In 1984, Applied Signal Technology, Inc. (AST) (NASDAQ: APSG) initiated business operations in Sunnyvale, California, with four founders and a vision of providing advanced digital signal processing technologies that protect and enhance national security. Today, we remain true to that vision. AST has grown into a full-service intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) provider, serving national priorities in defense, intelligence, and homeland security with over $185 million in annual revenues. AST is committed to bringing cutting-edge science and engineering together for the protection of our country and delivering quality customer service and best value.

We provide expertise in the areas of signals intelligence (SIGINT), cyber security, and sensor signature processing. Our SIGINT competencies include communications intelligence (COMINT) focusing on broadband and tactical wireless networks and electronic intelligence (ELINT). Our cyber security activities include network monitoring, intrusion detection, and countermeasures. Our remote sensing expertise includes processing information from electro-optic, sonar, radar, magnetic, and chemical sensors to detect changes in the environment and provide real-time alerts of potential threats. We specialize in the collection, processing, and understanding of signals for ISR missions with low size, weight, and power (SWAP) configurations to enable increased deployment on unmanned platforms. Additionally, we develop and manufacture sophisticated sensors and digital signal processing equipment that use advanced software.

Our customers include the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, the Department of Homeland Security, and allied nations. We also provide specialized solutions to commercial industrial partners.

We have experience in space, airborne, terrestrial, surface, and undersea environments operating in both manned and unmanned platforms and locations. We also provide multi-intelligence data fusion to help make sense of complex data from multiple sources such as image, radio, electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR), and other sensors.

We provide engineering and scientific services to explore new fundamental operational concepts, develop novel approaches to solving tough problems, develop new capabilities and equipment, perform equipment and platform integration, provide off-site and on-site support and training, and perform advanced signal, image, and data analysis to understand operating environments for pre-, post-, and on-going mission support.

We invest heavily in internal research and development (IR&D) in anticipation of customer requirements and to ensure we are at the cutting edge of scientific and engineering advances. Approximately 15–20% of our technical staff works on IR&D projects throughout the year. The results of the IR&D are new operational concepts, feasibility studies and demonstrations, new products and technologies, analysis support tools, and advanced studies on emerging problems and threats. For example, a core capability that emerged from IR&D projects over the last few years is our designs for low SWAP systems. We are now one of the nation's leaders in low SWAP electronics.

We use a centralized manufacturing facility to ensure robust and reliable products. Manufacturing design services such as quality assurance (QA), configuration management (CM), and mechanical engineering are involved in product development from the start to ensure cost-effective and reliable manufacturing. We also design, develop, and manufacture to strict military specifications when required. We can often deliver equipment on very short schedules (for example, within weeks) because we build equipment to inventory. This strategy enables rapid mission deployment for crisis situations.

Our company’s offices and laboratories occupy about 478,000 square feet at eleven locations in California, Maryland, Virginia, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Florida, and Ohio, with headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA. All facilities are fully interconnected with integrated voice and data networks providing cross-company communications, especially important for projects being developed at multiple facilities. All sites have video teleconferencing (VTC) systems.

We have about 700 employees, and our technical staff provides a broad range of scientific and engineering knowledge, talent, and skills. The technical staff (about 500 employees) has degrees in engineering, computer science, physics, and biological sciences, with about 50% having master's degrees or Ph.D.s.

We are a CMM Level 3 certified company and are proceeding to CMMI Level 3. Certifications at these levels ensure that our company adheres to strict procedures and processes for systems engineering, software engineering, supplier management, and integrated product and process development.

Overall, our company provides a unique capability in helping to protect the U.S. and allied nations against military and terrorist threats. Our deep knowledge of science and engineering is unmatched in the industry and leads to unique solutions for our customers. Applied Signal Technology systems and personnel are significant contributors to our national security.