Combination pairs antenna and high-power amplifier engineering as demand grows for counter-UAS, electronic warfare, and resilient communications at the tactical edge

Antenna Research Associates, an OceanSound Partners portfolio company and an experienced provider of integrated radio frequency (“RF”) and advanced communications solutions spanning communications, tactical RF, and radar-critical subsystems for the aerospace and defense end markets, today announced a merger with Empower RF Systems (“Empower RF”). Empower RF is an established developer and manufacturer of high-power solid-state RF and microwave amplifiers.

The combination brings together ARA’s antenna and aperture expertise with Empower RF’s high-power amplifier technology, and joins two engineering teams with complementary strengths. It advances the combined company’s strategy of building a broader, integrated RF and communications platform, pairing high-power amplification solutions with advanced antenna and subsystem capabilities.

The merger comes as defense customers prioritize the capabilities that matter most at the tactical edge: defeating unmanned threats, operating and communicating in contested spectrum, and fielding new systems faster and at lower cost. Demand is rising for high-power RF solutions in counter-UAS and electronic warfare, in SATCOM ground infrastructure for rapidly growing satellite constellations, and in radar and threat simulation. Empower RF’s amplifiers serve these applications today, and ARA’s antennas and apertures, engineered for size-, weight-, power- and cost-constrained platforms, extend the RF chain. Together, the companies can deliver qualified hardware at the pace and volume the customers require.

“Our goal is to build a category leader in RF solutions: a single partner that can take a customer from antenna to amplifier to network across defense, space, and national security missions,” said Bill Gattle, President and CEO of ARA. “Empower RF is a natural fit. Its amplifier technology is proven in demanding environments, and inside contested spectrum, power and aperture cannot be engineered in isolation. Together, we will put more capable RF solutions into the hands of the warfighter.”

“Our team has spent more than two decades building amplifiers for critical missions where performance cannot be compromised,” said Jon Jacocks, CEO of Empower RF. “Bringing our engineers together with ARA’s gives us the scale and the antenna expertise to take our combined capabilities to more platforms and customers.”

“Empower RF’s and ARA’s engineers share the same mission focus, and together they will be a stronger company than either would be alone,” said Gattle. “This combination is an important step in ARA’s growth and is a key addition to the platform we are building at ARA, and we will keep adding technology that sets ARA apart and which enables it to deliver high performance communication solutions where it matters most.”

ARA and Empower RF will showcase their combined capabilities at the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C., October 12–14, Booth #[3055].