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U.S. Air Force retired Col. Drew Allen is the deputy executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute. At the University of Oklahoma, he serves as director of research initiatives in the Office of the Vice President of Research and Partnerships.
Allen attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and math while playing four years of intercollegiate baseball for the Falcons. He then embarked on a 25-year Air Force career as a fighter pilot and development test pilot.
Allen was the commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California during the height of F-35 development, He also served as commander of the 704th Test Group at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and of a Data Masked Wing at an undisclosed location.
Allen also completed staff assignments in the Joint Staff (J8) and the Air Staff (F-35 Integration Office). He accumulated over 3,300 flight hours in over 55 different aircraft types. He is the only pilot in history to be qualified in every modern Air Force fighter aircraft: the F-15, F-16, F-22, F-35, and F-117. He was a distinguished graduate (No. 11 graduate) of Undergraduate Pilot Training, the Fighter Fundamentals Course, Pilot Instructor Training, Squadron Officer School, and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.
He holds master’s degrees in diplomacy and flight test engineering and was a National Defense Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses. His wife, Kim, is a civilian contracting officer for the Air Force.
Allen is a native of Owasso, Oklahoma, and a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation.
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