Appointments - A new director at the head of the Wind Tunnels Directorate

Marie-José Martinez, General Engineer 2nd Class of Armaments joined ONERA on May 3, as director of wind tunnels. Until then, she was director of the DGA thruster testing center. She succeeds Patrick Wagner, with whom she will work closely, until the latter's retirement. A look back at a course of excellence, mainly aeronautical and international.

A graduate of Polytechnique, SUPAERO and MIT, Marie-José Martinez chose the armament corps at the end of her studies and immediately joined the flight test center in 1997. The start of her career was marked by an aeronautical and international dimension, a common thread that will structure his entire professional career. While she is in charge of electronic warfare equipment, notably for the benefit of the Rafale program, she is mandated to take the technical piloting of NATO tests organized by the United States.

From 2004, Marie-José Martinez joined the Department of International Cooperation and Industrial Affairs then, from 2007 to 2009, became Chief of Staff to the Delegate General for Armaments François Lureau and then to his successor, Laurent Collet-Billon.

In 2009, she became A400M program director for France, when the program was going through a major crisis. It then participates in the renegotiation of the program and prepares the first deliveries for France.

In 2013, she was appointed assistant to the helicopter armament operations management unit, where she will oversee the conduct of helicopter armament operations. She then steers a reflection on improving the availability of helicopters requested by the Delegate General for Armaments and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

In 2016, she joined the Technical Department of the DGA as Deputy Director of Services, a position which enabled her to set the broad guidelines for the sale of services from the technical department's centers and to deal with high-stakes cases, in particular as part of support for export programs.

In September 2018, she was director of the DGA thruster testing center in Saclay with a major mission: to prepare the upgrade and modernization of the site's facilities to meet the needs of the SCAF program. On this occasion, a logic of rapprochement between ONERA and the DGA emerges, particularly on the subject of combustion.

The idea is to build a structured partnership to build a common and coordinated position by creating a synergy of resources and skills between the two organizations. Main objective: adopt a common position at French level within the framework of cooperation on SCAF

During a visit to Modane, Marie-José Martinez realizes that ONERA and DGA EP share very similar issues and issues on large installations. An experience that should prove to be very useful in meeting the challenges that await him as head of wind tunnel management.

ONERA welcomes him and wishes him every success in his new functions and in his new challenges. It will be able to count on the support of a united and competent team which has largely contributed to maintaining the management of the wind tunnels at a high level of performance!