My role at General Dynamics UK represented a significant milestone in my engineering career, providing the opportunity to work within the highly regulated defence and aerospace sector on the development of sophisticated avionics test equipment supporting mission-critical military platforms.
As a Hardware Engineer, I was responsible for the design, development, integration, and verification of electronic hardware used within advanced avionics test systems. Working as part of multidisciplinary engineering teams, I contributed throughout the complete product development lifecycle, from concept and detailed design through to production support, verification, and in-service engineering.
One of the key areas of experience I gained was in Surface Mount Technology (SMT) manufacturing, where I supported the assembly, inspection, repair, and rework of high-reliability electronic assemblies manufactured to stringent aerospace and defence standards.
During my time at General Dynamics, I expanded my technical expertise into FPGA development, learning VHDL and developing programmable logic solutions for Xilinx-based platforms. I also broadened my software knowledge by working with engineering applications written in C and C++, providing a greater appreciation of the interaction between hardware and embedded software.
I further developed my skills in multilayer PCB design, using Mentor Graphics for schematic capture and PCB layout. My responsibilities included redesigning printed circuit boards following engineering change requests and production modifications, ensuring that updated designs maintained compliance with performance, manufacturing, and reliability requirements.
A significant proportion of my work involved the development and support of sophisticated automated test equipment, with software developed using National Instruments LabVIEW. These systems were used to verify the performance and integrity of complex avionics equipment, supporting both manufacturing and maintenance activities.
Beyond hardware design, I became increasingly involved in systems engineering, contributing to requirements capture, technical specifications, design reviews, engineering compliance, verification and validation planning, formal test procedures, and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing. This experience provided a thorough understanding of structured systems engineering methodologies and the rigorous documentation required within safety-critical defence programmes.
Throughout my time at General Dynamics, I also gained valuable exposure to engineering administration, material control, configuration management, and stores operations, providing a broader understanding of how engineering integrates with manufacturing, logistics, and programme management within a large defence organisation.
In addition to my engineering responsibilities, I had the opportunity to work alongside the Marketing team, gaining an insight into the promotion and presentation of advanced military avionics systems. This exposure provided a valuable appreciation of how complex defence technologies are communicated to customers and stakeholders, and how engineering teams collaborate with commercial and business development functions to support future programmes and customer requirements.
Working within a quality-driven environment demanded the highest levels of technical accuracy, attention to detail, and compliance with industry standards. The experience significantly strengthened my expertise in electronics hardware design, FPGA development, PCB layout, automated test equipment, software integration, systems engineering, verification and validation, and defence engineering, preparing me for increasingly senior technical roles throughout the remainder of my career.