What Systems Engineering & Management Company does

Systems Engineering & Management Company (SEMCO), founded in 1984 and headquartered in Vista, California with a manufacturing and design facility in Carlsbad, designs and manufactures RF and FPGA-based digital telemetry products. Its portfolio spans telemetry receivers (RC100 through RC600 series in multiple form factors), antenna tracking receivers (RT100/RT200A), telemetry signal simulators (TSS200A/B, RPTS100, PHTS108), RF multi-couplers, RF up/down converters, software-defined receivers, telemetry repeaters, re-radiation systems, pedestal-mounted RF channel selectors, automated test systems, airborne digital transmitters, custom antennas, and turn-key mobile telemetry systems. The company's engineering focus is on collecting and processing telemetry data from advanced aircraft, missiles, rockets, and weapon systems at military and civilian flight test ranges.

SEMCO's customer base is concentrated in U.S. Government Department of Defense agencies, government research agencies, international government entities, and DOD prime contractors, with products available via GSA contract for streamlined federal procurement. The business model centers on one-time hardware sales of qualified telemetry equipment, supplemented by post-sales technical support, warranty services (2-year warranty for original purchasers, 90-day repair warranty), and out-of-warranty repair services. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, with technical support delivered via phone and email and a designated VP of Business Development (Pierre Bastie) as the primary sales point of contact.

In May 2023, SEMCO was acquired by ONE Dev, LLC, a company within The O'Neil Group Company's Defense contracting consortium, with O'Neil Group acquiring a majority interest. In 2023, SEMCO was also selected by the U.S. government as a key member of the "Range of the Future" (RoTF) initiative, positioning the company in next-generation Ethernet-based telemetry architectures including RFoIP, TMoIP, software-defined receivers, and Virtual Telemetry Processor development. SEMCO holds ISO 9001 quality management certification.

Name

Systems Engineering & Management Company

Legal name

Systems Engineering & Management Company

Website

https://semco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SEMCO designs and manufactures RF and FPGA-based digital telemetry products — including receivers, signal simulators, RF converters, and software-defined receivers — for U.S. and international DoD test ranges, flight test centers, and defense prime contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Telemetry Equipment

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33422)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Military Aerospace Communications, Datalinks & Networking (IMABAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE), Military Power Supplies, RF/Microwave Components & Ruggedized Electronics (IMABAGAJ)

Keywords

• Defense telemetry hardware
• Flight test instrumentation
• RF telemetry receivers
• FPGA signal processing
• Airborne telemetry systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Vista

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Telemetry Hardware Sales: Sale of RF and FPGA-based telemetry products including receivers, signal simulators, RF converters, and mobile telemetry systems to defense and government customers
2. Product Support and Warranty Services: Post-sales technical support, warranty services, and out-of-warranty repairs with 90-day repair warranty

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SEMCO designs and manufactures RF and state-of-the-art FPGA-based digital telemetry products that collect and transmit flight test data at military and civilian test ranges. The portfolio spans telemetry receivers (RC100–RC600 series), antenna tracking receivers, telemetry signal simulators, RF multi-couplers, software-defined receivers, RF up/down converters, pedestal-mounted RF channel selectors, telemetry repeaters, re-radiation systems, airborne digital transmitters, custom antennas, and turn-key mobile telemetry systems for advanced aircraft, missiles, rockets, and weapon systems.

Product overview

SEMCO designs and manufactures RF and state-of-the-art FPGA-based digital products in support of U.S. Government Department of Defense (DOD), Government Research Agencies, International Government entities, DOD Prime Contractors and companies with DOD-related contracts. The product portfolio includes a comprehensive range of telemetry receivers (RC100/200/300/400/600 Series in various form factors), telemetry signal simulators (TSS200A/B, RPTS100, PHTS108), antenna tracking receivers (RT100/RT200A Series), RF multi-couplers (MC100/110 Series), surveillance video/audio systems (P270, VR67, VR70RM, VT22, VT40, VDU-100), and specialized turn-key mobile systems, custom antennas, and software-defined receiver technology. The products gather and transmit data at military and civilian flight test ranges for advanced aircraft, missiles, rockets, and weapon systems. In 2023, SEMCO was selected to participate in the "Range of the Future" initiative focusing on software-defined telemetry receivers, RF transport via Ethernet (RFoIP), data transport via Ethernet (TMoIP), and Virtual Telemetry Processor (VTP) technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RC100 Series (RC100C, RC100D, RC100HD) 1U Telemetry Receiver Systems designed for collecting and processing telemetry data at flight test ranges.
• RC200 Series 2U Telemetry Receiver System with expanded capacity for telemetry data collection at flight test ranges.
• RC300 Series (RC300, RC300C, RC300D, RC300HD) 3U Telemetry Receiver Systems offering higher bandwidth and processing capabilities for advanced flight testing.
• RC400 / R400 Series 4U Telemetry Receiver System designed for comprehensive telemetry data processing at flight test ranges.
• RC600 / R600 Series 6U Telemetry Receiver System offering maximum capacity for telemetry data collection at test ranges.
• PTR110 Series Portable Telemetry Receiver for mobile or temporary telemetry monitoring applications.
• RT100 / RT200A Series Antenna Tracking Receiver used for tracking moving telemetry sources during flight tests.
• TSS200A / TSS200B Telemetry Signal Simulator that generates simulated telemetry signals for testing telemetry systems.
• RPTS100 Ruggedized Portable Telemetry Signal Simulator for field testing of telemetry receivers.
• PHTS108 Portable Handheld Telemetry Simulator for on-site telemetry system verification.
• MC100 / MC110 Series RF Multi-Coupler that allows multiple receivers to share a single antenna input.
• PCI600-Kit Telemetry Card Set for integration into PC-based telemetry processing systems.
• P270 Series Portable Video/Audio Receiving & Recording System for surveillance and monitoring applications.
• VR67 / VR70RM Analog Video/Audio Receiver for capturing and processing video/audio telemetry.
• VT22 / VT40 Series Analog Video/Audio Transmitters for broadcasting video/audio telemetry data.
• VDU-100 Series Video Distribution System for routing video signals to multiple destinations.
• Software-Defined Receiver FPGA-based software-defined receiver technology for flexible telemetry signal processing.
• Telemetry Re-Radiation Systems Systems for re-radiating telemetry signals to extend coverage at test ranges.
• Pedestal-Mounted RF Channel Selectors RF channel selection equipment mounted on antenna pedestals for test range applications.
• RF Up/Down Converters RF frequency conversion equipment for telemetry signal processing.
• Custom Antennas Custom-designed antennas for telemetry applications at flight test ranges.
• Turn-Key Mobile Telemetry Systems Complete mobile telemetry solutions for deployment at various test range locations.
• Automated Telemetry Test Systems Automated testing systems for validating telemetry equipment performance.
• Telemetry Repeaters Equipment for repeating and amplifying telemetry signals to extend range coverage.
• Airborne Digital Transmitters Transmitters installed on aircraft for transmitting telemetry data during flight tests.
• Product Support and Warranty Services Post-sales technical support, warranty services, and out-of-warranty repairs with a 90-day repair warranty and a standard 2-year product warranty from shipment date for the original purchaser.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ years of successful telemetry product deployment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature8 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions: Curtiss-Wright's Defense Solutions division provides rugged data acquisition, telemetry, and flight test instrumentation products to DoD ranges and primes. Same customer set as SEMCO (flight test ranges, defense primes) but at much larger scale and broader portfolio, including whole-aircraft telemetry systems.
• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris (including the former L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation) supplies RF, telemetry, and electronic systems to U.S. DoD test ranges and weapons programs. Direct overlap with SEMCO in flight-test RF and telemetry hardware, but operating as a Tier-1 prime with broader ISR, EW, and C4ISR capabilities.
• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Kratos' Unmanned Systems and Defense Rocket Support segments deliver target drones, range instrumentation, and telemetry-related RF systems for DoD test ranges. Comparable in serving DoD test range customers with telemetry-adjacent hardware, but more diversified across UAS, space, and microwave products.
• Mercury Systems: Mercury Systems designs and manufactures secure RF and embedded processing subsystems used in defense electronics, including signal processing for EW, ISR, and test applications. Overlap with SEMCO in FPGA-based RF/digital products for defense, but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Safran Data Systems (formerly Zodiac Data Systems): Safran Data Systems is one of the world's leading suppliers of telemetry receivers, data acquisition, recording, and flight test instrumentation for military and civil flight test ranges. Closest functional peer to SEMCO — directly competes in telemetry receivers, tracking antennas, and range data networks on a global basis.
• Ultra Electronics (now part of Coors Tek/Cobham): Ultra Electronics historically supplied tactical communications, telemetry, and RF subsystems for military platforms and ranges. Direct overlap with SEMCO in flight-test and range telemetry products, especially for NATO/Allied ranges.
• AstroNova (Test & Measurement / Aerospace): AstroNova's Aerospace segment supplies ruggedized airborne and ground telemetry printers, data acquisition, and recording systems used in flight test programs. Comparable to SEMCO's RF receivers and tracking receivers as part of a flight-test range/end-user telemetry chain.
• Teletronics Technology Corporation (TTC): TTC designs and manufactures telemetry systems, RF modems, data acquisition, and flight test range instrumentation for DoD, NASA, and commercial aerospace. Closest small/mid-tier direct competitor to SEMCO's RF telemetry receivers and tracking antennas.
• RT Logic (a Kratos company): RT Logic, part of Kratos, specializes in digital signal processing and telemetry front-ends for satellite, launch, and range applications. Direct overlap with SEMCO's RFoIP/TMoIP and Software-Defined Receiver product lines serving DoD/Space test ranges.

Others

• TE Connectivity (Aerospace, Defense & Marine): TE Connectivity supplies ruggedized connectors, antennas, and RF components used in flight test and defense telemetry systems. Adjacent supplier in the telemetry hardware value chain rather than a direct competitor, but relevant for understanding the segment's supplier ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/semco-telemetry

Compliance1 record

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 Systems Engineering & Management Company