Photo By Ryan Smith | Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Director for Energetics Scott Fuller, right,...... read more read more
1985 was a pivotal year. Microsoft 1.0 was introduced, Mike Tyson made his boxing debut and Scott Fuller began his legacy with Naval Air Warfare Weapons Division.
Microsoft may be on version 11.0, but Fuller has dedicated over 40 years helping to advance propulsion and energetic technologies within the Navy.
Some say Fuller may go down in NAWCWD history as the longest surviving civilian who started his career with China Lake Propulsion Laboratory and spent his entire career behind the CLPL gate.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in aeronautics and mathematics, the Ohio native was offered several employment options.
Although slightly disappointed there was not an actual lake, Fuller saw China Lake as the best choice. He wanted something geographically different than Ohio and had ties to the Navy through his father, who served toward the end of World War II.
NAWCWD hired Fuller into the Missile Performance Branch, where he spent the next seven years learning missile performance through computer simulations and gained valuable experience working with contractor counterparts.
In 1992, he became the branch head and continued to provide technical direction in the area of engineering analysis for programs such as Sidewinder and its variants, Joint Standoff Weapon, surface and air-launched theater ballistic missile concepts, Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and Sea Sparrow replacements.
After five years, Fuller was selected to be the head of the Propulsion Technology Office where he managed the Office of Naval Research 6.2 and 6.3 Missile Propulsion Technology Program. He also participated in the preparation of the Office of the Secretary of Defense NASA Technology Area Plans for the Solid Propulsion Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology Program and the Air-breathing Propulsion Program.
It was during this time that Fuller began working on Solid Fuel Ramjet technology, a technology he continued to champion and push down barriers throughout his career.
In 2003, Fuller became the execution lead for the Revolutionary Approach to Time Critical Long Range Strike flight demonstration program and remained in that role until 2010. He was then called to be the principal investigator in charge of the reprogramming and execution of a failing Future Navy Capability called Counter Air.
With the program in jeopardy of being canceled, Fuller maintained fundamental Highly Loaded Grain technologies and convinced the Technology Transition Agreement stakeholders to pull 50 percent of the funded work, currently performed by the contractor, in-house for China Lake to execute.
This decision led to the successful delivery of tactical low-erosion nozzles, flight-weight composite cases, HLG motor design and demonstration and a final static test demonstrating the performance goals of the program, ultimately resulting in a successful FNC.
Fuller served as division head for solid propulsion and energetics from 2015-2020, where he continued to build valuable relationships and push technology to new bounds behind the CLPL gate.
As lead engineer for the Weapons Technology Office since 2014, he continues to provide technical expertise and support to Integrated Product Team Leads for various disciplines, including propulsion.
NAWCWD Executive Director Dan Carreño began his career as a new JP under Fuller.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without him,” Carreño stated. “Scott instills high standards in a helpful way and that knowledge, work ethic and drive to get things done is what he stands for.”
Although he has always found the work incredibly interesting, if you ask Fuller what he recalls most over the years, it won’t be the names of programs and projects; it will be the people; the junior professionals from his early years, who understood and were going through the same process. They ate together, hung out together, and traveled together.
He recalls long days with late nights, ordering pizza up to the CLPL gate and passing the money to the delivery driver through the fence.
It was the many people through the years who mentored and were mentored.
“It’s always the people I remember, whether on travel or solving problems together; we were all just trying to figure things out,” said Fuller.
Anyone who knows and has worked with Fuller can attest to his loyalty and dedication to the mission. He doesn’t have patience for bureaucratic hang ups and is confident and to the point in his dialog.
“From day one, I was part of the organization,” Fuller said. “I was here to stay and didn’t give much thought to anything other than doing my job and doing it well.”
Fuller currently serves as director for energetics, and he is often referred to as “King of Energetics.”
He always remained loyal to those who took a chance on him and provided opportunities to grow in his career and is a proponent of the pay-for-performance culture. When you do your work and do it well, you should be compensated applicably.
“When I was hired, leadership put a lot of trust in the younger engineers and let us learn and try again,” Fuller said.
Adopting this same philosophy in his leadership style, those who have worked under or been mentored by Fuller, appreciate his trust and advocacy in allowing them to learn through trial and error.
Carreño commented on Fuller’s legacy, “How do we really know if someone was here? It’s what they leave behind, and Scott has made decisions that have made a positive impact behind the CLPL gate.”
While this classic car enthusiast has many hobbies and ambitions to keep him busy, he plans to stay at NAWCWD a little longer and by then, the bulk of his car collection might be considered “classic.”
“It really is the best place in the world to work,” Fuller said. “The work we do is important… and you can have multiple careers without turning in your name badge.”
Fuller offered some words of wisdom to fellow co-workers: “Remember to embrace the journey and the people.”
He may not be a heavyweight champ, but Fuller’s four decades of leadership in propulsion and energetics have left a lasting mark on NAWCWD.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2025 18:06 |
| Story ID: | 501635 |
| Location: | CHINA LAKE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fuller marks 40 energetic years at NAWCWD, by Deidre Patin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
