Navy Honors Draper Principal Director with FBM Lifetime Achievement Award

CAMBRIDGE, MA—U.S missiles must meet rigorous requirements for accuracy and reliability to ensure that they will perform as needed in order to provide a credible strategic deterrent. The design challenge requires extensive modeling and simulation, harsh environmental testing, including radiation, and comprehensive system validation.

The U.S. Navy honored William C. Tsacoyeanes (Bill T), who helped the service meet these requirements as he oversaw the design and development of a majority of the MARK 6 MOD 1 Guidance System, which is used in the Trident II, in roles leading up to principal director for the Strategic Program (SSP) at Draper, with its Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) Lifetime Achievement Award during a May 25 ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard.

According to the Navy statement, the FBM Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes industry partners who have demonstrated “technical brilliance, innovation and expertise in their field.” Tsacoyeanes’s work included leading the implementation of several novel design approaches, modular system design, comprehensive modeling and simulation and rapid spiral development of the MARK 6 MOD 1 Guidance System.

“The technical approaches and knowledge base Bill established over his years of service to SSP will be a legacy that continues to provide benefits to the next generation of avionics design,” said Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, Jr., the Navy’s Director of Strategic Systems Programs.

Tsacoyeanes, whose Draper career spanned 34 years, was instrumental in formulating and helping to drive SSP’s model-based engineering initiative, and provided leadership in the Life Extension Electronic Parts Program that provided robust parts and significant cost savings for flight system electronics. Following his retirement from Draper, he has continued to serve as a mentor on the Trident program.