ATAC

What ATAC does

ATAC Corporation is a privately held U.S. aviation simulation, modeling, and analysis software and services company founded in 1979 in Sunnyvale, California and now headquartered in Santa Clara, with additional offices in Arlington (VA), San Diego (CA), and an on-site presence at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. The company serves federal agencies — primarily the FAA, NASA, and DoD service branches — along with airport authorities, airlines, and air navigation service providers, with a portfolio that includes fast-time and human-in-the-loop simulation (Simmod PRO!, I-SIM), airspace design and visualization (GRADE, SkyView), operational performance measurement (PDARS and cloud-based VPDARS), military aviation simulation (NASMOD), and the FAA's next-generation environmental modeling tool (AEDT). ATAC also maintains a pipeline of SBIR-funded AI/ML capabilities including HAILS (anomalous behavior detection), EXPLAIND (explainable AI for flight-critical software), NECP (closure decision support), CIDAS-P (post-operations analytics), UNIT and QUIPP (Urban Air Mobility noise and path planning), anchored by access to a PDARS data archive containing 70,000+ facility-days of historical air traffic operations.

ATAC monetizes primarily through long-duration U.S. government contracting: IDIQ vehicles including the 10-year FAA SE2025 SIR 1 (>$767M ceiling) and the NASA SimLabs III joint venture (~$62.8M maximum), supplemented by SBIR research contracts, professional services and consulting, and subscription-based software licensing (notably Simmod PRO! with academic options and annual support). Go-to-market is sales-led enterprise field motion with on-site government engagement, direct IDIQ task-order competition, and integration into FAA and NASA programs such as the Sherlock ATM Data Warehouse and ATM-X Testbed.

The customer base is concentrated in U.S. federal aviation and defense agencies, with named engagements across DFW, SFO, and 100+ military airfield/airspace studies, supported by 101–250 employees and 45+ years of continuous operating history. The company is founder-financed with no institutional investor or PE backing identified.

Name

ATAC

Legal name

ATAC Corporation

Website

https://atac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ATAC Corporation is a privately held U.S. aviation simulation, modeling, and analytics software and services company founded in 1979, serving the FAA, NASA, and DoD with proprietary tools for fast-time simulation, ATC training, airspace design, and operational performance measurement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Simulation Software

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Avionics Software, Certification & Safety-Critical Systems (DO-178/DO-254) (IMABAFAK)

Keywords

• Aviation simulation software
• Air traffic analysis
• Airspace modeling tools
• Airport capacity planning
• Military aviation analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: Long-term government contracting providing services to FAA, NASA, and DoD agencies. Includes IDIQ contracts such as FAA SE2025 SIR 1 (10-year, $767M+ ceiling) and NASA SimLabs III ($62.8M max value)
2. Software Licensing and Support: Licensing of simulation and analysis tools (Simmod PRO!, I-SIM) with associated support services. Academic licenses available. Support provided via phone, fax, or email during business hours
3. SBIR Research Contracts: Small Business Innovation Research contracts with NASA and DoD for development of innovative aviation technologies including AI/ML applications, Urban Air Mobility tools, and advanced analytics
4. Professional Services and Consulting: Expert consulting services in civil and military air traffic operations, environmental assessments, airspace analysis, and system development and integration

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ATAC develops and licenses aviation simulation, modeling, and analysis software (including Simmod PRO!, PDARS, NASMOD, I-SIM, GRADE, SkyView, and AEDT) and delivers associated professional services such as environmental evaluation, operational performance analysis, and military operations analysis. The company primarily serves U.S. federal agencies (FAA, NASA, DoD), airport authorities, airlines, and international air navigation service providers through long-term government contracts and software licensing.

Product overview

ATAC provides a comprehensive portfolio of aviation simulation, modeling, and analysis products and services. The core product suite includes Simmod PRO! for fast-time airport and airspace simulation, I-SIM (acquired from Kongsberg Geospatial in 2024) for high-fidelity human-in-the-loop ATC training, SkyView for data collection and operational performance analysis, GRADE for 4-dimensional airspace visualization and design, PDARS and VPDARS for performance data analysis and reporting, and NASMOD for military aviation simulation. The AEDT environmental modeling tool was developed for the FAA. These products work both independently and in an integrated manner - for example, SkyView integrates with AEDT for environmental calculations, with I-SIM for scenario generation, and with Simmod PRO! for fast-time simulation. ATAC also provides specialized AI/ML capabilities including CIDAS-P for automated post-operations analysis, NECP for closure decision support, HAILS for anomalous aircraft behavior detection, UNIT for UAM noise modeling, and EXPLAIND for explainable AI validation. The company offers associated services including environmental evaluation, operational performance analysis, military operations analysis, and training services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Simmod PRO! Fast-time simulation software tool for airport and airspace modeling that simulates thousands of flights in minutes using a generalized simulation scripting language with rules-based dynamic decision-making, sold to FAA, airport authorities, airlines, and academic institutions.
• I-SIM (Integrated Simulation) High-fidelity air traffic control simulation system providing radar-based human-in-the-loop simulations with STARS, ERAM, and EDST display applications for ATC training, airspace design/analysis, and UAS integration support.
• SkyView
• GRADE (Graphical Airspace Design Environment)
• PDARS (Performance Data Analysis and Reporting System) System for monitoring, measuring, analyzing, and graphically displaying air traffic operations performance based on radar flight track data from ATC facilities across the National Airspace System.
• VPDARS (Virtual PDARS)
• NASMOD (Military/Naval Aviation Simulation Model)
• AEDT (Aviation Environmental Design Tool)
• Environmental Evaluation Services
• Training Services
• Operational Performance Analysis Services
• Military Operations Analysis
• SkyView Data Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Evaluated hundreds of aircraft IFR procedures and airspace changes at over 120 airports in U.S. and Canada
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability17 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kongsberg GeospatialcoreTechnology or Integration · 18 October 2024ATAC acquired the I-SIM (Integrated Simulation) software suite from Kongsberg Geospatial. I-SIM is a high-fidelity radar-based ATC simulation system supporting both enroute and terminal operations with fully functional STARS, ERAM, and EDST display applications. Originally developed for FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in 1998.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SAIC: Major IT services and federal contractor with substantial FAA, NASA, and DoD aviation portfolio. Competes with ATAC on SE2025 and similar vehicles, and also partners via joint ventures (similar to MFRA structure ATAC uses).
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Federal consulting and engineering firm with growing FAA and NASA aviation analytics practice. Overlaps with ATAC on safety data analysis, AI/ML, and operational performance measurement engagements.
• ManTech International: Federal IT and engineering services provider with aviation and DoD work, recently acquired by Carlyle. Similar model of selling specialized technical talent into FAA/NASA/DoD IDIQ vehicles, though at materially larger scale than ATAC.
• Leidos: Large federal systems integrator holding major FAA and NASA contracts (including NextGen programs). Competes with ATAC for IDIQ task orders but operates at much larger scale across defense, civil, and health markets.
• Thales Air Traffic Management: Global air traffic management systems integrator (TopSky, automation systems). Comparable in adjacent airspace management and ATM product space, though primarily a hardware/systems prime rather than a U.S. small-business contractor.
• Saab Air Traffic Management: Provider of air traffic management automation, surveillance, and remote tower solutions. Comparable to ATAC in serving ANSPs with simulation, automation, and airspace design tools, though operating globally at much larger scale.
• Jeppesen (Boeing): Aviation data, charts, and operational analysis provider, now part of Boeing. Overlaps with ATAC's SkyView/PDARS-style operational performance measurement and shares the airport/airline customer base.

Emerging players

• FlightAware: Aviation data and flight tracking company (now part of Collins Aerospace). Partial overlap with ATAC's PDARS/SkyView in aviation data aggregation, but primarily commercial-facing rather than FAA mission support.

Direct peers

• Metron Aviation: Air traffic management research and decision-support tools company, closely comparable to ATAC's airspace analysis, simulation, and FAA-facing mission support. Overlapping customer base (FAA, NASA, DoD) and similar niche in air traffic flow management.
• Mosaic ATM: Air traffic management research and development firm providing airspace design, simulation, and human-in-the-loop analysis services. Direct overlap with ATAC's I-SIM, GRADE, and airspace redesign work for FAA and NASA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ATAC