ARA Appoints Jay Abendroth as Chief Growth Officer to Support Expanding Defense Mission Requirements
Antenna Research Associates (“ARA”), a leading provider of advanced antenna and RF systems for defense and industrial applications, announced today that Jay Abendroth has joined as Chief Growth Officer. Abendroth will lead ARA’s growth strategy and business development efforts while advancing priority contract opportunities aligned with customers’ evolving mission requirements.
“Jay’s expertise in technical development, program execution, and strategic customer engagement will be instrumental as we continue expanding ARA’s role across the defense market,” said Logen Thiran, Chief Executive Officer of ARA. “He is a seasoned leader with a strong track record of supporting complex defense programs and building trusted relationships with customers to address their most demanding mission requirements.”
Abendroth brings more than 20 years of experience leading and scaling defense electronics businesses across the avionics, electronic warfare, and mission processing sectors. Most recently, he served as President of the Airborne Combat Systems Sector and the Integrated Vision Solutions Sector at L3Harris, where he led teams delivering sophisticated capabilities supporting complex missions. Previously, as Vice President of the Mission Business Unit and Vice President of Global Program Management at Mercury Systems, he managed multi-sector teams and led operational and program initiatives supporting advanced electronic warfare and mission processing capabilities.
Abendroth holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Bioengineering from Syracuse University, as well as an M.S. in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
As CGO, Abendroth will play a key role in advancing ARA’s growth strategy by strengthening strategic partnerships and deepening collaboration with customers across the aerospace and defense markets. He will focus on identifying and securing opportunities that leverage ARA’s innovative antenna and RF capabilities while supporting the Company’s continued evolution as a scaled C5ISR platform.
“ARA has built an impressive foundation of technical excellence and trusted customer relationships,” said Abendroth. “I look forward to working with the team to deepen collaboration with key partners and continue delivering the innovative technologies our customers rely on to support critical missions.”
This appointment reflects ARA’s continued investment in its leadership team as the company expands its capabilities to support growing demand across defense and national security markets, including priority solution areas such as electronic warfare, collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), counter-UAS, and advanced munitions and seeker technologies.
About Antenna Research Associates
ARA is a C5ISR company that designs, manufactures, tests and installs advanced antenna technologies and subsystems that keep joint forces secure, superior and safe. ARA delivers a wide range of products and subsystems for both military and civilian applications that combine innovative discoveries from companies it has acquired, including SI2 Technologies and AQYR, whose technologies complement and enhance ARA’s trusted systems. ARA’s capabilities span electronic warfare, military communications, radar, and satellite systems. For more than 60 years, ARA has provided the military with unparalleled information, improved situational awareness, immediate threat detection, and precision targeting.
From ideation to installation, ARA supplies unique antenna systems in both high and low volumes to meet customer needs and ensure mission success. Its U.S. locations include fully staffed outdoor antenna test ranges, engineering teams, on-site manufacturing, and machine shops.
About OceanSound Partners
OceanSound Partners is a New York-based private equity firm that pursues control investments in technology and technology-enabled services companies serving government, critical infrastructure, and highly regulated enterprise end-markets. OceanSound employs a partnership approach, working closely with founders, entrepreneurs, and executives of middle market businesses to drive transformational growth.