Rincon Research

What Rincon Research does

Rincon Research Corporation is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) U.S. defense contractor founded in 1983 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, with additional field offices in Centennial (CO), Chantilly (VA), Colorado Springs (CO), and Palm Bay (FL). The company designs, builds, tests, and fields high-performance digital signal processing (DSP) products — principally software-defined radio (SDR) platforms, FPGA-based electronics, space-qualified RF payloads, wideband signal processors, and LIDAR processing software — for U.S. Defense and Intelligence communities. Its product portfolio spans board-level SDRs (Raptor, Kestrel, Predator, Scorpion, Picosaur), space systems (AstroSDR, Pegasus), the MountainBrik SIGINT recorder line, and analog/RF subsystems (WASP, DLSR3, ASP), all built on a shared architecture anchored by AMD Xilinx Zynq FPGAs, Analog Devices RF transceivers, and the proprietary X-Midas software framework pioneered over 30 years ago.

The company's underlying technology stack combines DSP, software-defined radio, high-performance computing, TensorFlow-based machine learning (CNNs, deep learning, gradient boosted trees, reinforcement learning), and radiation-tolerant space electronics. Commercial revenue mechanics are twofold: (1) one-time/perpetual hardware sales with bundled firmware, control software, drivers, and maintenance under a single price with free lifetime upgrades and no annual maintenance contracts, and (2) engineering and professional services for custom RF/antenna design, mission planning, integration, and quick-reaction capability (QRC) development. Distribution is exclusively direct sales to U.S. government customers via a small sales team reachable by email, phone, fax, or mail, with all products ITAR/EAR-controlled. Named customers include the U.S. Defense and Intelligence communities broadly, NASA (Space Network Ground Segment Sustainment), and the Department of Homeland Security (Polar Scout / AstroSDR). The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and was named NASA Goddard's Small Business Subcontractor of the Year in 2013.

Name

Rincon Research

Legal name

Rincon Research Corporation

Website

https://rincon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Rincon Research Corporation is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) U.S. defense contractor founded in 1983 that designs, builds, and fields high-performance DSP, software-defined radio, space-qualified RF payloads, and LIDAR processing products for U.S. Defense, Intelligence, and civilian agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Sale of DSP products including wideband systems, board-level SDR products (Raptor, Scorpion, Kestrel, Predator, Picosaur), space systems (AstroSDR, Pegasus), and analog/RF products. Products sold with one price including hardware, standard firmware, control software, driver, and maintenance.
2. Engineering and Professional Services: Mission planning and operation services, custom development, integration services, and quick reaction capability (QRC) for custom antenna design and fabrication, RF system design, electro-optical links, and custom filter and amplifier systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rincon Research Corporation designs, builds, tests, and fields high-performance digital signal processing (DSP) products and services for the U.S. Defense and Intelligence communities. Its portfolio centers on software-defined radio (SDR) platforms, FPGA-based electronics, space-qualified RF systems, wideband signal processors, RF recorders, and analog/RF components used for signal collection, analysis, geolocation, and processing. The company also provides custom engineering services including custom antenna and RF system design, integration, and quick-reaction capability (QRC) development.

Product overview

Rincon Research Corporation designs, builds, tests, and fields high-performance DSP products for the U.S. Defense and Intelligence communities. The product portfolio centers on software-defined radio (SDR) platforms and digital signal processing systems across multiple form factors: board-level SDRs (Raptor, Kestrel, Predator, Scorpion, Picosaur), space-qualified systems (AstroSDR, Pegasus), wideband signal processors (ASP, DLSR3), RF recorders (MB3), and analog/RF components (WASP, Custom Antennas). These products share common architectural elements including AMD Zynq FPGAs, Analog Devices RF transceivers, and embedded Linux environments, allowing them to be used independently or integrated into larger systems for signal collection, analysis, GPS application development, DSP infrastructure, orbit analysis, and LIDAR processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MountainBrik: High-performance SIGINT recorders including MB3 and MBRA2 models
• AstroSDR
• Raptor
• Kestrel
• Picosaur
• Predator
• Scorpion
• Pegasus
• WASP
• DLSR3
• ASP

Products and services

• Raptor SDR Development Kit Next-generation software-defined radio (SDR) development kit combining state-of-the-art capabilities with a flexible design for multiple mission requirements, targeting defense and intelligence signal processing applications.
• AstroSDR Space-qualified RF payload providing software-defined radio, FPGA signal processor, ARM processor, and data storage for small satellites with dual receivers and transmitters (70 MHz to 6 GHz) and radiation-tolerant design for LEO and GEO missions.
• Pegasus Mission-processing platform for SmallSats built on the AstroSDR space flight approach with radiation hardening, modular design, SEU-mitigated architecture, 256-MB MRAM and 16-GB ECC-protected DDR4.
• Scorpion Dynamic RF processing platform and flexible DSP system built around AMD Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC with quad-core Cortex-A53 ARM processor, supporting recording rates up to 4.8 GB/s for high channel count and bandwidth applications.
• Predator SDR All-in-one software-defined radio leveraging ADRV9026 RF technology and AMD FPGA processing capabilities with four RX and four TX channels, 75 MHz to 6 GHz coverage, and up to 200 MHz instantaneous bandwidth.
• Picosaur Compact SDR platform combining Predator SDR with Intel Tiger Lake x86 processing in a low-SWaP form factor for tactical situational awareness applications across Force Protection, Counter-UAS, and Blue UAS Operations.
• Kestrel Compact 2x2 MIMO-capable software-defined radio optimized for SWaP-constrained applications, based on AMD Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC with Analog Devices AD9361 transceiver, tuning 70 MHz to 6 GHz.
• MB3 (MountainBrik 3rd Generation) High-performance RF recorder with options for up to 3-GHz bandwidth collection and coherent multi-channel wideband collections up to four channels of 600-MHz bandwidth, supporting recording rates up to 6000 MB/s with removable solid-state drives.
• DLSR3 Lossless digital IF signal distribution system with continuous frequency coverage from 750 to 2150 MHz, featuring multi-rate signal processing with up to eight independent digital sub-band tuner outputs per input and wideband snapshot capability.
• Advanced Signal Processor (ASP) Modular digital signal processing hardware rack providing 8 or 16 independent wideband receive channels and 4 independent wideband transmit channels in a rack-mounted form factor.
• WASP Block DownConverter and UpConverter boards covering 6 GHz to 26.5 GHz frequency range with optional LNA PreSelector, designed for use with software-defined radios for phase-coherent frequency translation systems.
• Custom Antennas and RF Systems Custom RF solutions including adaptive beamforming systems, frequency translators, custom antennas, and mesh communication networks for interference mitigation, direct-finding, and satellite communications.
• Engineering and Professional Services Mission planning and operation services, custom development, integration services, and quick reaction capability (QRC) for custom antenna design and fabrication, RF system design, electro-optical links, and custom filter and amplifier systems for U.S. Defense and Intelligence agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• AstroSDR successfully operated for the life of the DHS Polar Scout mission in LEO orbit, demonstrating ability to capture and locate emergency beacon signals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Avalanche TechnologycoreTechnology or IntegrationAvalanche Technology's high-density Space Grade MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory) integrated into Rincon Research's Pegasus space platform for RF signal processing on small satellites. Technology enables radiation-immune, permanent data retention and unlimited write endurance, eliminating vulnerabilities of traditional non-volatile memory in space environments.
• AMDcoreTechnology or IntegrationAMD Xilinx (Zynq) FPGA and SoC technology used across product lines including Raptor, Scorpion, Kestrel, Predator, Picosaur, and AstroSDR. Products use AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC and Zynq 7045 FPGA devices.
• Analog DevicescoreTechnology or IntegrationAnalog Devices AD9361 2x2 MIMO RF transceiver used in Raptor, Kestrel, and other SDR products. ADRV9026 RF transceiver used in Predator and Picosaur products.
• The University of ArizonastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership through Defense and Security Research Institute (DSRI). Collaborated on CubeSat research since 2000. University of Arizona contributed to SBIR award for mission design and simulation to detect and locate transmitters that jam the International Space Station.
• Brigham Young UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic affiliation for research collaboration.
• Utah State UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for CubeSat research since 2000. Contributed to SBIR award development for mission design and simulation.
• University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic affiliation for research collaboration.
• AFCEA InternationalminorOthersProfessional affiliation membership organization for defense, homeland security, and intelligence professionals.
• Association of Old CrowsminorOthersProfessional affiliation membership for electronic warfare, signals intelligence, and cyber professionals.
• Space FoundationminorOthersProfessional affiliation supporting space education and industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Kratos produces software-defined radios, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence products for DoD and allied customers — directly overlapping with Rincon's SDR and RF signal analysis offerings.
• Mercury Systems: Mercury Systems designs and manufactures defense-focused processing subsystems, RF and microwave components, and high-performance embedded computing — directly comparable to Rincon's FPGA/SDR/DSP product portfolio serving defense and intelligence customers.
• Epiq Solutions: Epiq Solutions builds small-form-factor SDR platforms and RF sensing tools for defense, intelligence, and law enforcement — a close direct competitor to Rincon's Kestrel, Predator, and Picosaur board-level SDR lines.

Emerging players

• Spectranetix: Spectranetix (now part of Septerna) develops multi-function RF and SIGINT subsystems for DoD EW/Counter-UAS programs — an emerging niche SDR competitor with overlapping target customers in defense signals intelligence.
• Resodyn Corporation: Resodyn develops advanced RF and electronic systems for defense and commercial applications — an emerging player whose SDR and RF technology intersects with Rincon's space-qualified RF and signal processing work.

Broad incumbents

• CACI International: CACI provides specialized engineering and IT services to U.S. Defense and Intelligence agencies, including signals intelligence and electronic warfare mission support — overlapping with Rincon's professional services and custom development offerings.
• BAE Systems Electronic Systems: BAE Systems' Electronic Systems segment delivers SIGINT, EW, and RF products for U.S. and allied defense customers — a broad incumbent whose portfolio intersects with Rincon's RF analysis and SDR offerings.
• Parsons Corporation: Parsons provides defense and intelligence engineering services and SIGINT-focused solutions to U.S. government customers — comparable to Rincon's engineering services and custom development revenue stream, though at much larger scale.
• Leonardo DRS: Leonardo DRS manufactures advanced defense electronics, including RF/microwave and signal processing subsystems — a broad incumbent whose defense electronics portfolio overlaps with Rincon's DSP/SDR product family.
• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris is a major prime with broad SIGINT, electronic warfare, and tactical communications portfolios — overlapping with Rincon's RF/SDR work but at much larger scale across DoD, IC, and allied customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rincon-research-corporation
• Xx.com/rinconresearch

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rincon Research