IMSAR LLC, a developer of compact synthetic aperture radar systems for unmanned and manned aircraft, has completed a strategic investment from OceanSound Partners, a private equity firm focused on aerospace, defense, government, and regulated markets. Ryan Smith, founder and CEO, will continue leading the company and has retained significant ownership alongside the management team. The transaction positions IMSAR to expand production and accelerate development of AI-enabled sensing capabilities.
Strategic Partnership Overview
The transaction was structured as a strategic investment and financial terms were not disclosed. OceanSound Partners focuses on technology and technology-enabled services companies operating in aerospace, defense, government, and highly regulated end markets. IMSAR will use the new backing to scale manufacturing, enhance commercial infrastructure, and advance next-generation product development.
Technology and Market Position
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Springville, Utah, IMSAR develops low size, weight, and power synthetic aperture radar payloads and mission software. Its NSP-series radars, onboard processing, and Lisa 3D software are integrated on more than 100 unmanned and manned platforms worldwide. These include Shield AI V-BAT, AV Jump 20, Textron Aerosonde, Tekever AR3 and AR5, Insitu ScanEagle, and Integrator, along with light manned ISR aircraft.
IMSAR technology provides all-weather, day-and-night imaging, moving target indication, and change detection in conditions that degrade optical and infrared sensors. The radars are pod-mounted payloads that install through a single connector carrying power, Ethernet, and navigation data. This design avoids custom radomes and airframe modifications and allows removal or exchange in minutes.
Growth and Product Roadmap
With OceanSound's support, IMSAR plans to invest in radar performance, next-generation products, and scalable production infrastructure. The company will also expand AI-enabled exploitation and automated target recognition capabilities built on its Lisa 3D software platform. It will apply machine learning to operational small-form-factor radar collections to improve automatic target recognition, change detection, and target classification.
Over time, IMSAR intends to broaden its portfolio from radar toward a multi-mission RF sensing capability through internal development and acquisitions of complementary technologies. The company will remain an open, platform-agnostic partner to the unmanned aircraft ecosystem rather than competing with original equipment manufacturers. This strategy builds on more than two decades of operational radar collections and proprietary data foundations.
Executive Commentary
Joe Benavides, CEO and Founder of OceanSound Partners, described IMSAR as a company with technology that is hard to replicate, proven in the field, and delivered by a team operators trust. He said IMSAR's RF surveillance solutions address critical U.S. priorities, including the Drone Dominance program. OceanSound aims to support lower-cost, high-performance autonomous and counter autonomous solutions at scale.
Ryan Smith said the company's purpose is to give operators a clear picture when nothing else can see. He described democratizing radar as moving a capability that once required large, expensive aircraft to platforms a small team can launch from a ship or truck. He added that IMSAR chose OceanSound because the firm understands that the mission and the engineering come first.
Ted Shanahan, Partner at OceanSound Partners, said the firm was built to partner with founder-led technology companies at the moment when capability is proven and opportunity is larger than what they can serve alone. He stated the investment targets commercial reach, software and analytics, and expanded sensing capability. He added that OceanSound is investing behind the people who built IMSAR.
Advisors and Company Profiles
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal advisor to OceanSound. Guggenheim Securities, LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP served as legal advisor to IMSAR. IMSAR remains headquartered in Springville, Utah, with in-house radar design, signal processing, software development, and production.
The strategic investment gives IMSAR additional resources to meet growing demand for compact, high-performance radar and AI-enabled sensing across defense and security markets. The partnership combines IMSAR's two decades of engineering experience with OceanSound's experience scaling technology businesses serving government customers. IMSAR and OceanSound stated that the collaboration will focus on accelerating delivery of new capabilities to operators in the United States and allied nations.