John Cunningham
Biography
John Cunningham is a Senior Civil Servant and currently Director Innovation responsible for UK Defence Innovation . His early career post after attaining a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry at Leeds University was as a fast-jet pilot and instructor. Tours included air defence missions over Bosnia, Quick Reaction Alert in the UK and the Falkland Islands, and selection as a Tornado F3 Instructor Pilot.
His final flying tour was in command of No. 3 Flying Training School, responsible for Europe’s largest flying training organisation encompassing Air Cadet gliding, University Air Squadrons, Elementary Flying Training and Multi-engine flying training, some 2300 aircrew and students. Non-flying tours included time at PJHQ Joint Force Headquarters as the head of the Plans Division, which included op deployments to Uganda and Ethiopia, and commander of Camp Bastion Airfield, 903 Expeditionary Air Wing.
As the Airfield Operating Authority, he was responsible for operating the UK military’s most complex airfield (equivalent to Gatwick Airport). Cunningham’s final RAF appointment was as the Typhoon Programme Director where he successfully delivered Project CENTURION which ensured critical complex weapon capability and software uplifts occurred on the Typhoon aircraft permitting the Tornado GR4 to retire from operational service in early-19. Prior to joining the Innovation Team, he was Head of UK Complex Weapons Portfolio including roles as a Senior Responsible Owner for multiple Defence Weapons Programmes and the UK industrial portfolios. In this post he was responsible for managing and delivering the UK Armed Forces guided weapon capability, managing R&D pull-through to exploit innovation, ensuring UK maintains the industrial skill-sets to deliver operational advantage, delivering the benefits of a UK sovereign portfolio, establishing the Directed Energy Weapons Programme (a game-changer programme), and across Defence ensuring military capability is protected. He is a graduate of the Government’s Major Projects Leadership Academy.