Prime Solutions Group, an aerospace and defense consulting contractor located at the West Valley Technology Center near the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport, has received a prestigious Small Business Innovative Research grant from the United States Air Force.
Joseph Marvin, president of the 17-employee firm, said the Phase I grant is a major accomplishment that will allow his company to begin working on a cutting-edge project over the next year to help the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. PSG’s research will help fine-tune weapons systems compatibility and communications that will take fighter jets ranging from the F-16s to F-35s to long-range bombers to the next performance level. If the government accepts the results of his Phase I research, that would put Prime Solutions in line for a $1 million Small Business Innovative Research Phase II grant.
Prime Solutions Group is located in a 10,000-square-foot space of Building 4 at the former Lockheed Martin campus, 1300 S. Litchfield Road, and has continued to grow since Marvin launched it in his Waddell home. Marvin has since added engineers and scientists to accomplish the advanced research at the current location he leased earlier this year.
“This is exciting news,” Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord said of Prime Solutions Group’s most recent grant. “PSG’s advanced technology represents the future of the Goodyear business ecosystem and mission of innovation. The city plans to maintain its presence in the aerospace and defense industry, and PSG is conducting research that is vital.”
This grant, which was awarded in the amount of $150,000, marks the third Small Business Innovative Research Grant Prime Solutions Group has received over the last two years in the area of complex system design. It will allow research in Modeling and Simulation for Design, Development, Testing and Evaluation of Autonomous Multi-Agent Models. In 2013 and last year, PSG received SBIR contracts from the Department of Defense that is allowing the firm to conduct research on fine-tuning the accuracy of the missile defense system.
The objective of the latest research is to complement capabilities of future Air Force autonomous systems that require interoperable tools and methodologies to design, verify, validate, assess and operate human-machine system interactions associated with autonomous and manned systems integration. The first phase of the effort will start with an F-16 tactical environment and expand to Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operations.
“The Air Force is looking for “next level” capability necessary to design future complex systems, and that is right in our wheelhouse,” said Marvin, who will collaborate with global leaders on autonomous systems and systems challenges at the International Symposium of the International Council on Systems Engineering next week in Seattle.
“Our winning proposal teamed with world-class partners including the Arizona State University Cognitive Engineering Research Institute, Georgia Tech Research Institute, IBM Research and Lockheed Martin,” Marvin added. We want to see how the existing weapons systems will interact with the new systems including with the pilot, satellite systems and ground systems.”
PSG had established offices at the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport in 2010 to be collocated with their prime customer Lockheed Martin.
“When Lockheed Martin announced its plans to downsize in Goodyear, many people thought it was the end of PSG,” Marvin said. “Not so. We’ve grown from five to 17 people over the past two recent grant. “PSG’s advanced technology represents the future of the Goodyear business ecosystem and mission of innovation. The city plans to maintain its presence in the aerospace and defense industry, and PSG is conducting research that is vital.”
This grant, which was awarded in the amount of $150,000, marks the third Small Business Innovative Research Grant Prime Solutions Group has received over the last two years in the area of complex system design. It will allow research in Modeling and Simulation for Design, Development, Testing and Evaluation of Autonomous Multi-Agent Models. In 2013 and last year, PSG received SBIR contracts from the Department of Defense that is allowing the firm to conduct research on fine-tuning the accuracy of the missile defense system.
Much of former Lockheed Martin campus is configured with data access and security features necessary to support defense programs. The uniqueness of the space accommodates PSG’s current and projected growth and can also accommodate other companies focused in cyber security and related information technologies.
Reliance Management working with brokers, Brian Gleason, SIOR and Bonnie Halley, CCIM of Phoenix West Commercial of Litchfield Park, have been marketing space in four buildings previously occupied by Lockheed. There are three office buildings totaling 22,837 square feet as well as a 13,138 square foot data center available for immediate occupancy. Phoenix West Commercial is also actively marketing the remaining 11 buildings totaling 412,160 square feet.
Marvin attributes much of PSG’s growth to expanded Lockheed Martin subcontracting that retains key engineering and development personnel.
“Lockheed Martin left a foundation to build upon,” Marvin said. “Now we have the opportunity to extend the heritage at the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport from sensor integration to new horizons of Sensor Networks of Sensors. Lockheed has been very helpful and supported PSG as an industry sponsor on the recent innovative research award from the Air Force.”
“PSG’s vision is to be on the leading edge of future complex system developments,” Marvin added. “The company recognizes future system challenges as an opportunity for leadership in new development paradigms. Data analytics and advanced software programming are essential to meet new imperatives of advanced defense, energy and health care systems. We are at the edge of developments in cognitive processing and intelligent systems – and we are going to do that right here in Goodyear, Arizona,” Marvin said.
