John Heaton "Heater"
About John Heaton "Heater"
John Heaton, also known as 'Heater', is a Senior Staff Engineer specializing in Electronic Warfare at General Atomics since 2012. He has extensive experience in unmanned aerial vehicle systems and has held various leadership roles in military operations and engineering.
Work at General Atomics
John Heaton has held the position of Senior Staff Engineer in Electronic Warfare at General Atomics since 2012. He is based in the Rapid City, South Dakota area. His role involves conducting trade studies and market analysis related to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) power, platform engineering, and electronic warfare systems. He has participated in two successful Stand off Jamming (SOJ) demonstrations using a General Atomics - Northrop Grumman AEA payload equipped MQ-9 'Reaper' UAS, which supported Strike aircraft during USMC MAWTS-1 WTI training events.
Previous Experience in Military Operations
Prior to his current role, John Heaton served as the Director of Operations at the 4th Air Support Operations Group from 1998 to 2000 in Heidelberg, Germany, under V Corps. He also held the position of Director of Requirements and Assessments at the USAF - UAV Battlelab from 2005 to 2007 at Creech AFB, NV. Additionally, he worked as a Senior Systems Engineer at SAIC from 2007 to 2011.
Education and Expertise
John Heaton's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Logic from Utah State University and a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering Sciences from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott. He also holds an Associate of Arts in Electronic Technology from the Community College of the Air Force and has studied Electrical Engineering at Colorado State University. He attended the Air Command and Staff College in 1997 for further professional development.
Specialization in Electronic Warfare
John Heaton specializes in Tactical Deception using both operational and technical means. He serves as a Subject Matter Expert on foreign surface-to-air and air-to-air threat systems. His hands-on experience includes working with Threat Systems and Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) Command and Control (C2) management, contributing to his expertise in the field of electronic warfare.