--- alias: - Radiance Technologies, Inc. - Radiance Technologies Inc - Radiance Technologies Inc. - Radiance Tech - Radiance - CDES, Inc. category: Organizations created: 2026-10-03 location: Huntsville, Alabama relations: - fn: 7 role: subcontractor on a first task in 2001; prime on the Advanced Technical Exploitation Program II contract announced October 6, 2014 ($960 million) and on a General Services Administration blanket purchase agreement with a $997 million ceiling (September 2019) start: 2001 type: contractor_to with: '[[National Air and Space Intelligence Center]]' - fn: 3 role: awardee on the Contract Operations for Missile Evaluation and Testing multi-award task order contract (ceiling above $14 billion), announced September 9, 2026 start: 2026-07-21 type: contractor_to with: '[[Missile and Space Intelligence Center]]' - fn: 12 reverse: true role: principal research scientist start: 2022-04-22 type: employed_by with: '[[Travis Taylor]]' - fn: 11 role: joint venture member with Ignite Fueling Innovation, Inc.; formation recorded July 10, 2024, announced October 14, 2024 start: 2024-07-10 type: founded with: '[[Radiance Ignite Technologies]]' - fn: 8 reverse: true role: president in 2014; chief executive in 2022 and 2026; vice chairman of Radiance Ignite Technologies type: head_of with: '[[Bill Bailey]]' - fn: 14 reverse: true role: president, as described in releases and reports of 2022 type: head_of with: '[[Tim Tinsley]]' - fn: 17 role: disbursements by the Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee to Mike Rogers for Congress (C00367862, Alabama, candidate H2AL03032) start: 2003-09-09 type: funded with: '[[Mike Rogers]]' - fn: 17 role: disbursements by the Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee to Citizens for Turner (C00373001, Ohio, candidate H2OH03067) start: 2007-08-10 type: funded with: '[[Mike Turner]]' - fn: 19 reverse: true role: founder and later president, with John Dennis and Scott Dublin start: 1999-03-15 type: founded with: '[[George Clark]]' - fn: 19 reverse: true role: founder; incorporator on the 2014 restated articles start: 1999-03-15 type: founded with: '[[John Dennis]]' - fn: 19 reverse: true role: founder start: 1999-03-15 type: founded with: '[[Scott Dublin]]' - fn: 28 reverse: true role: chief intelligence strategist, then executive vice president and chief strategy officer (March 2, 2020); previously chief scientist of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center start: 2018-11-20 type: employed_by with: '[[Curtis Rowland]]' - fn: 47 role: Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee disbursement of $5,000 to Hinchman for Congress (C00648162), Alabama 5th District candidacy, 2018 cycle start: 2018-03-21 type: funded with: '[[Clayton Hinchman]]' - fn: 42 role: Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee disbursements totaling $65,300 in 22 records to Robert Aderholt for Congress through October 27, 2023 start: 2002-04-05 type: funded with: '[[Robert Aderholt]]' summary: Employee-owned Huntsville, Alabama defense contractor with National Air and Space Intelligence Center awards, employer of Jay Stratton and Travis Taylor from 2022, and named by Daniel Sheehan in December 2023. tags: - Organization - DefenseContractor - TechnicalIntelligence - EmployeeOwned - HuntsvilleAlabama - UFO - ForeignMaterielExploitation - ESOP - WrightPatterson updated: 2026-10-03 --- Radiance Technologies is a 100 percent employee-owned prime contractor headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, that describes its work as cybersecurity, systems engineering, prototyping and integration, and operational and strategic intelligence, including scientific and technical intelligence.[^1] Its Alabama corporate record shows incorporation in Madison County on June 1, 1998 under the name CDES, Inc., with a legal name change to Radiance Technologies, Inc. on February 2, 1999; company releases give 1999 as the founding year.[^2] A release dated September 9, 2026 gives more than 1,200 employee-owners.[^3] ### Corporate record The Alabama Secretary of State entity record (000-195-724, status "Exists," nature of business "ANY LAWFUL ACTIVITY") lists five directors (John A. Dennis, William C. Bailey, A. Brown Ballard, James E. Deason and Gary L. Rigney) and one incorporator (John Dennis), entered May 19, 2014 with restated articles. Authorized capital is $10,000 and paid-in capital $1,000. The recorded mergers into the corporation are Missile Systems & Technologies, Inc. (November 3, 2004), Open Source Publishing Incorporated, a Virginia corporation (July 20, 2005), Symbiont Enterprises, Inc. (June 6, 2007) and Ares Corporation, a Virginia corporation (May 2, 2008). The registered agent was changed on November 25, 2025 from Paige R. Nix to Seth P. Crochet at 310 Bob Heath Drive, Huntsville. A company release of July 31, 2025 is titled as the promotion of Crochet to executive vice president and general counsel.[^2][^4] The website of the joint venture [Radiance Ignite Technologies](/organizations/radiance-ignite-technologies/) describes William C. Bailey, Jr. as having joined Radiance in 2001, with fourteen years of military service that included work as a research and development engineer at the [National Air and Space Intelligence Center](/organizations/foreign-technology-division/) (NASIC) and at Phillips Laboratory, now the Air Force Research Laboratory.[^5] Company releases record the acquisition of Phased n Research (March 31, 2025), the acquisition of Verus Research (June 2, 2025), a campus expansion at Jan Davis Drive in Cummings Research Park (ribbon cutting March 18, 2025), the appointment of the former SAIC chief executive Tony Moraco to the board of directors (August 12, 2025), and a partnership with Bright Path Research, a service-disabled veteran-owned joint venture with Offset Strategic Services (February 2025).[^6] ### Federal awards The USAspending award search for the recipient name "Radiance Technologies" (queried October 3, 2026; contract award types; October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2026) returned 499 prime award records. Summed by awarding agency, the listed award amounts are: [U.S. Army](/organizations/us-army/) $1,644,356,533; [U.S. Air Force](/organizations/us-air-force/) $774,964,427; Defense Contract Management Agency $111,297,241; [DARPA](/organizations/darpa/) $86,496,102; Defense Logistics Agency $51,410,244; Department of the Interior $20,589,351; [U.S. Navy](/organizations/us-navy/) $19,948,933; [NASA](/organizations/nasa/) $15,851,589; Missile Defense Agency $6,361,339; General Services Administration $2,727,219; Department of Homeland Security $896,246. The sum is of per-award totals with no de-duplication of indefinite-delivery vehicles and their orders.[^7] The largest records are an Army systems engineering and technical assistance task order (W50RAJ20F0014, $280,784,689, September 30, 2020 to September 30, 2025), an Army task order for 2016 to 2021 (0007, $92,337,830), an Air Force contract for Distributed, Automated, and Intelligent Hardware and Software Security (FA875019C1508, $91,915,261, August 20, 2019 to August 19, 2025), a Defense Contract Management Agency record for Cyber Platforms and Capabilities-Efficiency (FA875018F0024, $87,351,560) and a series of Army space, missile defense and high-energy laser task orders (identifiers beginning W9113M, 45 records, $558,301,239).[^7] Records with identifiers beginning FA8604 number 141 and total $391,367,960; their descriptions cite ATEP II and the "NOVASTAR, National Air and Space Intelligence Center Science and Technical Intelligence Analytic Capability Support Contract," "RF Signatures Production and Tool Support" (FA860424FB319, $6,525,500, September 29, 2024 to September 28, 2028), "Non-Cooperative Target Identification (NCTI) Analysis and Production Support" (FA860425FB103, $2,599,919) and "High Fidelity Sensor Characterization Research and Development" (FA860425FB064, $5,168,200). The largest ATEP II records are FA860419F6091 ($13,443,110, March 28, 2019 to October 17, 2022), FA860423F6135 ($11,365,108, January 8, 2023 to January 7, 2024) and FA860420F6118 ($10,380,920).[^7] None of the award descriptions uses the phrases "foreign materiel exploitation" or "reverse engineering" except an Army Small Business Innovation Research Phase I record (W31P4Q11C0140, $99,993, February 1, 2011 to October 15, 2011) titled "Anti-Reverse Engineering (RE) Techniques."[^7] ### National Air and Space Intelligence Center work A Radiance release dated October 6, 2014 states that Radiance, "along with its Dayton partners," was awarded a $960,000,000 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the Advanced Technical Exploitation Program II (ATEP II), covering research, development, system sustainment and intelligence production using geospatial-intelligence and non-nuclear measurement and signature intelligence data at NASIC at [Wright-Patterson Air Force Base](/places/wright-patterson-air-force-base/). The release quotes Radiance president Bill Bailey.[^8] A September 23, 2019 report in the Huntsville Business Journal states that Radiance was awarded a General Services Administration blanket purchase agreement for scientific and technical intelligence support to NASIC, with a five-year base period, five one-year options and a $997 million ceiling, most work to be performed at Wright-Patterson in Beavercreek, Ohio. The team named is [Battelle Memorial Institute](/organizations/battelle-memorial-institute/), COLSA Corp., Northrop Grumman, Parsons Government Services and Teledyne Brown Engineering. Bryan Johnson, then Radiance chief operating officer, is quoted: "Our win is the culmination of years of hard work that started with a single task supporting NASIC as a subcontractor in 2001."[^9] NASIC is the successor organization to the Foreign Technology Division, whose history at Wright-Patterson includes [Project Blue Book](/programs/project-blue-book/). ### Missile and Space Intelligence Center and the COMET contract On September 9, 2026 Radiance announced that it had been selected as an awardee on the Contract Operations for Missile Evaluation and Testing (COMET) multi-award task order contract supporting the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), part of the [Defense Intelligence Agency](/organizations/defense-intelligence-agency/). The release gives the contract value as $14 billion and lists five task areas: foundational and technical intelligence analysis, foreign materiel exploitation, information technology operations, modeling and simulation, and business processes, with a period of performance from July 21, 2026 to January 1, 2037. It states that Radiance leads its own team and holds positions on two other winning teams, one led by SAIC and one through Radiance Ignite Technologies. The Huntsville outlet 256 Today, reporting on September 14, 2026 that MSIC is at Redstone Arsenal, gave the ceiling as "more than $14 billion."[^3][^10] ### Radiance Ignite Technologies Radiance and [Ignite Fueling Innovation](/organizations/ignite-fueling-innovation/), Inc. are the members of the joint venture Radiance Ignite Technologies (Alabama entity 001-144-448; formation date on the Alabama record July 10, 2024; announced October 14, 2024), which has its own page.[^11] ### Hires from the UAP Task Force Radiance announced on April 22, 2022 (a Friday) that Travis Taylor, described in the announcement as a scientist, author, engineer and television star, had joined as a principal research scientist. Chief executive Bill Bailey was quoted: "Dr. Taylor is an outstanding and highly qualified scientist whose inventive way of thinking will be a great asset for Radiance."[^12] A Radiance release dated May 12, 2022, "John F. Stratton Jr. Joins Radiance Technologies as SME for Intel Strategy," announced the hiring of [Jay Stratton](/people/jay-stratton/) (John F. Stratton Jr.), "recently retired" from his role as Defense Intelligence Senior Executive with the [Office of Naval Intelligence](/organizations/office-of-naval-intelligence/), as a member of the chief executive's strategy team for scientific and technical intelligence work. It describes him as "the first Director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force (UAPTF)," and quotes Radiance president Tim Tinsley: "Jay's extensive experience in the Intelligence Community will be valuable in identifying and cultivating new strategic teaming opportunities within both industry and government."[^13] George Knapp of KLAS-TV wrote on May 24, 2022 that "In January 2021 ... Stratton was surprisingly transferred out of the job" at the [UAP Task Force](/organizations/uap-task-force/), and that Taylor said of Stratton, "he and I have been colleagues for a long time." Knapp wrote that Stratton "has never spoken publicly about his work and is not commenting now."[^14] ### Statements by company officials In an 8 News Now report by Knapp posted October 13, 2022 (Pacific time), Tinsley was asked whether the company would take a contract to take apart a UFO and learn how it works. He answered: "Why not. I'm waiting for one of those." Of work at Nellis Air Force Base he said, "I can't tell you a lot. I can tell is you is we've supported the Las Vegas community, Nellis Air Force Base, for over 20 years." Asked whether the company worried about the perception that it reverse engineers UFOs, he said, "No, we provide customer solutions. Whatever our customers want us to work on and support, then that's what we'll do." Knapp wrote that Radiance "isn't able to confirm the allegations" about crash retrievals, that Stratton urged Radiance to hire Taylor, and that when Radiance announced the two hires "the news releases didn't hide the connection." Taylor told Knapp: "Jay and I are working on growing the capabilities, doing reverse engineering of foreign materials. If we were to get something to reverse engineer, we would absolutely want to do that."[^15] ### Allegation by Daniel Sheehan On December 3, 2023 Liberation Times published an interview with the attorney Daniel Sheehan, whom it identified as president of the New Paradigm Institute, about opposition to the [Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act](/concepts/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-disclosure-act/) in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. Sheehan said that Representatives Mike Rogers and Mike Turner had faced pressure from private defense contractors and the intelligence community, and, asked to name the entities, named Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Radiance Technologies and the [Central Intelligence Agency](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) Directorate of Operations. An Internet Archive copy of the article from December 2023 adds, after "Directorate of Operations," the words "run by David Marlowe, its current Deputy Director"; the present version of the article does not carry them. Sheehan said that the CIA disperses non-human materials to aerospace companies and that Radiance is one of its newest customers: "Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and, now Radiance Technologies, are given particular discrete aspects of the technology to try to figure it out."[^16] The same article states that Liberation Times "has been unable to further substantiate the involvement of these organisations", that "there is no evidence to suggest that Radiance Technologies, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin or the CIA are influencing Representatives Turner or Rogers", and that "multiple sources have told Liberation Times that the allegations made regarding Radiance Technologies are untrue and that two of its employees, Jay Stratton and Travis Taylor are long-time advocates for more transparency on this topic and are in no way involved in any coverup." It reports that Radiance maintains an office in Beavercreek, Ohio, in Turner's district, and cites a 2016 ribbon cutting there by Turner and a 2020 opening of a 104,000 square foot Huntsville facility at which Rogers was a guest of honour.[^16] ### Political contributions The [Federal Election Commission](/organizations/federal-election-commission/) lists Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee (C00372979, nonqualified PAC, first filed February 12, 2002). Its Schedule B disbursements to Mike Rogers for Congress (C00367862, an Alabama committee whose candidate identifier H2AL03032 is that of Michael Rogers, Alabama, House district 3) total $37,100 across 15 records from September 9, 2003 to February 5, 2024, the last four of $5,000 each (March 13, 2019; February 19, 2020; October 12, 2021; February 5, 2024). Disbursements to Citizens for Turner (C00373001, an Ohio committee whose candidate identifier H2OH03067 is that of Michael R. Turner, Ohio, House district 10) total $51,250 across 20 records (August 10, 2007 to June 18, 2024). Disbursements to Turner Victory Fund (C00611962, registered in Georgia as a joint fundraising committee, no sponsoring candidate listed in the FEC record) total $25,000 across 5 records (October 1, 2020 to June 23, 2025); no record opened ties that committee to Mike Turner. Two other recipients matched the search term "Rogers," Hal Rogers for Congress ($10,000) and an individual-named committee ($1,000), and are excluded. Liberation Times stated that "since 2010, over $30,000 was given by Radiance Technologies to Representative Rogers and over $60,000 to Representative Turner."[^16][^17] ### Bid protest The Government Accountability Office docket B-422615.1 lists Radiance Technologies, Inc. as protester on solicitation TORFP-24-005 of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, filed May 24, 2024, with the outcome "Denied" and a decision date of August 30, 2024.[^18] ### Founding and early customers The Alabama record shows incorporation as CDES, Inc. in 1998, while the company's own pages give March 15, 1999 as the date operations began; the 2017 About Us page names George Clark, John Dennis and Scott Dublin as the founders, who "launched operations in a 3,000 square foot facility in Executive Plaza" in Huntsville, Alabama with an initial subcontract supporting the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command through the NRC SETAC contract. The page states that the founders' goal "was to be employee-owned" and that the company ended its first calendar year with 11 employees and $1.2 million in revenue.[^19] A 2005 company release quotes Clark as president.[^20] A 2002 company page lists a Hattiesburg, Mississippi signal research facility, an Oxford, Mississippi office and an office in Fairfax, Virginia.[^21] ### Foreign materiel exploitation pages, 2001 to 2006 A Radiance web page captured on October 27, 2001 is titled "Foreign Materiel Exploitation." It states that Radiance "assists the government in understanding the operations of foreign sensor and weapon systems, to ensure that Free World military forces can exploit weaknesses of foreign systems and can avoid strengths," and lists "Reverse Engineering," "RTSS Development," "Capability/Vulnerability Analysis," "Algorithm Analysis" and "Data Link Exploitation," with Bryan Johnson as the contact.[^22] A page captured on September 27, 2002, titled "Intelligence Community Support," lists "Foreign Material Exploitation," "Software Reverse Engineering," "Hardware Reverse Engineering" and "ELINT, COMINT, FISINT, and MASINT Analysis," with Bill Bailey as the contact.[^21] A Dayton office page captured in January 2004 describes the office as a branch of the company's Intelligence Systems Division at 2900 Presidential Drive in Fairborn, Ohio: "Our primary customers are the intelligence and research organizations at Wright-Patterson AFB. We specialize in the analysis of foreign weapon systems and the development and implementation of emerging technologies to advance US weapon systems."[^23] A December 2005 programs page lists "Foreign Electronic Systems Capabilities (FESC)" for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center as a subcontract to Syracuse Research.[^24] A job posting captured May 16, 2006 (HR328, Senior Engineer, Dayton) describes "FME" duties: "Candidate will process, exploit, report and disseminate data collected on various threat systems."[^25] ### Open Source Publishing and Eliot Jardines On August 19, 2005 Radiance announced the acquisition of Open Source Publishing, Incorporated of Leesburg, Virginia, founded in 1996 by Eliot Jardines; the unit became the Open Source Intelligence Division.[^20] The [Office of the Director of National Intelligence](/organizations/director-of-national-intelligence/) announced on December 7, 2005 that Jardines had been named the first Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source, and the release states that the firm "was acquired by Radiance Technologies, Inc., where he served as the director of the Radiance Open Source Intelligence Division."[^26] A Congressional Record declaration of September 21, 2009 lists a request by Representative Mike Turner under H.R. 2647 (Air Force research, development, test and evaluation) titled "Open Source Research Centers," with Radiance Technologies at 3100 Presidential Drive, Fairborn, Ohio as the requesting entity; the amount is not stated.[^27] ### Former National Air and Space Intelligence Center and Missile and Space Intelligence Center officials A Radiance release of November 20, 2018 announced that Curtis Rowland had joined as chief intelligence strategist. It states that he entered federal service in July 1982; that he held "board leadership roles, including on the Joint Foreign Materiel Board of Directors, Foreign Denial and Deception Committee and the Scientific and Technical Intelligence Committee"; and that from 2014 he was chief scientist of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, leading "a team of 3,000."[^28] A release of March 2, 2020 promoted him to executive vice president and chief strategy officer and corporate lead executive for the Dayton office and states that he "led a team of 4,000."[^29] Company leadership pages captured in November 2019 give Bailey's background as fourteen years of military service including work as a research and development engineer at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and Phillips Laboratory, and describe Cindy Santy as having "led scientific and technical intelligence analysis of foreign weapon systems at the Defense Intelligence Agency's Missile and Space Intelligence Center." The page for president Dave Diaddario lists company expertise in "foreign materiel exploitation, anti-tampering technique development/implementation" and describes his earlier work at BAE Systems (formerly MEVATEC) with the Missile Defense Agency and NASA. The page for Bryan Johnson, chief operating officer, describes earlier work leading the Cyber Solutions Group in "system exploitation, software reverse engineering."[^30] A release of January 20, 2022 announced Bill Jennings, with more than 35 years in the intelligence community and senior roles at the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, as senior intelligence advisor for the defense sector.[^31] Radiance announced on July 16, 2024 the hiring of Mark Tillman, who had served as a senior defense intelligence analyst in the Defense Intelligence Agency Directorate for Analysis from June 2020 to July 2024, and on March 31, 2025 named him president of the acquired Phased n Research.[^32] A release of April 2, 2026 announced Major General Timothy A. Sejba, United States Space Force (retired), formerly of the [National Reconnaissance Office](/organizations/national-reconnaissance-office/), as a strategic consultant; a release of February 20, 2025 announced General Charles A. Flynn, United States Army (retired), as a strategic consultant.[^33] ### Contract vehicles at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center USAspending shows two multiple-award indefinite-delivery vehicles held by Radiance under Air Force contracting activity FA8604. The Advanced Technical Exploitation Program II vehicle FA860415D7976 had a ceiling of $1,240,000,000 from October 3, 2014 to October 2, 2023; the sibling vehicles were FA860415D7975 (KBR Wyle Services) and FA860415D7977 (Altamira Technologies). The NOVASTAR vehicle FA860422DB008 has a ceiling of $4,797,000,000 from August 19, 2022 to August 18, 2027; the parallel awards are FA860422DB005 (Altamira Technologies), DB006 (Epsilon C5I), DB007 (Modern Technology Solutions) and DB009 (Xandar).[^34] The Radiance release of August 19, 2022 states that NOVASTAR covers "research, development, sustainment, and production across all of NASIC's missions and disciplines" and the "creation, evaluation, and analysis of intelligence data on foreign developments in current and future weapon systems, subsystems, and technologies," and quotes [Bill Bailey](/people/bill-bailey/): "20 years of hard work by a lot of Radiance employee-owners with our customer, NASIC."[^35] The 141 FA8604 records total $391,367,960. By place of performance, 52 records ($175,176,576) list Wright-Patterson Air Force Base ZIP 45433, 43 records ($162,220,419) list Huntsville ZIP 35806 and 37 records ($42,550,315) list Huntsville ZIP 35805. Competition fields on the sampled orders read "FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION AFTER EXCLUSION OF SOURCES SUBJECT TO MULTIPLE AWARD FAIR OPPORTUNITY," with one to four offers received. Descriptions of the 2015 to 2018 orders name subjects such as "FY15 SBIRS AUTOMATED PROCESSING R&D SUPPORT," "FY16 SAR CONTINGENCY OPERATIONAL SUPPORT," "PERSISTENT INFRARED ENHANCED ANALYTICS" and "GROUND TRUTH SUPPORT"; later orders carry titles such as "RF SIGNATURES PRODUCTION AND TOOL SUPPORT, NSC-24-083," "NASIC PLATFORM SERVICES SUSTAINMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, NSC-25-074" and "ICAM COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT" (FA860426FB159, $12,955,000, June 12, 2026 to March 11, 2029).[^34] A September 24, 2019 trade report states that Radiance won a GSA blanket purchase agreement for Intelligence Mission Data support to the center with a ceiling of $376 million, a five-year base and five one-year options, with work at Wright-Patterson, on a team with Battelle, COLSA, Leidos, Parsons and AT&T Government Solutions.[^36] ### Capability statement of January 2022 A Radiance corporate overview dated January 13, 2022 (submitted to the National Advanced Mobility Consortium) lists, under the National Security Sector, "Microelectronics Exploitation," "Integrated Circuit Failure Analysis," "RF Material Interactions Studies," "Weapon System Exploitation" (including "Software/Hardware Exploitation," "FPGA and Complex Devices Exploitation," "Computer Forensics"), and under the Department of Defense Sector "Systems Engineering: Design/Re-Design Reverse Engineering." It lists laboratories named Space Technology Analysis and Concepts, Space Payload Demonstration, Space PNT Resiliency and Air and Missile System Integration; states that the company has "numerous cleared office, laboratory, prototyping and high bay facilities," over 950 employees and 24 indefinite-delivery contracts.[^37] A Radiance posting for an OPIR Extractions Analyst supporting the center at Wright-Patterson (Beavercreek; removed May 9, 2025) lists duties to "plan, conduct and accomplish OPIR extraction exploitation, production, and quality control," requires a TS/SCI clearance and desires being "NASIC certified in BRASS or SBIRS extractions"; a ClearanceJobs posting for a C4ISR Analyst (Beavercreek, Secret with SCI eligibility) describes "all-source analysis on foreign space and counterspace organizations, processes, facilities, equipment, and technologies."[^38] ### Employee ownership and the Berry v. Bailey litigation The Department of Labor Form 5500 dataset lists the Radiance Technologies, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (sponsor EIN 63-1204084, plan 003, effective January 1, 2008). Schedule H reports employer securities of $17,993,650 at the end of 2017, $50,834,346 (2018), $65,757,103 (2019), $94,399,503 (2020), $117,620,408 (2021), $119,038,268 (2022), $163,931,588 (2023) and $191,284,778 (2024), against total assets of $194,917,315 at the end of 2024 and distributions of $19,127,713 in 2024; beginning-of-year participants numbered 640 (2017) and 1,092 (2024).[^39] In Berry v. Bailey (N.D. Ala. 5:24-cv-522, removed April 25, 2024), former employees sued Bailey, the board (Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, Jead Deason, Jim Poss, Jim Scanlon, Carol Tevepaugh, JT Thompson and John F. Thompson) and the trustee Argent Trust Company and its employee Stephen A. Martin. The second amended complaint alleges that in early 2023 Bailey began to "shop" Radiance, that an offer came from Axient (Sagewind) and a second in summer 2023 from BlueHalo, that the board retained Jefferies Financial Group, that about 14 offers were narrowed to five each "in a range of two times (2X) the ESOP's last appraised value," that Bailey dismissed president Tim Tinsley during due diligence, and that Bailey told the board of "product(s) and programs" that "did not even exist" and were "proverbial 'moon shots'." Judge Corey Maze dismissed all claims without prejudice on September 18, 2025 on standing, preemption and exhaustion grounds without reaching the merits; the opinion records that the plaintiffs were held to be beneficial stockholders with standing for derivative claims before those were dismissed on preemption.[^40][^41] ### Sole-source award under the ESOP pilot program Defense Logistics Agency Aviation at Huntsville awarded SPRRA226C0009 to Radiance on April 10, 2026 for range improvement and modernization at the Reagan Test Site (Kwajalein Atoll) for the Army Space and Missile Defense Command: $30,159,000 obligated against a ceiling of $149,683,593 through April 10, 2031, coded "NOT AVAILABLE FOR COMPETITION." The redacted justification and approval states the authority as "DFARS 206.302-5(b), Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) pilot program, NDAA Provision 874, and amended NDAA Provision 872," approved by an Office of the Under Secretary of War memorandum signed by Col. Steven R. Green Jr. on December 23, 2025. It states that Radiance has invested in "laboratory and integration spaces that meet ICD 705 requirements for classified facilities," that a sources-sought notice of January 20, 2026 drew no responses, and that two small businesses, McDonald Technical Solutions and Polaris Sensor Technologies, answered the synopsis, "Neither of these vendors are ESOP companies." The same document calls Radiance "an employee-owned small business" and states "Radiance, a small business, is the only known source with the current capability to successfully complete the range modernization."[^42] ### Size status and the Army RCCTO protest Radiance protested a small-business recertification requirement in Army task order request for proposals 24-005 (systems engineering and technical assistance for the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office) before the Government Accountability Office (B-422615.1, denied August 30, 2024) and then in the United States Court of Federal Claims (No. 24-1375C). The court's opinion of December 5, 2024 states that Radiance, the incumbent, "was a small business when it was awarded its OASIS IDIQ contract but admits that it no longer meets that qualification," and dismissed the protest under the task-order bar.[^43] The joint venture Radiance Ignite Technologies was formed on July 10, 2024, between the May 2024 protest and the December 2024 opinion. ### Political action committee, all recipients The Federal Election Commission lists 367 Schedule B disbursements by Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee (C00372979). By recipient committee the largest totals are Robert Aderholt for Congress $65,300 (22 records, April 5, 2002 to October 27, 2023), the National Republican Senatorial Committee $55,000 (5), Citizens for Turner $51,250 (20), Terri Sewell for Congress $40,600 (13, to March 31, 2026), Mike Rogers for Congress $37,100 (15), Defend America PAC $33,850 (7), Scalise for Congress $27,700 (3), Turner Victory Fund $25,000 (5), Jo Bonner for Congress $25,000 (14) and Friends of Bud Cramer $25,000 (7, August 14, 2003 to April 9, 2007).[^44] A $10,000 disbursement on January 17, 2005 went to a "Reception Custodial Account (c/o Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc.)."[^44] Individual contributions listing Radiance as employer total $2,766,062 over 9,176 records, including $675,991 to the company PAC; William C. Bailey Jr. (name variants of "Bailey, William" with occupation listed as CEO; 230 records from April 25, 2019 to June 30, 2026; sum of itemized receipts as returned, net of 19 negative correction rows: $1,116,488; the FEC does not unify donors, a different William Bailey appears under other occupations, and earlier rows are not counted) gave the largest amounts to the National Republican Congressional Committee ($331,200), Grow the Majority ($270,000) and the Scalise Leadership Fund ($115,000).[^45] House earmark declarations name Radiance as the requesting entity for $2,400,000 (Representative Jo Bonner, Navy anti-submarine camera system, September 24, 2008), $800,000 and $9 million (Army "Gunfire Detection System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles," Representative Terry Everett, 2008) and $2,000,000 (Representative Jack Kingston, Army, July 2009).[^27] ### Clayton Hinchman's 2018 candidacy [Robert Clayton Hinchman](/people/clayton-hinchman/), listed in his own FEC filings as chief operating officer and later chief marketing officer of Ignite Fueling Innovation, is recorded by the Federal Election Commission as a 2018-cycle House candidate (party code GOP) for Alabama's 5th Congressional District (candidate H8AL05208, statement of candidacy first filed June 20, 2017).[^46] His committee (Hinchman for Congress, C00648162) reported $253,800 in receipts for 2018, including a $100,000 candidate loan (March 30, 2018), $2,700 from Ignite Fueling Innovation Inc Federal PAC (May 18, 2017), $5,000 from the Radiance Technologies, Inc. Political Action Committee (March 21, 2018), $1,500 from COLSA president Richard Amos, and contributions from Ignite's president and a human resources manager.[^47] Hinchman became president and chairman of Radiance Ignite Technologies in 2024. ### Sheehan Twitter Space, December 2023 Daniel Sheehan described the company in a Twitter Space of early December 2023, transcribed by the writer Steve Skojec on December 7, 2023. Sheehan said Ohio's 10th District is "the chief field office for Radiance Technologies, which is a high tech aerospace industry that is working on a program called 'Prompt Global Strike,' which is the attempt to back engineer UFO technology which they have apparently secured from the ... another aerospace industry," and that Representative Mike Rogers is chair of the House Armed Services Committee with his "home district ... the 2nd district of Alabama." The Federal Election Commission lists the committee Mike Rogers for Congress (C00367862) under candidate identifier H2AL03032. Skojec wrote that he could not vouch for Sheehan.[^48] In June 2023 The War Zone reported that NASIC includes a Foreign Materiel Exploitation Squadron and quoted a Department of Defense Inspector General report on the point.[^49] That report, No. 98-005 of October 8, 1997, states that the Air Force Test and Evaluation Directorate's Foreign Materiel Office "had an ongoing initiative to involve contractors early in the exploitation process," that the initiative "pertained only to electronic warfare systems," and that the Air Force "had plans to expand the program to other systems"; it put Military Department spending on foreign materiel exploitation projects in fiscal 1996 at "about $117 million."[^50] The War Zone article names no Radiance, and cites a Pentagon statement of no evidence of "possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials."[^49] [^1]: Radiance Technologies, "Radiance Technologies Wins Position on $14B MSIC COMET Contract," PR Newswire, September 9, 2026 ("About Radiance Technologies"). http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-wins-position-on-14b-msic-comet-contract-302874291.html [^2]: Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entity Records, Radiance Technologies, Inc., entity 000-195-724, formation 06/01/1998, transactions through 11/25/2025, fetched October 3, 2026. https://arc-sos.state.al.us/cgi/corpdetail.mbr/detail?corp=000195724&page=name&file=&type=ALL&status=ALL&place=ALL&city= [^3]: "Radiance Technologies Wins Position on $14B MSIC COMET Contract," PR Newswire, September 9, 2026. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-wins-position-on-14b-msic-comet-contract-302874291.html [^4]: Radiance Technologies news releases, PR Newswire source listing (titles and dates), fetched October 3, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news/radiance-technologies/ [^5]: Radiance Ignite Technologies, "About Us," fetched October 3, 2026. https://radianceignite.com/about/ [^6]: Same PR Newswire listing as above (titles and dates of the Phased n Research, Verus Research, Jan Davis Drive and Moraco releases); Bright Path Research announcement (February 2025), https://brightpathresearch.com/news-BPR-SPA. [^7]: USAspending.gov API, POST /api/v2/search/spending_by_award/, recipient_search_text "Radiance Technologies," award types A to D, fetched October 3, 2026; raw rows in TEMP/RESEARCH/2026-10-03_uapmoney/data/RT1/rad_awards.json. Recipient UEI R52PJK8DM6T4 (second record YXRLX5PDCWK4). https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/search/spending_by_award/ [^8]: "NASIC picks Radiance for $960 Million Advanced Technical Exploitation Program II," Radiance Technologies, October 6, 2014, Internet Archive capture of February 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160201010423/https://www.radiancetech.com/nasic-picks-radiance-for-960-million-advanced-technical-exploitation-program-ii/ [^9]: "Radiance Wins Contract to Support NASIC; Ceiling of $997M," Huntsville Business Journal, September 23, 2019. https://huntsvillebusinessjournal.com/news/2019/09/23/radiance-wins-contract-to-support-nasic-ceiling-of-997m [^10]: Sawyer Knowles, "Huntsville's Radiance Technologies secures $14 billion missile intelligence contract," 256 Today, September 14, 2026. https://256today.com/huntsvilles-radiance-technologies-secures-14-billion-missile-intelligence-contract/ [^11]: Alabama Secretary of State, entity 001-144-448, Radiance Ignite Technologies, LLC, fetched October 3, 2026; "Radiance Technologies and Ignite Announce Joint Venture," PR Newswire, October 14, 2024. https://arc-sos.state.al.us/cgi/corpdetail.mbr/detail?corp=001144448&page=name&file=&type=ALL&status=ALL&place=ALL&city= ; https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-and-ignite-announce-joint-venture-302275375.html [^12]: "Radiance Technologies Appoints TV Personality Dr. Travis S. Taylor as a Principal Research Scientist; CEO Bill Bailey Quoted," ExecutiveGov, April 22, 2022. https://www.executivegov.com/?p=233066 [^13]: "John F. Stratton Jr. Joins Radiance Technologies as SME for Intel Strategy," Radiance Technologies, PR Newswire, May 12, 2022, read in the Internet Archive capture of the same date. https://web.archive.org/web/20220512145721/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-f-stratton-jr-joins-radiance-technologies-as-sme-for-intel-strategy-301546258.html [^14]: George Knapp, "More UFO hearings? Congress might consider hearing from these 2 men," 8 News Now (KLAS), May 24, 2022. https://digital-release.8newsnow.com/?p=1136519 [^15]: George Knapp, "Is this company working with alien technology in Nevada?" KLAS 8 News Now, posted October 13, 2022 (Pacific time). https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/is-this-company-working-with-alien-technology-in-nevada/ [^16]: Christopher Sharp, "Daniel Sheehan Exposes Five Powerful Republicans Blocking UFO Disclosure Act, As The Clock Ticks Down," Liberation Times, December 3, 2023, read in the present version and in an Internet Archive capture of December 2023. Sole source for the Sheehan statements so cited. https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/daniel-sheehan-exposes-five-powerful-republicans-blocking-ufo-disclosure-act-as-the-clock-ticks-down ; https://web.archive.org/web/20231204/https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/daniel-sheehan-exposes-five-powerful-republicans-blocking-ufo-disclosure-act-as-the-clock-ticks-down [^17]: Federal Election Commission API, committee C00372979, /schedules/schedule_b/ filtered by recipient names "ROGERS" and "TURNER," with committee records C00367862, C00373001 and C00611962 and candidate records H2AL03032 and H2OH03067, fetched October 3, 2026. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_b/?committee_id=C00372979 [^18]: Government Accountability Office, Bid Protest Docket, Radiance Technologies, Inc. (TORFP-24-005), file number B-422615.1, Internet Archive capture of February 6, 2025. https://www.gao.gov/docket/b-422615.1 [^19]: Radiance Technologies, "About Us" (George Clark, John Dennis, Scott Dublin; March 15, 1999), Wayback capture of July 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170711221013/https://www.radiancetech.com/about-us/ ; "Who We Are," Wayback capture of September 23, 2020 (same three names). https://web.archive.org/web/20200923061034/https://www.radiancetech.com/who-we-are/ [^20]: Radiance Technologies, "Radiance Technologies Acquires Open Source Publishing," August 19, 2005, Wayback capture of October 24, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051024072949/http://www.radiancetech.com:80/company/press_releases.htm [^21]: Radiance Technologies, "Intelligence Community Support" and "About Us" pages, Wayback captures of September 27, 2002 and April 8, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020927213934/http://www.radiancetech.com:80/ServicesForeignMaterialExp.html ; https://web.archive.org/web/20020408023258/http://www.radiancetech.com:80/AboutUs.htm [^22]: Radiance Technologies, "Foreign Materiel Exploitation," Wayback capture of October 27, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20011027170543/http://radiancetech.com:80/ForeignExploit.htm [^23]: Radiance Technologies, "Dayton Office," Wayback capture of January 3, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040103154403/http://www.radiancetech.com:80/dayton.html [^24]: Radiance Technologies, "Programs Index," Wayback capture of December 15, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051215211203/http://www.radiancetech.com:80/programs/default.htm [^25]: Radiance Technologies, careers posting HR328, Wayback capture of May 16, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060516112649/http://www.radiancetech.com/careers/hr328.shtm [^26]: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, News Release No. 7-05, "Senior Leadership Positions Announced," December 7, 2005. https://irp.fas.org/news/2005/12/odni120705.html [^27]: Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks: May 23, 2008 (E1095), September 25, 2008 (E1904, E1924), July 21, 2009 (E1857), July 29, 2009 (E2063), September 21, 2009 (E2321), earmark declarations. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2009-09-21/html/CREC-2009-09-21-pt1-PgE2321-3.htm [^28]: Radiance Technologies, "Radiance Technologies Welcomes Defense Intelligence Senior Leader Mr. Curtis Rowland to the Team," November 20, 2018. https://www.radiancetech.com/radiance-technologies-welcomes-defense-intelligence-senior-leader-mr-curtis-rowland-to-the-team/ [^29]: "Radiance Technologies Promotes Mr. Curtis Rowland to Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer," Defense Daily, March 2, 2020. https://defensedaily.com/press-releases/radiance-technologies-promotes-mr-curtis-rowland-to-executive-vice-president-chief-strategy-officer [^30]: Radiance Technologies leadership pages (William C. Bailey Jr., Cindy Santy, David L. Diaddario, Bryan Johnson, Peter Weiland, Paige Nix), Wayback captures of November 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191115103026/https://www.radiancetech.com/about-us/leadership/bill-bailey/ ; https://web.archive.org/web/20191115110855/https://www.radiancetech.com/about-us/leadership/david-diaddario/ ; https://web.archive.org/web/20191115095530/https://www.radiancetech.com/about-us/leadership/bryan-johnson/ ; https://web.archive.org/web/20191115103945/https://www.radiancetech.com/about-us/leadership/cindy-santy/ [^31]: "Bill Jennings joins Radiance Technologies as intel advisor," Intelligence Community News, January 20, 2022. https://intelligencecommunitynews.com/bill-jennings-joins-radiance-technologies-as-intel-advisor/ [^32]: Radiance Technologies, "Radiance Technologies Welcomes Dr. Mark Tillman as Vice President for Simulation Strategy," July 16, 2024; "Radiance Technologies Strengthens Innovation Capability with Strategic Acquisition of Phased n Research," PR Newswire, March 31, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-strengthens-innovation-capability-with-strategic-acquisition-of-phased-n-research-302416148.html [^33]: "Radiance Technologies Announces Strategic Partnership with Major General (USSF, Ret.) Tim Sejba," PR Newswire, April 2, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-announces-strategic-partnership-with-major-general-ussf-ret-tim-sejba-302733113.html ; "Radiance Technologies Announces Strategic Partnership with Flynn Advisors LLC," February 20, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-announces-strategic-partnership-with-flynn-advisors-llc-302381834.html [^34]: USAspending.gov, award detail and search records for IDVs FA860415D7976 and FA860422DB008 and 141 FA8604 prime contract records for recipient Radiance Technologies (UEI R52PJK8DM6T4, YXRLX5PDCWK4), queried October 3, 2026; raw rows in TEMP/RESEARCH/2026-10-03_uapmoney/data/DR1/. https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_IDV_FA860422DB008_9700/ [^35]: Radiance Technologies, "Radiance Technologies Wins NOVASTAR Contract for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center," August 19, 2022. https://www.radiancetech.com/radiance-technologies-wins-novastar-contract-for-the-national-air-and-space-intelligence-center/ [^36]: Loren Blinde, "Radiance Technologies wins NASIC intelligence mission data BPA," Intelligence Community News, September 24, 2019. https://intelligencecommunitynews.com/radiance-technologies-wins-nasic-intelligence-mission-data-bpa/ [^37]: Radiance Technologies, "Radiance Technologies Overview," January 13, 2022 (National Advanced Mobility Consortium applicant capability file). https://www.namconsortium.org/sites/default/files/applicants_capabilities_pdfs/radiance-corporate-overview.pdf [^38]: Built In, "OPIR Extractions Analyst - Radiance Technologies," https://builtin.com/job/opir-extractions-analyst/4836556 ; ClearanceJobs, "C4ISR Analyst," Radiance Technologies, https://api.clearancejobs.com/jobs/8984151/c4isr-analyst (both opened October 3, 2026). [^39]: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 and Schedule H datasets for plan years 2017 to 2024 (Radiance Technologies, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, EIN 63-1204084, plan 003; 2024 filing acknowledgment 20251014121241NAL0001356787001, received October 14, 2025), fetched October 3, 2026. https://www.askebsa.dol.gov/FOIA%20Files/2024/Latest/F_5500_2024_Latest.zip ; https://www.askebsa.dol.gov/FOIA%20Files/2024/Latest/F_SCH_H_2024_Latest.zip [^40]: Berry v. Bailey, No. 5:24-cv-522 (N.D. Ala.), Doc. 33 (second amended complaint, filed August 21, 2024; allegations of the plaintiffs) and docket. https://archive.org/download/gov.uscourts.alnd.189482/gov.uscourts.alnd.189482.33.0.pdf ; https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68716598/berry-v-bailey/ [^41]: Berry v. Bailey, No. 5:24-cv-522-CLM, Doc. 68, Memorandum Opinion (September 18, 2025). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-alnd-5_24-cv-00522/pdf/USCOURTS-alnd-5_24-cv-00522-0.pdf [^42]: SAM.gov, "Redacted J&A for Radiance Technologies," Notice ID SPRRA226R0040, published April 14, 2026, attachment SPRRA226R0040_Redacted.pdf; USAspending.gov award CONT_AWD_SPRRA226C0009_9700, queried October 3, 2026. https://sam.gov/opp/612f3034b1844db384f0f8f06d9e1dcf/view [^43]: Government Accountability Office, Bid Protest Docket, B-422615.1, and decision B-422615 (published August 30, 2024); Radiance Technologies Inc. v. United States, No. 24-1375C (Fed. Cl. December 5, 2024). https://www.gao.gov/products/b-422615 ; https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cofc-1_24-cv-01375/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_24-cv-01375-0.pdf [^44]: Federal Election Commission, Schedule B disbursements of committee C00372979, all records (367) fetched October 3, 2026. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_b/?committee_id=C00372979 ; recipient committee identifiers: Mike Rogers for Congress C00367862 (candidate H2AL03032), Citizens for Turner C00373001 (H2OH03067), Turner Victory Fund C00611962 (joint fundraising committee). [^45]: Federal Election Commission, Schedule A, individual contributions with contributor employer "Radiance Technologies" (name variants), 9,176 records fetched October 3, 2026. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_a/?contributor_employer=Radiance%20Technologies [^46]: Federal Election Commission, candidate record H8AL05208 (Robert Clayton Hinchman, Alabama 5th District, 2018, party GOP); WAFF, "Clayton Hinchman receives endorsements from local military, business leaders," 2018. https://www.waff.com/story/38320177/clayton-hinchman-receives-endorsements-from-local-military-business-leaders/ ; https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidate/H8AL05208/ [^47]: Federal Election Commission, Hinchman for Congress (C00648162), Schedule A and committee totals; Schedule B record of the Radiance PAC disbursement (image 201804239111724609). https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_a/?committee_id=C00648162 [^48]: Steve Skojec, "The Banality of Ontological Shock," The Skojec File, December 7, 2023 (transcription of a Twitter Space statement by Daniel Sheehan). Sole source for the passages so cited. https://skojecfile.steveskojec.com/p/the-banality-of-ontological-shock [^49]: Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway, "Aliens Or Not, Secret Crash Retrieval Programs Are A Very Real Thing," The War Zone, June 15, 2023. https://www.twz.com/aliens-or-not-secret-crash-retrieval-programs-are-a-very-real-thing [^50]: Inspector General, Department of Defense, "Use of Foreign Materiel Exploitation Results," Audit Report No. 98-005, October 8, 1997, executive summary and Part I. https://media.defense.gov/1997/Oct/08/2001715489/-1/-1/1/98-005.pdf