ARA
ARA is a 100% employee-owned U.S. defense and energy R&D firm that delivers modeling and simulation, integrated systems engineering, autonomy, blast effects software, and patented hydrothermal pretreatment technologies to federal agencies and commercial customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ARA does
Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is a private, 100% employee-owned science and engineering research and development company founded in 1979 and headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with more than 2,000 employee-owners operating from over 50 U.S. locations across 20+ states plus an office in Ontario, Canada. The company delivers integrated systems engineering, physics-based modeling and simulation, physical design and testing, rapid prototyping and manufacturing, digital modernization, and training solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense (Navy, Air Force, Army, DARPA), the intelligence community, federal civilian agencies, and selected commercial customers, with core capabilities spanning defense technologies, civil engineering, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, biomedical engineering, environmental technologies, and blast testing.
ARA monetizes through four primary streams: (1) cost-plus and IDIQ government R&D contracts executed through vehicles such as GSA ASTRO, OASIS+, Alliant 3, SeaPort-NxG, and MDA Shield, with recent anchor awards including a $111.5M Naval Research Laboratory IDIQ and partnered work on the Air Force's Next Generation Penetrator; (2) technology licensing of its patented Hydrothermal Cleanup (HCU) Pretreat, Hydrothermal Refining, Hydrothermal Fat Splitting, and Plastic Pyrolysis Purification processes to refineries such as Montana Renewables and Sinclair Wyoming; (3) commercial off-the-shelf software sold via the ARA WebStore (DPlot, 3D Blast, WINGARD LE/PE, DCMS, A.T. Blast, MPPD) on annual subscriptions ranging from $99 to $1,749; and (4) specialty products including the Switchback autonomous tracked platform. The company maintains ISO 9001:2015 and CMMI Level 3 v3.0 certifications and recently achieved DARPA ERIS Marketplace awardable status.
ARA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ARA
- Legal name
- Applied Research Associates, Inc.
- Website
- https://ara.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- ARA is a 100% employee-owned U.S. defense and energy R&D firm that delivers modeling and simulation, integrated systems engineering, autonomy, blast effects software, and patented hydrothermal pretreatment technologies to federal agencies and commercial customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ARA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Defense Engineering and Research Services
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reliability, Safety & Risk Engineering (RAMS/PSM) Consulting (BPAHAIAK), IAEA Safeguards Implementation & Verification Support (inspections, declarations, reporting) (EUAKAJAE)
Keywords
Where ARA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices54 records
Markets served
ARA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Defense Contracts: ARA generates significant revenue through government R&D contracts with Department of Defense agencies including DARPA, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and other defense agencies. Recent contracts include $111.5M NRL R&D contract, Air Force Next Generation Penetrator development, and Navy maritime defense programs.
- Naval Research Laboratory Contract: $111.5 million IDIQ contract from U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to provide research, development, and support services for the Center for High Performance Computing, with concurrent task order worth $14.6M with options reaching $44.6M.
- Technology Licensing - HCU Pretreat: ARA licenses its patented Hydrothermal Cleanup (HCU) Pretreat technology to refineries. Licensing agreements include Montana Renewables (10,000 BPD unit) and Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company (7,500 BPD unit) for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel production.
- Software Products: Commercial off-the-shelf software sales including DPlot Version 3 ($229), annual licenses, renewals, and professional training for blast analysis, window glazing analysis, and component modeling software.
- Specialty Products: Sale of specialty products including Switchback autonomous tracked platform, HCU Pretreat systems, and other engineered solutions for defense and industrial applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | DPlot Version 3 - Full License |
| Subscription | Annual | 3D Blast - Annual License |
| Subscription | Annual | WINGARD LE - Annual License |
| Subscription | Annual | WINGARD PE - Annual License |
| Subscription | Annual | DCMS - Annual License |
| Subscription | Annual | A.T. Blast - Annual License |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Online Training - Wingard PE Basic |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Online Training - DCMS Basic |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
ARA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ARA provides science and engineering research and development, technical support services, and specialty products for national security, infrastructure, health solutions, and energy and environment markets. The company delivers integrated systems engineering, modeling and simulation, physical design and testing, rapid prototyping and manufacturing, digital modernization, training solutions, and proprietary products including autonomy software, blast analysis tools, and renewable fuel pretreatment technologies.
Product overview
ARA offers a diverse portfolio of software products, hardware platforms, and process technologies across defense, energy, and environmental sectors. The core products include: DPlot (graphing/visualization software), multiple blast analysis tools (3D Blast, WINGARD LE/PE, A.T. Blast), structural modeling software (DCMS, MPPD), mission planning systems (PENCRV3D_RSM), and specialized simulation platforms (CBVR2, IMEA/UTAS). Hardware offerings include Switchback (autonomous tracked platform) and Offroad Autonomy/N-Drive (vehicle autonomy systems). Process technologies include HCU Pretreat (renewable diesel pretreatment), Plastic Pyrolysis Purification, Hydrothermal Fat Splitting, and Hydrothermal Refining for biofuels production. ARA also develops advanced defense capabilities including directed energy weapons, space domain awareness tools, and nuclear-based power systems (SYMPHONEE). The company operates through various contract vehicles including GSA schedules and IDIQ contracts for government procurement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Neya Systems: A division of Applied Research Associates specializing in off-road autonomy solutions for uncrewed ground vehicles.
- Virtual Heroes
- Weston Geophysical Group
- Vertek
- HCU Pretreat
- Hydrothermal Refining
- Hydrothermal Fat Splitting
- Plastic Pyrolysis Purification
- DPlot
- 3D Blast
- WINGARD PE
- WINGARD LE
- DCMS
- A.T. Blast
- IMEA/UTAS
Products and services
- DPlot Version 3 Professional graphing and visualization software for engineers, scientists, researchers, and technical professionals that creates publication-quality 2D and 3D plots, surface maps, contour visualizations, and technical graphics from complex datasets.
- HCU Pretreat Patented Hydrothermal Cleanup feedstock pretreatment technology for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel production. Single-step process using water, heat, and pressure to remove phosphorus, metals, chlorine, and polyethylene from fat, oil, and grease feedstocks.
- Switchback High mobility, autonomous ready, tracked platform with modular mission payloads designed for UAS deployment, robotic arm operations, terrain shaping, and obstacle defeat missions.
- Offroad Autonomy (N-Drive) Multi-domain, vehicle-agnostic autonomy software stack for rugged ground environments supporting defense and industrial applications including reconnaissance, construction, mining, and convoy operations. Features include minimal GPS dependency, vegetation filtering, dust filtering, and negative obstacle detection for cluttered terrain.
- CBVR2 Virtual world technology platform for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) defense simulation and mission readiness training, integrating high-fidelity hazard simulations into dynamic mission-based environments.
- IMEA/UTAS Integrated Munitions Effects Assessment software system for weapons effects prediction, Hard and Deeply Buried Target (HDBT) analysis, and Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) targeting assessments with 5000+ building, bunker, and tunnel target models.
- PENCRV3D_RSM Mission planning software developed for the ERDC Impact and Explosives Effects Branch that employs hybrid optimization strategies combining evolutionary algorithms with direct search gradient methods for complex attack scenario planning.
- 3D Blast Blast design software for quick calculation and visualization of loads on different building shapes from open-air explosions of bare hemispherical charges, mapping pressure and impulse distribution on building facades to 3D models.
- WINGARD PE Window Glazing Analysis Response and Design Professional Edition for blast and glazing specialists providing detailed control over glazing and loading models for simultaneous analysis of multiple window openings.
- WINGARD LE Window Glazing Analysis Response and Design Limited Edition for architects and planners providing quick preliminary solutions for common glazing systems loaded with basic blast loads.
- DCMS (Dynamic Component Modeling Software) Dynamic Component Modeling Software for analysis and design of building structures subjected to dynamic loads with focus on blast analysis, including robust SDOF and TDOF solvers and built-in modeling tools.
- A.T. Blast Blast loading parameters calculator for open-air hemispherical explosions that calculates shock front velocity, time of arrival, pressure, impulse, and equivalent linear load duration based on explosive charge weight and distance.
- MPPD (Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry Model) Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry Model for analyzing particle dosimetry in respiratory tract models.
- Space Analysis Tools Suite Comprehensive suite of space domain awareness tools including AURORAS orbit reconstruction, HORUS SSA image processing, SISR ISR simulation, CUPP communication prediction, AFSIM integration, GIQE image quality, and sensor performance modeling.
- Hydrothermal Refining (HR) Single-step continuous process for degumming crude oils using turbulent flow to hydrolyze phospholipids into diglycerides, resulting in yield savings of 2-6% compared to traditional methods.
- Hydrothermal Fat Splitting (HFS) Single-step continuous process to produce clean free fatty acids and glycerin from vegetable oils and waste fats, oils, and greases. Alternative to Colgate-Emery process achieving over 90% hydrolysis conversion in 1/10th the residence time.
- Plastic Pyrolysis Purification (PPP) Single-step refinery-friendly solution to remove contaminants from plastic pyrolysis oil using high temperatures, pressure, water, and turbulent flow, producing pretreated pyrolysis oil ready for steam cracking or hydroprocessing with nearly 100% yield.
- Weapon Payload & System Development Offensive Counter-WMD weapon system development and testing services including BLU-118 Quick Reaction Development and Air Force 5,000 pound hard target penetrator development.
- Non-Kinetic & Directed Energy Weapons Solutions Directed energy solutions including counter-material, counter-drone, and EOD laser tools, high power microwave system development, and non-lethal weapons research and development support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Preserves nearly 100% of feedstock vs 5-10% mass loss with competing technologies
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ARA
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ARA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature13 records
ARA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)coreARA achieved 'awardable' status through DARPA's ERIS Marketplace, making its CNIPR solution eligible for rapid acquisition by authorized Department of War customers. DARPA's designation validates ARA's platform as post-competitive and ready for government procurement.
- Northrop GrummancoreARA is a partner in Morgan State University's $3.37 million DARPA 'Rads to Watts' contract for the SYMPHONEE radiovoltaic micro-power project to develop long-duration nuclear-based power systems for extreme environments in space, defense, and remote infrastructure applications.
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)majorPNNL is a partner in the DARPA 'Rads to Watts' SYMPHONEE project alongside Northrop Grumman, ARA, Widetronix, and Omega Project to develop radiovoltaic micro-power technology.
- WidetronixmajorWidetronix is a partner in the DARPA SYMPHONEE project to develop long-duration nuclear-based power systems converting radioactive decay directly into electricity.
- Project OmegamajorOmega Project is a partner in the DARPA SYMPHONEE project alongside Morgan State University, Northrop Grumman, PNNL, ARA, and Widetronix.
- American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation (ACMI)majorARA and Energetics Technology Center are inaugural tenants and partners at the Maryland Energetics Innovation Hub (MEIH), a defense manufacturing and innovation hub near NSWC Indian Head Division. The project is backed by $50M initial award expected to catalyze $250M total investment with operations beginning in 2027.
- NSWC Indian Head DivisioncoreARA is an inaugural tenant at the Maryland Energetics Innovation Hub being developed near NSWC Indian Head Division. The hub is designed to modernize U.S. energetics and munitions production.
- U.S. Naval Research LaboratorycoreARA secured a $111.5 million IDIQ contract from NRL to provide research, development, and support services for the Center for High Performance Computing. The contract includes a concurrent task order worth $14.6 million with options potentially reaching $44.6 million.
- American RheinmetallmajorARA's Neya Systems partnered with American Rheinmetall for collaborative autonomous breaching capability demonstration at XPONENTIAL 2026, combining advanced autonomy stack with best-in-class air and ground platforms.
- AM GeneralmajorARA partnered with AM General for autonomous breaching capability demonstration at XPONENTIAL 2026, integrating N-Drive autonomy stack with platforms for large-scale breaching lane clearance.
- Morgan State UniversitycoreARA is a partner in Morgan State University's first DARPA award - a $2.4M 'Rads to Watts' grant (potentially $3.3M+ over 30 months with options) to develop SYMPHONEE device concept for converting nuclear radiation into electrical energy. Morgan State is the first HBCU to lead such a DARPA project.
- U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)coreARA partnered with ERDC for construction experiment at Fort McCoy testing additive construction (3D printing) technology. ERDC partnered with ARA, University of Arkansas, Iowa State University, and Robotic Construction Technologies.
- AeroVironment (AV)coreARA's Neya Systems division partnered with AeroVironment as lead software and systems integrator for U.S. Army's Human-Machine Integrated Formations (HMIF) Increment 1 program. Neya provides advanced autonomy capabilities for Kinesis tactical mission planning and command and control software.
- BoeingcoreARA partnered with Boeing for a 24-month Air Force contract to develop prototypes of the Next Generation Penetrator, the successor to the GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb. ARA covers overall design, production of test articles, and integration work on the tail kit.
- AUVSImajorNeya Systems partnered with AUVSI to develop a NIST-defined cybersecurity certification framework for unmanned ground systems, advancing industry standards for UGV security.
- Montana RenewablescoreARA licensed its HCU Pretreat technology to Montana Renewables for the first commercial unit (10,000 BPD) at Great Falls, MT. The unit successfully launched in May 2023 for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel production.
- Sinclair Wyoming Refining CompanycoreARA licensed its HCU Pretreat technology to Sinclair for development of 7,500 BPD renewable feedstock pretreatment unit at Sinclair, Wyoming refinery. Detailed design completed and construction initiated with commissioning expected in 2022.
- Euglena Co.majorARA partnered with Euglena Co. and Chevron Lummus Global to successfully produce the world's first renewable jet fuel from Euglena-derived lipids meeting ASTM D7566 Annex 6 standards at Euglena's biofuel manufacturing demonstration plant in Yokohama, Japan.
- Chevron Lummus Global (CLG)coreARA and Chevron Lummus Global jointly developed the Biofuels ISOCONVERSION process technology used at Euglena's demonstration plant for producing renewable jet and diesel fuels from bio-based feedstocks.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
ARA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI): SwRI is a nonprofit, employee-influenced contract R&D organization with a similar broad portfolio spanning defense, energy, and applied engineering. Comparable to ARA in business model (contract research for government and industry), customer base (DoD, DOT, energy sector), and capability breadth (testing, modeling & simulation, prototype development).
- Battelle Memorial Institute: Battelle is a large nonprofit applied science organization managing U.S. national laboratories (PNNL, ORNL, etc.) and providing defense, energy, and homeland security R&D. Directly comparable to ARA's defense and energy research services and its government R&D contract model.
- MITRE Corporation: MITRE operates multiple federally funded R&D centers (FFRDCs) and is heavily involved in defense systems engineering, mission planning, and weapons effects analysis. Directly comparable to ARA's IMEA/UTAS target characterization and mission planning capabilities.
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory: MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center focused on advanced defense technologies including space domain awareness, autonomous systems, and directed energy. Comparable to ARA's space surveillance (AURORAS, HORUS), directed energy, and autonomy capabilities.
- Applied Physics Laboratory (Johns Hopkins APL): Johns Hopkins APL is a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) providing critical national security R&D across missiles, autonomous systems, and space. Comparable to ARA's defense R&D depth in weapons systems, autonomy, and space domain awareness, though much larger.
- Alion Science and Technology: Alion is a mid-sized defense engineering R&D services provider focused on naval engineering, ISR, and weapons systems. Closely comparable to ARA in size, mission focus, and reliance on DoD R&D contracts, with similar mix of technical services and proprietary products.
- DCS Corporation: DCS Corporation is an employee-owned defense engineering services firm serving Army and DoD clients with technical expertise in weapons systems, autonomy, and modeling & simulation. Closely comparable to ARA's ownership model, DoD engineering services mix, and technology-development orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Leidos Holdings: Leidos is a large federal science and technology solutions provider with deep DoD and intelligence community relationships. Overlaps with ARA across defense systems engineering, autonomy, and mission software but operates at significantly greater scale across a broader portfolio.
- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC): SAIC is a major federal IT and engineering services contractor serving DoD, intelligence, and civilian agencies. Comparable to ARA in government engineering services, systems integration, and modeling & simulation, though SAIC is substantially larger and broader.
- Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading management and technology consulting firm with deep DoD and intelligence community penetration. Comparable to ARA in defense consulting and engineering services delivery but with significantly broader civilian and digital transformation practices.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ARA social profiles
Digital presenceARA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
ARA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ARA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
ARA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ARA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ARA
What does ARA do?
ARA provides science and engineering research and development, technical support services, and specialty products for national security, infrastructure, health solutions, and energy and environment markets. The company delivers integrated systems engineering, modeling and simulation, physical design and testing, rapid prototyping and manufacturing, digital modernization, training solutions, and proprietary products including autonomy software, blast analysis tools, and renewable fuel pretreatment technologies.
Is ARA a public or private company?
ARA is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was ARA founded?
ARA was founded in 1979. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is ARA based?
ARA is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does ARA make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Government Defense Contracts are the primary driver. The others are naval Research Laboratory Contract, technology Licensing - HCU Pretreat, software Products and specialty Products.
Who are ARA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Battelle Memorial Institute, MITRE Corporation, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Applied Physics Laboratory (Johns Hopkins APL), Alion Science and Technology and DCS Corporation. Broad incumbents are Leidos Holdings, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Does ARA have an API?
Yes. DPlot provides DPLOTLIB.DLL, a developer's tool included with DPlot Jr and full DPlot distributions that allows programmatic integration. The library enables linking programs with DPlot functionality and works with either the full version or DPlot Jr. Example programs are provided in Visual Basic, C, and FORTRAN with full source code. The library automatically selects the full version if both are installed.
What industry is ARA in?
ARA's product category is Defense Engineering and Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAM, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAIAK, Reliability, Safety & Risk Engineering (RAMS/PSM) Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541330 and its SIC code is 8711.