Tiberius Aerospace has named Blythe Crawford CBE as its new Director of GRAIL, marking a strategic step in enhancing the company’s defense innovation and supply chain integration capabilities. According to the press release, Crawford brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career in the Royal Air Force, combined with academic roles and ongoing doctoral research in innovation and strategy at Durham University.
Crawford concluded his tenure as an Air Commodore and Commandant of the Air and Space Warfare Centre, where he played a pivotal role in transforming capability development, including support operations for Ukraine. His RAF career also includes 15 years flying the Tornado F3, staff appointments in NATO and at the Pentagon, and leadership of major operations such as oversee Typhoon transitions and deployments to Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Academically, Crawford holds Master’s degrees in International Relations from Cambridge and Defence Studies from King’s College London. He has also held several leadership roles, such as Station Commander at RAF Leeming, where he established the RAF’s inaugural innovation hub, RAFX, and served as Aide-de-Camp to HM the Queen. Recognized with an OBE in 2015 and elevated to CBE in 2021, he continues to pursue a Doctorate in Innovation, Technology and Strategy. Additionally, he is a Professor in Practice at Durham University, a visiting fellow at Oxford’s Changing Character of War programme, and holds fellowships in prestigious institutions including the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Upon joining Tiberius Aerospace, Crawford expressed his excitement in spearheading the company’s GRAIL initiative, which he described as a platform marrying objective design with a massive, agile global supply chain—enabling Allied nations to leverage continuous innovation akin to Silicon Valley-style development practices. He also emphasized his commitment to applying his operational expertise and passion for transformation to foster resilient defense solutions through collaboration with small innovators, established primes, and government entities.
