Verus Research, an advanced research and development firm headquartered in Albuquerque, announced Tuesday it received a five-year, $28 million contract from the U.S. Army for testing and evaluation of directed energy technologies.
The contract was awarded through the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation Training and Instrumentation, or PEO-STRI. It's dubbed as an Airborne Non-Kinetic Systems for Test — or ANKST — contract.
The ANKST program surrounds testing and evaluating high-power microwave systems and associated instrumentation, which includes modeling and simulation, in support of the Department of Defense's Test Resource Management Center, according to a news release from Verus Research.
J. Mark DelGrande, Ph.D., Verus' chief technology officer, told New Mexico Inno in April when the company announced a different award that the ANKST program intends to put that high-power microwave technology "under the wing of an MQ-9" — a type of unmanned aerial vehicle — for testing and evaluation purposes.
That work is under Verus' Research Reusable Recoverable Airborne Engagement, or RARE, program.
Much of Verus' work isn't focused on weapons development but instead on "developing capabilities for the test and evaluation community," he added.
"We are honored to receive the new contract from the U.S. Army regarding the test and evaluation of emerging directed energy technologies," DelGrande said in a statement. "As we continue to support our PEO-STRI customers, it is a testament to the dedication of the Verus Research team for creating solutions that matter for our clients."
Verus, which employs around 140, has announced a number of other major contract wins, including a $203 million ceiling increase on a different U.S. Army contract and a $52 million contract with the U.S. Navy, both announced in the first half of 2023. It also landed a million-dollar technology transfer award for an artificial intelligence-based satellite tech in April.
The Albuquerque company has a number of open positions, including for interns and full-time employees, currently listed on its website.
