GIRD Systems

What GIRD Systems does

GIRD Systems, Inc. (Government and Industry Research and Development) is a privately held defense contractor founded in 2000 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company develops custom digital signal processing (DSP), communications, and electronic warfare solutions targeted at challenging RF environments including deep jungle canopy, congested spectrum, and contested electromagnetic conditions. Its core offerings are the GIRD Digital Radio (GDR), a flexible, reconfigurable, multi-channel software defined radio platform configurable for embedded or stand-alone deployment in single-channel or MIMO modes, and a library of hardware-agnostic, configurable VHDL IP cores portable across Xilinx, Altera, and Microsemi FPGAs as well as ASICs. The firm also performs custom waveform development and high-speed on-channel digital processing capable of handling RF signals up to tens of GHz, supported by a research staff of PhD-level algorithm developers.

The company serves U.S. military branches and defense prime contractors through direct contracts and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs, including demonstrated Phase II SBIR wins with the U.S. Army (jungle canopy communications) and U.S. Navy (jamming/interference-resilient waveforms for Littoral Combat Ships), plus a teammate role on the National Spectrum Consortium's Robust and Reprogrammable Payload for Utilization of Contested Spectrum (RRPUCS) contract alongside BAE Systems, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, and Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation. GIRD monetizes through hardware sales of the GDR platform, licensing of VHDL IP cores with documentation and integration support, professional services for custom algorithm and waveform development, and government contract revenue. Pricing is quote-based and undisclosed; the go-to-market is direct B2B field sales to government customers and prime integrators. GIRD also pursues a stated objective to extend into commercial wireless communications and SDR applications beyond defense.

Name

GIRD Systems

Legal name

GIRD Systems, Inc.

Website

https://girdsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GIRD Systems is a privately held Cincinnati-based defense contractor that develops custom digital signal processing solutions, software defined radios, and waveform IP cores for the U.S. military and defense prime contractors operating in contested RF environments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Signal Processing

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

C4ISR Systems & Tactical Data Links (IMABAGAE)

Keywords

• Defense signal processing
• Software defined radio
• Electronic warfare solutions
• Waveform development services
• FPGA IP cores

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - GIRD Digital Radio: Sale of the GIRD Digital Radio (GDR), a flexible reconfigurable multi-channel SDR platform sold as a configurable hardware product.
2. IP Core Licensing: Licensing of VHDL IP cores for DSP, communications, and EW algorithms to end-equipment manufacturers. Includes documentation, training, and engineering support for integration.
3. Engineering Services and Custom Development: Custom algorithm design, waveform development, and system integration services. Includes verification through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
4. Government Contracts (SBIR/NSC): SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) contracts with military branches (Army, Navy) and National Spectrum Consortium contracts for developing advanced communications systems.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

GIRD Systems develops custom digital signal processing (DSP) solutions for signal processing, communications, and electronic warfare applications. The company sells the GIRD Digital Radio (GDR), a reconfigurable multi-channel software defined radio platform, licenses a library of hardware-agnostic VHDL IP cores for FPGAs and ASICs, and provides custom waveform development and engineering services to U.S. military customers and defense prime contractors.

Product overview

GIRD Systems offers a defense-focused product portfolio centered on the GIRD Digital Radio (GDR) as the core hardware platform complemented by a library of reusable firmware IP cores. The GDR is a modular software defined radio that can be configured for various military and commercial communication requirements, while the IP cores provide portable digital signal processing building blocks that customers can integrate into their own systems, significantly reducing time-to-market for multi-target designs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GIRD Digital Radio (GDR) A flexible, reconfigurable, multi-channel Software Defined Radio (SDR) with powerful high-speed signal processing resources. Built around a core single board module configurable for embedded and stand-alone systems, supporting a wide frequency range with one or two independent full or half duplex transceivers in single channel or MIMO configurations. Sold as a configurable hardware product for military and commercial customers.
• VHDL IP Cores Highly configurable, hardware-agnostic, resource-efficient inferred VHDL implementations of DSP, communications, and electronic warfare algorithms. Portable code targeting Xilinx, Altera, and Microsemi FPGAs as well as ASICs without code rewriting. Licensed to end-equipment manufacturers along with documentation, training, and engineering support for integration.
• Custom Waveform Development Services Custom algorithm design and waveform development services including robust, anti-jam, LPI/LPD, and high data rate communications. Waveforms are designed for challenging environments including deep jungle canopy, congested spectrum, and contested electromagnetic environments. Includes verification through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing. Delivered to military and commercial customers.
• SBIR / Government Contract Engineering Services Engineering services delivered under SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) contracts with U.S. military branches (Army, Navy) and National Spectrum Consortium contracts. Includes development of multi-channel wideband direct-sampling digital transceivers and flexible digitally programmable embedded high-performance processing capabilities for DoD applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established RF links at distances over 35 miles with extremely low SNRs in deep jungle canopy environments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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 core and supporting.

• BAE SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Teammate on National Spectrum Consortium RRPUCS contract for developing robust and reprogrammable payload for utilization of contested spectrum. BAE Systems contributing to the open architecture prototype system consisting of RF hardware, firmware, and software for DoD capabilities.
• The Charles Stark Draper LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Teammate on NSC RRPUCS contract bringing research and development expertise to the consortium developing next-generation intelligent reconfigurable transceiver technology.
• Geon TechnologiessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Teammate on NSC RRPUCS program contributing to development of multi-channel wideband direct-sampling digital transceiver.
• Georgia Tech Applied Research CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Teammate on NSC RRPUCS contract bringing academic research capabilities to develop flexible digitally programmable embedded high-performance processing capability.
• Indiana MicroelectronicssupportingTechnology or Integration · 31 October 2018Teammate on NSC RRPUCS program contributing semiconductor and microelectronics expertise to the consortium.
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Teammate on NSC RRPUCS contract providing research capabilities from Virginia Tech for the development of the open architecture prototype system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rincon Research Corporation: Tucson-based small defense contractor specializing in real-time signal processing, SDR, and electronic warfare for the DoD. Closely comparable in size, mission, and customer base (DoD research labs and primes).
• Shared Spectrum Company: Small Vienna, VA-based developer of dynamic spectrum sharing and SDR technologies for DoD. Direct peer in the spectrum co-existence and contested-spectrum niche where GIRD's RRPUCS work also sits.
• Epiq Solutions: Small developer of SDR and signal intelligence (SIGINT) hardware/software for defense, federal, and commercial markets. Closely comparable small-scale peer in tactical SDR and RF signal capture.

Broad incumbents

• Mercury Systems: Public defense electronics company providing RF, microwave, and signal processing subsystems for aerospace and defense applications. Comparable product overlap in mission-critical RF/digital signal processing, but at significantly greater scale.
• L3Harris Technologies: Major defense prime with a broad tactical communications, electronic warfare, and SDR portfolio (including Falcon radios). Overlaps with GIRD's contested-spectrum and EW offerings but as part of a much larger platform business.
• Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions: Defense electronics and signal-processing supplier with C4ISR modular systems and embedded computing. Operates at much larger scale and addresses overlapping defense digital-processing use cases.
• BAE Systems Electronic Systems: Major defense prime's electronic systems segment; existing teammate with GIRD on the NSC RRPUCS contract. Competes in EW and tactical communications at vastly greater scale, but validates the contested-spectrum thesis GIRD serves.
• CACI International: Large defense IT and electronic systems provider with significant C4ISR and electronic warfare work for DoD. Overlaps with GIRD in defense communications and EW integrations but at much larger scale.
• Leidos Holdings: Large defense and federal contractor with a meaningful C4ISR and electronic warfare portfolio. Comparable in customer base and spectrum/sensor program focus, though at much larger scale and contract size.

Emerging players

• Perceptronics Solutions: Small defense firm focused on modeling, simulation, and decision-support for human-system integration and signal processing applications. Adjacent in defense signal processing and DoD customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gird-systems
• Xx.com/gird_systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GIRD Systems