What Artis does

Artis, LLC is a 100 percent American-owned small business founded in 1999 by Keith Brendley and headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, with an engineering facility in South Salt Lake City, Utah and a 264-acre live-fire test range in West Virginia. The company develops advanced real-time information systems for the defense and transportation sectors, with its core franchise being active protection systems (APS) for military ground vehicles. Its product line evolved from the first-generation Iron Curtain APS (which achieved a 100 percent kill probability during Army Ground Combat Vehicle testing in 2013 and was deployed for Stryker, HMMWV, and M-ATV characterization) to the third-generation Sentinel APS, a digitally-driven, software-upgradable system with a modular A-Kit/B-Kit architecture that provides side- and top-attack protection against ATGMs, RPGs, recoilless rifles, loitering drones, and kinetic rounds. Core technology centers on microsecond-level parallel processing algorithms, dual-sensor architectures that essentially eliminate false alarms, and compliance with the Army's Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) Controller/Framework.

Artis generates revenue almost entirely through U.S. federal defense procurement — primarily contracts with the U.S. Army's TARDEC, ARDEC, and PEO Ground Combat Systems, the DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium, and the Marine Corps — supplemented by engineering, R&D, and software design services and commercial use of its West Virginia live-fire test range. Contract values disclosed include a $32M Army award in 2016 and a $30.03M DOTC vehicle in 2020. The company pursues demand through direct government field sales, defense prime partnerships (BAE Systems, Orbital ATK, L-3), and participation in major industry events such as AUSA, Eurosatory, Modern Day Marine, and GVSETS. In 2024, Artis announced a joint venture with UAE-based Bin Hilal Enterprises to distribute and manufacture Sentinel across the Middle East and GCC, marking its first material international expansion beyond U.S. defense customers.

Name

Artis

Legal name

Artis, LLC

Website

https://artisllc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Artis, founded in 1999 and based in Herndon, Virginia, designs and builds real-time active protection systems (Iron Curtain, Sentinel) for U.S. and allied military ground vehicles, generating revenue primarily through DoD contracts, Army R&D awards, and live-fire test range services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Active Protection Systems

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)

SIC

Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Armor Systems (Passive/Reactive/Active Protection) & Survivability Kits (IMABAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

Keywords

• Active protection systems
• Military vehicle protection
• Real-time sensing technology
• Defense engineering services
• Threat detection systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Defense Government Contracts: Primary revenue source from U.S. government defense contracts. Artis secures contracts through DoD agencies including the DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC), Army's TARDEC, ARDEC, and Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems. Revenue is project-based with potential multi-year contract vehicles.
2. Active Protection System Sales: Direct sales of APS products (Iron Curtain, Sentinel) to military customers including system installation, characterization, and integration services.
3. R&D and Engineering Services: High-quality engineering, R&D, and software design services in sensing, motion detection, and emerging high-tech areas for government and industry customers.
4. Live-Fire Test Range Services: Commercial use of company's 264-acre live-fire test range in West Virginia for government and industry customers, including fabrication of fixtures, test stands, and equipment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Artis develops and sells active protection systems (APS) and related real-time information solutions for military and defense customers. The company builds the Sentinel and Iron Curtain active protection systems that detect, track, and defeat threats such as RPGs, anti-tank guided missiles, drones, and kinetic rounds to military vehicles in microseconds. Artis also provides complementary engineering, R&D, and software design services, FPGA/DSP development, sensing and motion detection solutions, and operates a 264-acre live-fire test range for government and industry customers.

Product overview

Artis provides innovative systems and solutions for defense, security, safety and technology-intensive markets. The company's portfolio centers on two generations of active protection systems: the earlier Iron Curtain system (tested on Stryker, HMMWV, M-ATV, and Ground Combat Vehicle) and its third-generation successor Sentinel APS. Sentinel is a digitally-driven, modular system with A-Kit/B-Kit architecture that provides side- and top-attack protection against a broad range of threats including ATGMs, RPGs, drones, and kinetic rounds. The company also offers the AWARE highway safety system, Compact Active Protection System (CAPS) prototypes, live-fire test range facilities, and comprehensive engineering/R&D services covering sensors, FPGA development, DSP algorithms, and modeling and simulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sentinel Active Protection System Third-generation, digitally-driven active protection system for military vehicles and ground infrastructure providing side- and top-attack protection against ATGMs, RPGs, recoilless rifle rounds, drones, UAVs, and kinetic rounds. Features modular A-Kit/B-Kit architecture, software upgradability, and dual sensors, and is designed for U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and international military customers.
• Iron Curtain Active Protection System First-generation hard-kill active protection system designed to defeat shoulder-launched missiles including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Features dual sensors to prevent false alarms and minimize collateral damage, and has been tested on Stryker, HMMWV, M-ATV, and Ground Combat Vehicle platforms for U.S. Army and other military customers.
• Compact Active Protection System (CAPS) Compact active protection system prototype developed under DoD contract to comply with the U.S. Army's Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) protocols. Designed for installation on military vehicles as a smaller-form-factor APS module.
• AWARE Highway Safety System Highway and transportation safety system leveraging Artis's real-time sensing and parallel processing technology for near-field sensing, pedestrian detection, and crash mitigation. Includes modular mounting systems and supports nationwide pilot installation for automotive and highway safety operators.
• Test Range Services Commercial live-fire test range services provided to government and industry customers at Artis's 264-acre facility in West Virginia. Includes on-site fabrication of fixtures, test stands, and equipment via an equipped machine shop.
• Engineering and R&D Services Engineering, R&D, and software design services covering active protection, advanced sensors, FPGA firmware development, DSP algorithms, pedestrian tracking, safety engineering, underbelly blast mitigation, and modeling and simulation. Provided to government and industry customers seeking real-time sensing and high-speed parallel processing expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% probability of kill during Army Ground Combat Vehicle live-fire testing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Bin Hilal EnterprisesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024Artis and Bin Hilal Enterprises (BHE) signed MOU to form a joint venture to provide the Sentinel All-Threat Defeat System (Improved Iron Curtain/I2C overseas) for military vehicle fleets. JV will offer original equipment, manufacturing, engineering services, lifecycle support, spare parts, field services, warranty support, and training. Targets UAE and GCC regional markets. BHE is a family-owned, TRACE-certified business committed to ethical conduct and anti-bribery practices.
• Rada CHR RadarcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Iron Curtain has successfully integrated the Rada CHR radar as part of its modular APS architecture. Demonstrated interoperability as part of Army's Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) program.
• L-3 CROSSHAIRS RadarcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Iron Curtain has successfully integrated the L-3 CROSSHAIRS radar. Demonstrated as one of the first APS to demonstrate interoperability with multiple sensors using the MAPS framework.
• U.S. Army MAPS Program PartnerscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018MAPS program managed by TARDEC and partnered with ARDEC, CERDEC, ARL (Aberdeen Proving Grounds), and AMRDEC (Huntsville). Artis participates in Army's Modular APS Controller (MAC) and Modular APS Framework (MAF) demonstration efforts.
• Orbital ATKcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 September 2016Artis displayed Iron Curtain active protection system at Orbital ATK booth (#6943) at 2016 AUSA meeting. Orbital ATK described as a 'valued partner for the Iron Curtain active protection system.' Co-marketing arrangement for trade show presence.
• DARPAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Artis began APS work in 2004 as part of a DARPA project. System quickly succeeded during first live-fire test. DARPA project initiated the development of what became the Iron Curtain and later Sentinel APS systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• L3Harris Technologies: Provider of the CROSSHAIRS radar that Artis integrated for Iron Curtain in the Army MAPS framework. Comparable as both a sensor partner and a broad incumbent in detection, tracking, and integrated mission systems adjacent to APS.
• BAE Systems: British/American defense prime and Artis' named partner at AUSA and as an Iron Curtain integrator. Comparable as a large prime that both partners with and competes against Artis for Army ground-vehicle survivability programs.
• Northrop Grumman: U.S. defense prime with active vehicle protection, countermeasures, and sensor/system integration work applicable to Army MAPS and ground combat programs. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could field a competing APS solution alongside radar and EW capabilities.
• General Dynamics Land Systems: Manufacturer of Stryker, Bradley, and Abrams platforms and a potential acquirer/integrator of APS offerings. Comparable as a vehicle-side counterparty that influences APS procurement and may integrate protection systems in-house, competing with or absorbing Artis-style suppliers.

Direct peers

• Elbit Systems: Israeli defense electronics company fielding the Iron Fist APS family of hard-kill and soft-kill systems. Directly competes with Artis in active protection for light and medium armored vehicles, with established U.S. and international sales channels.
• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems: Israel-based designer of the Trophy Active Protection System, the most widely fielded hard-kill APS in the world (Merkava, Bradley variants, Leopard 2). Directly comparable to Artis' Sentinel and Iron Curtain as a hard-kill APS provider for armored vehicles.
• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI): Israel Aerospace Industries co-developed Iron Fist APS with Elbit and fielded the Trophy-related offerings through its Elta subsidiary. Comparable to Artis as a global APS vendor with deep sensor, radar, and hard-kill countermeasure technology.
• Rheinmetall Defence: German defense prime offering the Active Defence System (ADS) and StrikeShield APS for Leopard 2 and other NATO platforms. Comparable as a vehicle-integrated hard-kill APS provider selling to the same customer set (Western armies) as Artis.

Regional players

• Hanwha Defense: Korean defense manufacturer of the KAPS (Korean Active Protection System) for the K2 main battle tank and export programs. Comparable as a regionally-focused APS provider in an adjacent geography to Artis' Middle East/U.S. focus.
• Aselsan: Turkey's leading defense electronics company offering the PULAT and AKKOR active protection systems for armored vehicles. Comparable as a regional APS competitor serving Turkish and selected export markets, but geographically distinct from Artis' primary U.S./GCC footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Artis