Dynetics

Dynetics, Inc. is an engineering, weapons-systems and information-technology company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. A Leidos investor presentation filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 17, 2019 gives its founding year as 1974, its workforce as 2,300 employees nationwide with 100 percent employee ownership, and its facilities as more than 350,000 square feet of production, assembly and test space including "Classified production capability." It lists customers including the United States Army, DARPA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, NASA and Special Operations Command, and names the company as "Prime, Common Hypersonic Glide Body," "Subcontractor, Long Range Hypersonic Weapon" and "Developer, Universal Stage Adapter."¹

Acquisition by Leidos

On December 17, 2019 Leidos Holdings and its subsidiary Leidos, Inc. entered a stock purchase agreement with DYHC, Inc. and the Dynetics, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Trust (part of the Dynetics, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan) to buy all issued shares for $1.65 billion in cash, subject to adjustments. A Form 8-K dated January 31, 2020 reports that the purchase closed that day, funded in part by a $1.25 billion bridge facility with Citibank as administrative agent. The accompanying press release gives Dynetics 2,300 employees, states that it would operate as a wholly owned subsidiary with chief executive David King reporting to Leidos chairman and chief executive Roger Krone, and names Baird (for Leidos) and Jefferies (for Dynetics) as financial advisors.²³ A Leidos release of January 22, 2024 quotes "Leidos Dynetics President Steve Cook."⁴

Missile and Space Intelligence Center contracts

Washington Technology reported on January 26, 2015 that Dynetics "has won a $172 million contract with the Defense Intelligence Agency to support its Missile and Space Intelligence Center," with scientific and technical support work at Redstone Arsenal "expected to be completed by Jan. 25, 2020." The report gives the center's mission as support to "field commanders, weapon system developers and policy makers with scientific and technical intelligence on surface-to-air missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and other weapons."⁵

On February 26, 2019 the Virginia Contracting Activity posted a synopsis for "Defensive Systems Analysis Support (DSAS)" for the center, stating that "required expertise shall include detailed knowledge of missile structures, propulsion systems," guidance and control techniques, position, navigation and timing techniques, advanced upper stage systems, and, in its words, "countermeasures, and counter-countermeasures, radar systems, electronic designs, antenna designs, transmitters, aerodynamic principles, sensors, computers, power sources, and optics."⁶ AFCEA SIGNAL reported on November 6, 2019 that Dynetics Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (HHM402-19-D-0023) "was awarded a five-year base with possible five-year option, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling value of $737,992,267," to "provide support services for the Missile and Space Intelligence Center," with work at Redstone Arsenal and Huntsville and an expected completion date of October 31, 2029; "The contract was awarded through a full and open solicitation, and one offer was received."⁷ The purchase of Dynetics by Leidos, recorded above, closed on January 31, 2020.

Mobile Force Protection

DARPA announced on August 21, 2017 that it had "recently awarded Phase 1 agreements for MFP to three teams, led by Dynetics, Inc. (Huntsville, Ala.), Saab Defense and Security USA, LLC (East Syracuse, N.Y.), and SRC, Inc. (North Syracuse, N.Y.)." The program manager was Jean-Charles Ledé of the Tactical Technology Office, and DARPA stated it was working on the program with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the United States Coast Guard. The release describes the program as countering small unmanned aircraft systems and names the Army's Maneuver Aviation and Fires Integration Application architecture as the common framework.⁸

On June 7, 2021 DARPA reported that "in recent tests at Eglin Air Force Base, DARPA's Mobile Force Protection (MFP) program demonstrated a Counter-Unmanned Air System (C-UAS) multilayer defense architecture," using "a newly-developed X band radar that automatically senses and identifies unmanned aerial system threats." The program manager was Gregory Avicola, and the release states that "Dynetics was the primary systems integrator."⁹

A Leidos release datelined Huntsville, January 22, 2024 states that the company and the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center's "Advanced Multilayered Mobile Force Protection (AM2FP)" team demonstrated a counter-small unmanned aircraft system at the Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment 2024, and that "Leidos' AM2FP work began under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Mobile Force Protection (MFP) program." It lists a "Multifunction X-Band Radar (MXR), an X-Band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar," and the "Co-axial Unmanned Guided Autonomous Rotorcraft (CUGAR)" interceptor, and states: "The current contract for upgrades to the MXR sensor, CUGAR interceptor and the C2 system is managed by the U.S. Army DEVCOM AvMC Radar Operations Facility (ROF) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama."⁴

DARPA agreement HR0011-17-9-0017

A public interest statement filed with the Federal Communications Commission (Dynetics' application for a two-year conventional experimental licence) states: "This experiment, a continuation of the Huntsville, AL and Eglin AFB operations previously authorized under STA (WN9XIR), involves the testing of a tracking and discrimination radar. This activity is necessary to support DARPA agreement No. HR0011-17-9-0017." It names a DARPA point of contact, lists the Dynetics Huntsville rooftop or ground sites and "Eglin AFB (Range B-70), FL," gives beam widths of 16.1 by 16.5 degrees (Configuration 1) and 8 by 8 degrees (Configuration 2) and a boresight elevation of less than 60 degrees, and adds: "Additional confidential information regarding the purpose and nature of the experiment is contained at Confidential Exhibit 3." The exhibit text carries no file number or date; the PDF's embedded metadata gives a creation date of February 19, 2019.¹⁰

The "HR0011-XX-9-XXXX" form is the numbering DARPA uses in its sample other-transaction agreement for prototypes.¹¹ No DARPA document opened places the number HR0011-17-9-0017 beside the Mobile Force Protection program, and the filing does not name a program.

Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium project 20-01-017

The awards page of the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium (AMTC), introduced as "The following projects have been awarded under the AMTC Other Transaction Agreements," lists in its "February 2021" block: project 20-01-017, requirement area GM-20-01-11, "Air and Missile Defense Radio Frequency Sensor Prototypes," AMTC member "Dynetics, Inc," project value "$20M." The Internet Archive copy of January 19, 2021 (17:31 UTC) ends its newest block at "December 2020" and does not carry the row; the copy of March 4, 2021 (08:55 UTC) carries it in a block headed "February 2021." The row is also present in copies of April 12, May 6, July 2 and December 6, 2021 and March 30, 2022, and does not appear in the copy of August 16, 2022 or on the page as read on October 4, 2026. The same block lists project 19-08-026 (PNTAX Prototype Technologies, T2S, LLC, $95.23M) and 20-01-144 (Low Earth Orbit Small Satellite Payload Technology, Iridium Satellite, $30.04M). The page gives no scope text, period of performance or sponsor.¹²

The consortium is an other-transaction arrangement between the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal and industry and academic consortia, for the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center.¹³ Other Dynetics rows on the page include 19-01-049 "Advanced Prototype Sensors" ($28M), 20-03-001 "Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) Prototypes" ($19.99M), 20-01-119 (March 2021 block, $47.38M), 21-01-030 "Sensor Prototypes for Long Range Precision Fire (LRPF) Missiles" ($36.56M), 22-01-040 "RF & IR Sensors and Seeker Prototypes" ($27.31M) and, under the name Leidos Dynetics, 25-01-010 "IBCS AMDPCS Convergence Inc 3 - JLTV & M1087A2 Expando Van" ($32.86M).¹²

FCC experimental licence WK2XCW

The FCC Experimental Licensing System lists call sign WK2XCW (station class MO, radar) in Dynetics' name. A modification filed February 3, 2022 (file 0025-EX-CM-2022) lists nine sites: Huntsville, Yuma Proving Ground, White Sands Missile Range, Dugway Proving Ground, two at Eglin Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Redstone Arsenal and Joint Base Andrews, with 9.2 to 9.9 GHz, 19.2 W mean and 7.6 kW peak power and emission designator 100MQ3N; it carries "U.S. government contract: Yes" and no Sierra Blanca location.¹⁴

Later filings list a Sierra Blanca, Texas entry ("Ground Temp Fixed and Mobile, Sierra Blanca, TX," Hudspeth County, Texas, 31 20 05 N, 105 30 16 W, 10 km radius). The filings are file 0012-EX-CM-2023 (filed January 16, 2023), 0148-EX-CM-2023 (May 5, 2023), 0007-EX-CM-2024 (January 10, 2024; adds "Ground Temporary Fixed and Mobile - Albuquerque, NM," within 10 km of 34-58-01 N, 106-26-44 W), 0127-EX-CR-2024 (February 15, 2024), 0161-EX-CM-2025 (July 30, 2025) and 0179-EX-CR-2026 (February 24, 2026). The exhibit to the February 2024 renewal (0127-EX-CR-2024), titled "Contract and Stop Buzzer Update Notification," states that the license file "should be updated to reflect support for the contract set forth below - which replaces the previously specified contract (DARPA No. HR0011-17-9-0017): New Contract: Agency/Customer: AvMC Contract No.: AMTC 20-01-017." The exhibit to the July 2025 modification states: "The contract below replaces the previously specified contract (DARPA No. HR0011-17-9-0017): New Contract: Agency/Customer: AvMC Contract No.: AMTC 20-01-017." The 2026 renewal's Exhibit 1 states "No Updates to Supported Contract Information: Agency/Customer: AvMC Contract No.: AMTC 20-01-017." Other licensees filing for Sierra Blanca locations in the same period are listed on Sierra Blanca, Texas.¹⁵