A Dayton-area defense contractor has been awarded additional work from the U.S. Air Force. The deal will result in new hires for the growing firm.

Beavercreek-based Defense Engineering Corp., a provider of engineering and product development services, recently signed a $4 million add-work contract modification with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Multispectral Sensing and Detection Division. The add-work modification brings the total value of the contract to $9 million.

As part of the project, DEC will conduct basic and applied research, as well as advanced technology development for the Air Force. The firm also will perform testing and evaluation to meet Air Force aerospace electro-optical and radio frequency sensor needs for air, space and C2 sensor systems.

Work will be split between the company’s Beavercreek office and AFRL.

The deal is significant because it nearly doubles the amount of work DEC will perform under the contract, generating additional revenue for the company. It will also result in the hiring of two to three new employees. DEC currently employs around 25 people at its office on Dayton Xenia Road, which it relocated to in 2018.

DEC President Jim Utt said the contract “affirms the value of the work we accomplished” and enables “continued growth in this business, which is the core of our company.”

DEC specializes in advanced sensor and processing technologies for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Unmanned Systems, and Self-Protection applications for the defense industry.

The company has been ranked by the Dayton Business Journal as one of the best places to work for the last four years. It was also ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies three years in a row, from 2014 to 2016. The company grew its revenue by 241 percent in that time, according to the listing.

Source: www.bizjournals.com/dayton/