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Troy Asher named director of NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has named Troy Asher director of the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, NASA announced on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Asher has been the centre’s acting director since March.

Troy Asher: Official NASA portrait of Troy Asher
Official NASA portrait of Troy Asher Photo: NASA (public domain).

Who is Troy Asher

Asher is a veteran test pilot and aerospace engineer with decades of experience in flight research and operations. He joined NASA in 2008 as a research test pilot and aerospace engineer, flying research missions on aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18, Gulfstream III and the X-56A unmanned aircraft system. He was lead test pilot for the development of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and flew science missions on NASA’s DC-8 aircraft around the globe. Before becoming acting director, he was director of Flight Operations at Armstrong. Before NASA, he completed a 24-year US Air Force career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He was an instructor at the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards, commander of the 419th Flight Test Squadron and director of the Bomber Combined Test Force, and in 2003 he set 25 world speed records flying the B-1B bomber.

Key Facts

  • New director: Troy Asher
  • Centre: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California
  • Announced: 29 October 2026
  • Joined NASA: 2008; US Air Force career: 24 years
  • Record: 25 world speed records in a B-1B (2003)

“Troy has spent his career pushing the boundaries of flight.”

— Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

Isaacman on NASA Armstrong and the X-plane portfolio

“Troy has spent his career pushing the boundaries of flight, both at the controls of experimental aircraft and leading the teams that make these missions possible,” Isaacman said. He said Asher’s experience would be invaluable “as Armstrong leads the way in rebuilding NASA’s X-plane portfolio, restoring our flight-test capabilities, and flying higher, farther, and faster than we have in decades.” NASA Associate Administrator and Chief Engineer Amit Kshatriya said few people better understand the art and discipline of flight testing, and that Asher would help NASA change how it develops, evaluates and flies new technologies.

What the test pilot will lead at Armstrong

Asher will oversee Armstrong’s workforce and operations, leading NASA’s work on flight research, aircraft operations and new aviation technologies, the agency said. As NASA’s Flight Test and Aircraft Operations Center of Excellence, Armstrong plays a central role in rebuilding and expanding the X-plane portfolio, pushing high-speed flight and developing experimental aircraft. It also supports airborne science missions. Established in 1946, the centre has been at the forefront of American flight research for eight decades, from the first supersonic flight aboard the Bell X-1 to today’s quiet supersonic flight research with the X-59 aircraft. Asher succeeds Bradley Flick, who retired in March after nearly 40 years at NASA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering from the US Air Force Academy and a master’s in mechanical engineering from California State University, Fresno.

Why It Matters: Armstrong runs NASA's experimental aircraft, including the X-59 quiet supersonic jet, so its leader shapes the future of faster, quieter flight.

Also on TrendDesh: Mars helicopter blades redesigned by NASA could stretch single flights from 0.7 km to 18.7 km · Mars meteorite Teghaza 001 is more than 4.1 billion years old, NASA-funded study finds

Source: NASA: Troy Asher named Armstrong director · NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center · NASA X-59 mission

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