Verus Research is one of 30 companies nationwide selected to participate in a $950,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the maturation, demonstration and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

“Hundreds of companies sought to garner this award and fewer than thirty were selected,” according to Verus Research Chief Technology Officer, Dr. J. Mark DelGrande.  Under this award, “we will support the Air Force’s desire to leverage commercial technologies, infrastructure, and data sharing best practices to deliver modernized operational capability to the Joint warfighter.”

Dr. DelGrande also noted Verus Research’s “increasing diversity across multiple technical domains, including sensors, electronic warfare, communications, directed energy, system assessment, and testing, was key to securing this win.”

This contract is part of a multiple award multi-level security effort to provide development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum) in an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities via multiple integrated platforms.

Verus Research announces the appointment of James Barlow as the company’s new technical director for electronic warfare.  Barlow will lead Verus Research’s efforts in electronic warfare and will aid in developing technologies that will utilize the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to sense a threat, attack an enemy, or protect against an assault.

“We are thrilled to welcome James to our award-winning team,” said Dan Treibel, senior director for sensors and instrumentation for Verus Research.  “He will provide the type of leadership that we are striving for at Verus Research as we continue to grow and expand our work in electronic warfare.  With his technical and military background, James is an extremely valuable asset and his leadership will help us deliver innovative and creative solutions for our clients utilizing electronic warfare to protect against and attack adversaries.”

Barlow joins Verus Research after working as a defense space systems engineer for MITRE corporation in the Space, Cyber, & Intel Solutions department.  He also worked as multi-discipline systems engineer in the MITRE’s Space and IO Innovations department and its Advanced ISR Solutions department.  Prior to MITRE Corporation, Barlow was the ISR domain expert at Battelle Memorial Institute and a principal intelligence analyst for CACI-NSR, Inc.

Barlow also has extensive experience in the military.  He served as a U.S. Army Aviator and in the Military Intelligence Office, was a combat developer at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, and was a Military Intelligence Aerial Exploitation Company commander.  He has substantial professional education and training in policy analysis for systems engineers and management, completed the contracting officer’s representative course and MASINT collection course, attended air ground operations school, and has training in combating terrorism on installations.  He also has years of experience in aviation training and has completed several additional courses including the U.S. Army Initial Entry Rotary Wing Aviator course and the U.S. Army Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Qualification course.  He also received FAA certificates for commercial pilot, airplane multi-engine land, rotorcraft, instrument airplane and helicopter, and type rating BE200.  In addition to his military experience, Barlow earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History at the University of Mississippi in 1989.

“I am excited to begin a new chapter at Verus Research,” said Barlow.  “I am confident that our team will produce quality, innovative products and services for our electronic warfare clients.”

Verus Research announces the expansion and buildout of a new research facility in Northeast Albuquerque.  The fast-growing technology company will move into the empty big-box retail space, formerly Babies R Us, at 45 Hotel Circle NE in August.  In addition to the new 41,240 square feet of research and office space, Verus Research will maintain its multi-floor headquarters at 6100 Uptown Boulevard NE in Albuquerque as well as its two other lab and office spaces throughout the city.

Working with Verus Research since 2014, Resolut RE, a commercial real estate company located in Albuquerque, has supported the company’s growth during the past seven years and was tasked with helping the company expand in a limited industrial real estate market.  As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted retail space, it provided Resolut RE with a creative way to support its client as well as the Albuquerque business community.  “To meet the growing needs of Verus Research, we had to creatively look at the problem and find the right space to accommodate the company’s expansion in Albuquerque,” said Rob Powell, principal with Resolut RE.  “Once we identified the unique big-box location, we collaborated with Improve Group and Design Plus to develop a cutting-edge interior design transforming a retail space into a state-of-the-art research location for one of New Mexico’s leading technology companies.”

For the space to accommodate Verus Research’s needs, Improve Group, a design and construction integrator based in Albuquerque, collaborated with Design Plus Architects and developed a systemized construction system using DIRTT (Doing it Right this Time) and other systems which utilized the flexibility and sustainability of the space to encourage growth.  “We helped create a workplace systems approach for Verus Research that incorporates the company’s vision of solving problems through innovative solutions.  The smart component-based system we developed where walls can be moved like Legos will help stimulate and accommodate internal growth for the next 10 years,” said Matt Procter, president of Improve Group.  “Verus Research encouraged us to take a different design approach and we reinvented the space through technology and modernization, creating a workplace that will improve employee experiences, encourage collaboration among team members and inspire innovative solutions for clients.”

Design Plus, an Albuquerque-based architectural design firm, worked closely with Verus Research to create a solutions-oriented work environment built around the vision, collaboration, and achievements of its scientists and engineers.  “We developed an anthology of space(s) that became the underlying philosophy and logic for the Verus Workplace System (VWS).  This determined an integration between public and private activity, the manifestation of the company’s culture, the creation and implementation of an innovative interior design system, and more.  Verus Research made a unique investment in its physical and virtual work environments and encouraged us to bring a new perspective to the design and construction of its newest laboratory,” said Rupal Engineer, president of Design Plus.

AIC General Contractor, an Albuquerque-based general contractor, will perform and manage the construction of Verus Research’s new 41,240 square feet research facility beginning this week.  “We have worked with Verus Research since its initial expansion six years ago and we are thrilled to help them convert a retail space to offices and a laboratory testing area for their clients,” said David Shaffer, president of AIC General Contractor.  “We will work closely with Improve Group and Design Plus to complete the layout of partition walls and infrastructure needed to accommodate the DIRTT-based interior, build ramps, bring the facility up to current codes and install rollup doors, and more to help bring Verus Research’s vision to life.”

The building at 45 Hotel Circle NE is part of the commercial property portfolio of Gardenswartz Realty, a substantial New Mexico property investment company.  The lease agreement was signed on March 15, 2021.  “Verus Research is an outstanding forward-thinking company and its expansion to the new building will allow it to grow, provide more jobs and research opportunities in the state, and help improve the local economy,” said Art Gardenswartz and Sonya Priestly, managing partners of Gardenswartz Realty.  “We are thrilled to have Verus Research as a tenant and able to provide a locally-owned company with the opportunity to improve its business and the community it supports.”

“Verus Research was founded in 2014 and it has always been our goal to remain in Albuquerque and support the community where our employees live, work and play, through growth and recruitment, new job opportunities, and economic development for the city and state.  Resolut RE, the Improve Group, Design Plus, AIC and Gardenswartz Realty have taken leadership roles and worked together to support our vision of creating a scientific research and development environment built around creatively solving our customer’s most difficult technical problems,” said Hank Andrews, managing director and CFO of Verus Research.  “Our expansion will provide room for offices, team collaboration centers, testing facilities, equipment and product storage, large open laboratories and 10 program-specific laboratory stations all under one roof.  The size and location of the space and its futuristic interior design will provide Verus Research with the ability to grow and support our customers and community for many years to come.”

“Verus Research has been a part of Albuquerque for nearly 10 years,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “It is a testament to the city’s strength throughout this pandemic that we are continuing moving toward recovery and seeing growth. Congrats to Verus Research on its expansion and thank you for continuing to be an integral part of the community and the city’s emergent role in tech.”

Verus Research has won its largest ever contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate, the center of excellence for space technology research and development.

The $9.7 million, 57-month effort is part of the Research Options for Space Enterprise Technologies (ROSET) focusing on future space communications.

Verus Research teamed with a group of industry-leading technology companies and institutions in winning this work, including Vulcan Wireless, PnP Innovations, IDEAS Engineering & Technology, Libration Systems Management, SA Photonics, Tau Technologies, Fibertek, and the University of New Mexico.

The scope of this effort includes research and development, modeling and simulation, algorithm development, and hardware development all geared to advance state of the art in satellite communication systems.

Work will include design, fabrication, integration, and test of advanced network architectures, components, and systems, such as radio-frequency and free space optical communications platforms.  This will include research and development in autonomous coordinated satellite control and communications, from algorithm development through hardware-in-the-loop testing.

Initially, Verus Research will develop solutions for coordinated satellite control and help stand up the Local Intelligent Networked Collaborative Satellites (LINCS) Laboratory at AFRL.

The Verus Research Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) effort passed a major milestone in December 2020.  Following a rigorous, multi-disciplinary review, the DPF transitioned from a pure “science and technology” (S&T) program to now being on track to deliver a robust pulsed neutron test capability under the Central Test & Evaluation Investment Program (CTEIP). CTEIP is the overarching test infrastructure creation and management arm of the Department of Defense.

This post-S&T effort will extend Verus Research’s prior technology development successes and will now include coordinating with White Sands Missile Range to integrate the technology into a fully functional pulsed neutron test facility for the Army.

Extending its innovative support for U.S. Army programs, Verus Research has won its first award under the Modernizing Instrumentation Solutions for Test and Evaluation (MISTE) contract vehicle managed by TMC Design Corporation for the Army’s Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI). MISTE takes an enterprise approach to modernizing operational and developmental test instrumentation across the test and evaluation communities.

Verus Research won a 4-year, $15M delivery order under the MISTE to provide Rapid Test Systems for Directed Energy (RaTS-DE) applications. Under the RaTS-DE umbrella, Verus Research will design, develop, fabricate, integrate, and test multiple RaTS-DE capabilities, including specialized sensor systems to measure newly emerging high-power microwave (HPM) capabilities, the development of novel battle damage assessment tools, and the design and delivery of all-new surrogate threat systems to better simulate the HPM environment.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded Verus Research a third task order under the RDH-1 Call 6 High Power Microwave (HPM) Effects contract.

Following on to Verus Research’s success in task orders 1 and 2, AFRL’s High-Power Electromagnetics Division will look to Verus Research to assess weapon system performance and target effects, while also enriching understanding of causal effects mechanisms to help guide future HPM system development. Under this effort, Verus Research will also continue improvements to the Joint Radio-frequency Effectiveness Model (JREM) and its application for test planning, mission modeling, and weaponeering.

The Verus Research task order 3 team will also support HPM test and evaluation efforts at multiple test ranges across the country in Joint HPM system assessments, enabling the HPM community to transition this innovative technology to the warfighter.

The U.S. Army xTech program is accelerating innovative technology solutions to solve Army challenges.  To support this goal, xTech has awarded Verus Research a $1.7M, 18-month Phase 2 Small Business Innovative Research contract to develop Coherent Chaos-based Low Probability of Intercept (LPI)/Low Probability of Detection (LPD) Communication Systems.

This is the largest win for Verus Research in the radio frequency communications domain. Outcomes from this effort will support the Army’s need to develop an Ultra Narrow-Band Emergency Radio with strong LPI/LPD and LP-Geo capability, making it difficult for adversaries to detect and geolocate the platforms using them.

AFWERX, the Air Force framework that seeks to expand technology and talent and transition partnerships to deliver rapid and affordable commercial and military capabilities, recently awarded two Small Business Technology Transfer (Phase 1) contracts to Verus Research.

Streamlined Data-Driven Anomaly Detection, an award in conjunction with the University of Colorado Boulder, will develop satellite anomaly detection software using machine learning. This includes designing onboard data management software to begin to deploy autonomous data and fault management services for satellites. The work will support the Air Force Research Laboratory’s small satellite portfolio, autonomy group, and space security and defense program.

The second effort, Assured and Autonomous Coordinated Inspection, an award in conjunction with the University of Texas at Austin, will provide coordinated satellite control software that will enable autonomous satellite operations. Using this tool, multiple satellites will work together autonomously to achieve a common goal with safety and performance assurances built into the solution. This research will support the U.S. Space Force’s Space & Missile Systems Center.

The U.S. Air Force is conducting operational testing in Africa of the Tactical High-Power Microwave Operational Responder (THOR) electromagnetic weapon to protect air bases by disabling drones or swarms of drones. An AFRL team, including BAE Systems and Albuquerque-based Verus Research, developed THOR. Please visit Defense Daily to see the full report.