Dynetics

Dynetics
Type Employee Owned
Industry Defense, Aerospace
Founded 1974
Headquarters 1002 Explorer Blvd. Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Key people Marc J. Bendickson, Ph.D (CEO), Thomas A Baumbach (President)
Revenue $264.3M (2009)
Employees 1300
Website www.dynetics.com

Dynetics is an employee-owned engineering, applied science, and information technology company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. Its primary customers are the United States Department of Defense, the United States Intelligence Community, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.[1]

Contents

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History

Dynetics was founded in 1974 by Herschel Metheny and Dr. Steve Gilbert. Its early work was primarily radar system analysis and engineering support for the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command and the Missile and Space Intelligence Center. During the 1980s, Dynetics expanded its business into modeling and simulation, and foreign material exploitation (FME) of radars, missiles, and missile seekers.[1]

In the 1990s, Dynetics continued to grow its core business, and expanded into the automotive supply industry as a provider of electrical test systems. Since 2000, Dynetics began selling information technology (IT) and cybersecurity services, including a contract to provide IT services to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Dynetics also entered the space business with the development of the FASTSAT-HSV micro-satelite, and as a partner with Stratolaunch Systems developing the Stratolaunch Air Launch System.[1][2]

Employee Ownership

In 1989, Dynetics purchased shares from its founders to create the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), although some shares were still held by individuals separate from the ESOP.[3] In 2011, the ESOP purchased all remaining shares, resulting in 100% ESOP ownership of the company.[1]

Operations

Dynetics divides its services and products into categories of Intelligence, Missiles, Aviation, Cyber, and Space.[1]

Projects

Current projects

Dynetics is the systems integrator, "responsible for the systems engineering, integration and testing, which includes aerodynamics, loads, and interfaces,"[4] for the Stratolaunch Systems air launch to orbit carrier aircraft and launch vehicle,[5] funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen with conceptual design by Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan. Allen and Rutan previously collaborated on the creation of SpaceShipOne.[6] The Stratolaunch carrier aircraft will have a wingspan of 117 m (385 ft),[7] making it the largest aircraft, by wingspan, to ever fly.[8]

Previous projects

References

  1. ^ a b c d e http://www.dynetics.com
  2. ^ http://www.al.com/42/index.ssf/2011/12/dynetics_to_provide_systems_in.html
  3. ^ "Employee Stock Ownership Plan". company website. Dynetics. http://www.dynetics.com/employee-ownership.php. Retrieved 2011-12-24. 
  4. ^ a b Kelley, Mike (2011-12-15). "Dynetics to provide systems integration for new commercial space launch system". Huntsville Times. http://www.al.com/42/index.ssf/2011/12/dynetics_to_provide_systems_in.html. Retrieved 2011-12-18. 
  5. ^ Mecham, Michael; Frank Morring, Jr. (2011-12-20). "Allen Places Big Bet On Air Launches". Aviation Week. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awst/2011/12/19/AW_12_19_2011_p26-406657.xml&headline=Allen%20Places%20Big%20Bet%20On%20Air%20Launches&prev=10. Retrieved 2011-12-23. "Dynetics has been under contract to Vulcan for almost a year and has some 40 employees on the project so far. SpaceX joined more recently, and the overall team is still working through details of how to progress toward its 2016 first launch." 
  6. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (2011-12-13). "Paul Allen's Stratolaunch: Grand plan for next-gen space travel". CNET (San Francisco). Archived from the original on 2011-12-17. http://www.webcitation.org/640oj6az6. Retrieved 2011-112-17. 
  7. ^ Paur, Jason (2011-12-13). "Microsoft Billionaire Paul Allen Launches New Space Venture". Wired (New York). Archived from the original on 2011-12-14. http://www.webcitation.org/63vo4NRsr. Retrieved 201-11-14. 
  8. ^ "Paul Allen to unveil Stratolaunch Systems today". newspacejournal.com. NewSpace Journal. 2011-12-13. Archived from the original on 2011-12-17. http://www.webcitation.org/640oyi1jV. Retrieved 2011-12-13.