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Written by Aerospace & Defense Review – August 07, 2020
As part of the new portfolio, Watkins will drive the adoption of Metro’s Microvane technology across the global defense and commercial aerospace sectors.
FREMONT, CA: Dallas-based Metro Aerospace appointed former naval officer and graduate of U.S. Naval Academy, Tim Watkins, as its vice president of business development. Metro Aerospace specializes in tech that improves performance and decreases carbon emissions associated with aerospace travel. The company holds the sole license to manufacture and supply globally the Microvanes, a technology invented and patented by Lockheed Martin. The Microvanes bring performance enhancement and cost reduction to both military and commercial operators for the C-130/L-100 aircraft and other rear cargo airframes with similar steep aft ramp design.
As part of the new portfolio, Watkins will drive the adoption of Metro’s Microvane technology across the global defense and commercial aerospace sectors. He will also assist in bringing Metro’s additional drag-reducing technologies to market. Metro Aerospace was founded in 2016 by the founders of Catalyze Dallas, a venture development company specializing in creating value through the spin-out of intellectual property. It formed new companies purpose-built to target those assets into broad commercial markets.
“Tactical dependence on fuel critically ties global fleets to investments in new technologies like Microvanes that optimize fuel utilization,” said Tricia D’Cruz, managing director of Metro Aerospace. “As an experienced naval aviator, Tim understands the need for fleets to find ways to use less fuel. He has also previously managed multi-million dollar military sales transactions, making him ideally suited to take Microvanes to the audiences worldwide that will reap the cost and fuel savings they enable.”
Apart from his service in the U.S. Navy, Watkins previously was an enterprise sales executive at Gartner. There, he worked closely with senior leaders in the aerospace and defense, airline, and hospitality industries. Watkins also spent time as the Director of Foreign Military Sales for the U.S. Embassy’s Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, working across U.S. agencies to manage military equipment sales and security assistance to U.S. allies and partners.