Propulsion and control architectures are entering a period of sustained complexity. Integrated propulsion, power, and thermal management demands are increasing, while the enabling control systems are being pushed toward higher temperature operation, reduced mass, and more modular, scalable designs. In that environment, distributed engine controls are not a niche technical pursuit—they are becoming central to how future aeronautic systems will be designed, qualified, and sustained.
Against that backdrop, the Distributed Engine Controls Working Group (DECWG) has named Chris Wicker as its new program manager. The transition occurs as DECWG positions itself as a practical, precompetitive forum where government and industry can jointly mature the technologies and infrastructure required for distributed control approaches that can keep pace with next-generation system integration.
A Career Built at the Intersection of Operations, Systems Engineering, and Collaboration
Wicker’s technical foundation began in the U.S. Air Force, after which he pursued roles focusing on the most advanced aerospace technologies available. He spent time at Lockheed Martin developing systems for the F-35, F-15, and F-16. While working in Florida during the first operational deployment of the F-35 at Eglin AFB, he earned a Master’s in Systems Engineering from the University of Florida, adding formal systems engineering depth to a career already grounded in platform-scale execution.
Wicker later joined what would become Parker Aerospace as a Systems Engineer, developing braking systems for multiple platforms, including the F-35 and F-16. Over time, his responsibilities expanded from product development into experimentation with emerging technology. That trajectory moved him into research and development, where he served as an engineer and project manager before becoming the directing manager of research for braking systems.
A consistent thread across those R&D roles was cross-industry coordination. Wicker notes that collaboration with other businesses and technical peers across aerospace became a defining element of his work. This experience would prove to be relevant in his next career pivot.
Wicker then joined the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), where he supported programs first as a Systems Engineer and has now been named Program Manager of the Distributed Engine Controls Working Group (DECWG). He characterizes the experience of working with OAI and industry partners as among the most rewarding of his career.
DECWG’s Mission
DECWG exists to provide a collaborative forum where the U.S. government and the aeronautics industry can jointly advance distributed engine controls for dual-use aeronautic integrated propulsion, power, and thermal management system applications. Its mission is explicitly tied to advancing technology and infrastructure that are environmentally robust, lightweight, and scalable, while supporting advanced control algorithms and future-proof architectures.
DECWG is structured around precompetitive collaboration, enabling government and industry to align on shared technical challenges and invest public-private resources in maturing the hardware and architectural building blocks needed for distributed controls.
Its focus areas speak directly to the engineering barriers that have historically limited distributed control adoption at scale. DECWG works to advance high-temperature electronics and the associated packaging needed for robust, affordable distributed control implementations. It supports development efforts for modular, scalable control solutions suited to next-generation propulsion, power, and thermal management systems. And it facilitates collaboration on advanced control technologies across government and industry, leveraging joint resources to design, build, and test key system hardware.
For aerospace engineers and program leaders, the strategic value is clear: distributed controls are not merely an electronics problem. They sit at the intersection of control law sophistication, thermal and environmental survivability, modular architectures, and lifecycle support considerations. DECWG’s role is to create a forum where those issues can be tackled collectively. This reduces duplication, accelerates maturation, and improves the odds that emerging architectures can be implemented across a broader industrial base.
A Future Vision Anchored in Resilience and Scalable Architectures
DECWG’s forward direction emphasizes both short-term practicality and long-term thinking. The consortium intends to continue delivering value by fostering research in supply chain resilience and the standardized development of distributed control architectures, two priorities that increasingly define program risk and lifecycle outcomes.
On the technology side, DECWG identifies adaptive distributed control systems, high-temperature electronics, and advanced fault-tolerant embedded architectures as key enablers. The underlying engineering approach leverages modular, decentralized processing and intelligent sensor-actuator networks to improve reliability, support prognostics, and strengthen lifecycle maintenance strategies.
The Future in DECWG and Leadership Under Chris Wicker
As DECWG aims to build on its foundation and become a broader catalyst connecting government, research institutions, and a more diverse industrial base. As innovation cycles accelerate and system complexity increases, that connective role becomes strategic: it helps align investment, de-risk architectural transitions, and create shared technical infrastructure that individual organizations may not be able to justify independently.
Wicker’s experience closely aligns to DECWG’s value proposition; translating complex requirements into implementable systems, and turning cross-industry collaboration into coordinated technical work that serves the broader aerospace ecosystem.
DECWG will build on this foundation to become an even broader catalyst for collaboration between government, research institutions, and a more diverse industrial base. As technological innovation accelerates and the complexity of propulsion and control systems increases, DECWG will continue to serve as a visionary hub.
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About Parallax Advanced Research & the Ohio Aerospace Institute
Parallax Advanced Research is a research institute that tackles global challenges through strategic partnerships with government, industry, and academia. It accelerates innovation, addresses critical global issues, and develops groundbreaking ideas with its partners. In 2023, Parallax and the Ohio Aerospace Institute, an aerospace research institute located in Cleveland, OH, formed a collaborative affiliation to drive innovation and technological advancements across Ohio and the nation. The Ohio Aerospace Institute plays a pivotal role in advancing aerospace through collaboration, education, and workforce development.