SPARKS, Nev. (Aug. 26, 2024) – SNC has been awarded a $991.3 million multi-year contract to deliver aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) jets to the U.S. Army. The award is in support of the Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program of record.
“We are so proud to help build the future of Army aerial ISR with a next-generation jet that can fly higher, faster and father for deep sensing in large-scale and multidomain operations,” said Fatih Ozmen, owner and CEO of SNC. “At SNC, we’re known for putting the customer first. We saw the shift in operational theaters coming and we worked from the beginning to understand the Army’s true needs to ensure SNC was always positioned to meet the capability and timeline requirements. We built the most flexible, most configurable software system in the industry to ensure that when the time comes, the Army’s most critical mission needs are met – and the ones after that, too. Today, I am proud to say that we have been officially trusted with meeting the mission.”
Using a government-furnished Bombardier Global 6500 jet, the HADES prototypes will be the first Army-owned, large-cabin business jets utilized as aerial ISR platforms. The primary purpose of the aircraft is to provide advanced, deep-sensing capabilities for multi-domain operations against peer and near-peer adversaries.
Many of SNC’s signature design and integration capabilities, to include AI/ML, are incorporated into the HADES system, empowering mission processing, exploitation and dissemination to more quickly facilitate all-domain awareness. SNC’s solution was designed using model-based systems engineering (MBSE), significantly reducing the time required to integrate new and different systems and capabilities when needed. It can be easily reconfigured for specific mission purposes without aircraft redesign, and SNC’s strong open architecture backbone approach maximizes capability and schedules.
Josh Walsh, SNC’s vice president of programs, explains, “SNC’s HADES solution is based upon rapid configurability so the aircraft is swiftly adaptable to specific recon missions based on tactical and operational needs. This integration will make the HADES jet rapidly deployable and provides transformational increases in speed, range, payload and endurance for Army aerial ISR collection capabilities.”
To prepare for the HADES program, the Army’s Theater-level, High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne–Signals Intelligence (ATHENA) project was used to collect platform and sensor performance data to inform future decisions. In 2023, SNC was selected to provide aerial ISR as-a-service for the ATHENA project, executing contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) capabilities including aircraft, logistics, pilot, flight and maintenance operations support.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with the Army to develop and deliver a modernized aerial ISR capability to the warfighter,” said Tim Owings, executive vice president of SNC’s MST business area. “By combining our hundreds of thousands of hours on GOCO and COCO solutions with the same digital design process and engineering techniques we successfully certified and applied to the ATHENA aircraft, SNC is fully prepared to provide the Army with both the technical and cost advantages it needs to succeed in the near-peer fight.”
With more than 60 years of experience in aircraft modification and integration, SNC’s expert engineering and maintenance teams will perform work on this contract from its facilities in Maryland. SNC will support the Army with aircraft modification, delivery and ongoing government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) services.
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About SNC
SNC is a trusted global leader in aerospace and national security. Our innovative solutions enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems, as well as ISR, cyber, electronic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for national security systems across all domains – sea, land, air, space and cyber. SNC is a next-generation prime at the optimum intersection of commercial, defense and non-traditional contractors. We are one of the only privately owned mid-tier A&D prime contractors and we pride ourselves on our ability to invest early and often to ensure mission success on or ahead of schedule. It’s part of our mission to always stay one step ahead; working on solutions today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Founded in 1963, SNC is owned by Chairwoman Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen.