, FEM, and 6-DOF flight modeling

• Experience managing multi-disciplinary engineering projects

• Fluent in aircraft sizing, mass estimation, and mission-based design

• Excellent communication and technical leadership skills

💡 Bonus Skills

• Experience with stealth shaping and radar signature management

• Previous work on military or dual-use aircraft

• Exposure to EU defense grant programs (EDF, DIANA, etc.)

• Background in digital twin, hardware-in-the-loop, or mission simulation environments

🎯 What We Offer

• A once-in-a-lifetime chance to design a European stealth UCAV

• High-impact role at the technical core of a new aerospace company

• Competitive compensation and potential equity participation

• Access to regional and EU-level defense innovation programs

• Remote-friendly setup with occasional travel to Romania/Europe

• Flat team, fast pace, and direct visibility from strategy to execution