Ballistic Community Will Miss Konrad Frank

Upon graduation from the Technical University of Vienna with a Diploma Engineer degree in Electrical Engineering, Konrad Frank's technical expertise was noted early. He was recruited in 1960 by the US Army to come to the United States where he started his career at the US Army Ballistic Research Laboratory at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, became a naturalized US citizen and where he worked for the next 44 years. While his early work involved the development of laser technology, his wide technical training in mathematics and mechanics was a valuable asset and he became part of a team of US researchers that initiated the development of modern US antiarmor munitions, still in use today. Over the next four decades, he became the preeminent US expert in the field of penetration mechanics and the development of US kinetic energy penetrators. Today, every US soldier that goes into harms way, can thank the dedication and technical diligence that he exhibited in his career. Konrad Frank was elected as a BRL Fellow, the highest recognition of his peers, represented the United States in many international forums and retired from the now US Army Research Laboratory in 2003. His legacy will be long remembered.