franklin-mead-afrl-prsp

PERSON dossier

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)

Program manager of 30+ year AFRL plasma orb research program

PERSON Personnel Plasma Weapons Also: Frank Mead, Franklin Mead Jr., Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr.

01 Executive_Summary

Senior scientist at AFRL/PRSP (Propulsion Directorate, Edwards AFB) who managed a continuous 30+ year advanced propulsion and plasma research program from 1972 through at least 2007. Funded Nachamkin's force-free plasmoid model (1992), Davis's Ball Lightning Study (2003), Davis's Teleportation Study (2004), and the Knecht/Mead DPF paper listing 'plasmoid weapons' (2006). All under project JON 48470159.

02 Definition

03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. had a 34-year career at AFRL and its predecessor laboratories at Edwards AFB. In 1972, he edited 'Advanced Propulsion Concepts - Project Outgrowth' (AFRPL-TR-72-31) at the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory. In 1990, he was project manager for a DPF fusion propulsion study at Phillips Laboratory. In 1992, he managed Nachamkin's force-free time-harmonic plasmoid model (PL-TR-92-3044) under contract F04611-88-C-0020. From 1996-2001, he co-managed the Lightcraft Technology Demonstrator program with Dr. Leik Myrabo of RPI, demonstrating laser propulsion at the High Energy Laser System Test Facility. In 2003, he was Principal Investigator/Project Manager for the Davis Ball Lightning Study (AFRL-PR-ED-TR-2002-0039, JON 48470159). In 2004, he managed the Davis Teleportation Physics Study (AFRL-PR-ED-TR-2003-0034) and the Davis Advanced Propulsion Study (AFRL-PR-ED-TR-2004-0024), both under contract F04611-99-C-0025. In 2006, he co-authored the Knecht/Mead DPF paper (AFRL-PR-ED-TP-2005-359) that explicitly lists 'pulsed-train plasmoid weapons' and 'gravity devices' as military applications. In 2007, he co-authored the Davis/Mead Laser Lightcraft review (AFRL-PR-ED-TP-2007-470). The same project number (JON 48470159) and the same AFRL office (PRSP, Edwards AFB) funded all of the plasma orb research.

04 Network_Linkage

Mead connects to: Nachamkin (program manager), Eric Davis (contractor), Knecht (co-author), Myrabo (Lightcraft co-manager), AFRL/PRSP (institution), and the entire plasma orb weapons platform research program. He is the central figure who sustained the Air Force's plasma orb research for over 30 years.

05 Related_Entities (7)

Armour Research Foundation

Organization ←

Predecessor AF plasma weapons program

Winston H. Bostick

Person ←

Foundational plasmoid physicist

Kenneth R. Shoulders

Person ←

EVO work cited in AFRL programs

05b Related_Topics (2)

Directed Energy

usa → russia → china → israel → uk → germany → france → japan →

Plasma Propulsion

usa → russia → china → japan →

06 Research_Findings (2)

Finding

See AFRL Plasma Orb Program for findings related to Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP).

Finding

See Consolidated Master Findings for findings related to Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP).

07 Key_Findings

▸ had a 34-year career at AFRL and its predecessor laboratories at Edwards AFB.
▸ In 1972, he edited 'Advanced Propulsion Concepts - Project Outgrowth' (AFRPL-TR-72-31) at the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.
▸ In 1990, he was project manager for a DPF fusion propulsion study at Phillips Laboratory.

09 Timeline_Mentions (3)

1992-10-01

Nachamkin Force-Free Plasmoid Model

Jack Nachamkin (University of Dayton Research Institute) develops a 'heretofore unexplored solution of Maxwell's equations' for self-stable plasma orbs. Resonant sizes exist where the plasmoid does no

Research

2003-05-01

Davis Ball Lightning Study (AFRL)

Eric W. Davis (Warp Drive Metrics) publishes AFRL-PR-ED-TR-2002-0039 for AFRL/PRSP, Edwards AFB. Project manager: Dr. Frank Mead. JON 48470159. The study reviews Nachamkin's 1992 force-free plasmoid m

Research

2004-08-01

Davis Teleportation Physics Study (AFRL)

Eric W. Davis publishes AFRL-PR-ED-TR-2003-0034 for AFRL/PRSP. Contract F04611-99-C-0025. JON 48470159. Studies teleportation of material objects, spacetime metric manipulation, and vacuum electromagn

Research

View Full Timeline → View on Network Graph →

10 FAQ

What is Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

What role does Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) play in the research network? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is classified under the "Personnel" category, serving as Program manager of 30+ year AFRL plasma orb research program, belonging to the Plasma Weapons vertical group. Mead connects to: Nachamkin (program manager), Eric Davis (contractor), Knecht (co-author), Myrabo (Lightcraft co-manager), AFRL/PRSP (institution), and the entire plasma orb weapons platform...

What evidence supports the Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) assessment? ▾

The intelligence assessment for Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is supported by 2 primary sources, 1 PDF document, and 2 research findings. Key sources include "https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA257765.pdf" and "https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA446973.pdf". These documents provide the evidentiary basis for the analysis.

How does Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) connect to other entities in the network? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is connected to 7 entities in the intelligence network, including Jack Nachamkin (Person), Eric Davis (Person), and AFRL DPF 2006 (Document). Key relationships: Jack Nachamkin: Program manager for, Eric Davis: Contractor for, ; AFRL DPF 2006: Co-author of. Mead connects to: Nachamkin (program manager), Eric Davis (contractor), Knecht (co-author), Myrabo (Lightcraft co-manager), AFRL/PRSP (institution), and the entire plasma orb weapons platform...

What is known about Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

What is Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)'s role in the network? ▾

What research has been conducted on Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is referenced in 2 research documents. See AFRL Plasma Orb Program for findings related to Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP).

What research findings mention Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) appears in 2 research analysis documents, including "AFRL Plasma Orb Program" and "Consolidated Master Findings". See AFRL Plasma Orb Program for findings related to Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP).

What primary source PDFs are available for Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

1 PDF document is available: "Ball Lightning Study". This technical report, conducted by Eric W. Davis of Warp Drive Metrics for the Air Force Research Laboratory, reviews the observational characteristics, theories, and laboratory experiments...

How does Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) fit into the broader intelligence network? ▾

What are the alternative names or aliases for Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is also known as: Frank Mead, Franklin Mead Jr., and Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr.. These alternative names appear across different source documents and may reflect codenames, abbreviations, or historical references.

What external sources document Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is documented by 2 external sources, including 2 webpage. Notable references include "https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA257765.pdf" and "https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA446973.pdf".

What is the historical timeline for Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP)? ▾

Dr. Franklin B. Mead, Jr. (AFRL/PRSP) is referenced across documents spanning 1972–2007, with activity noted in 1972, 1990, and 1992. This temporal range is derived from the primary source documents in the research archive.