Tag: MOSA
#PeopleOfPrecise: Meet Ken Erickson
At Precise, our people are at the heart of every mission we support. Every capability delivered, every technical challenge solved, and every step toward a more adaptable defense ecosystem is powered by professionals who bring expertise, dedication, and purpose to their work.
This month, we’re proud to spotlight Ken Erickson, an Engineer whose work with embedded systems and open avionics standards is helping advance interoperable, modular capabilities for the warfighter.
Engineering With Purpose
Ken’s work focuses on embedded systems and open avionics standards, specifically the FACE® and SOSA® Technical Standards.
His role centers on helping ensure software and hardware are highly interoperable, thoroughly tested, and modular — creating systems that can be rapidly upgraded with new capabilities.
For Ken, the connection between engineering and the warfighter is what makes the work especially meaningful.
Knowing that the code he writes and the systems he tests can directly contribute to the safety, agility, and mission success of those in the field makes every technical challenge deeply rewarding.
Why MOSA Matters
That focus on interoperability makes the 2026 MOSA Industry & Government Summit an important opportunity to connect with others across the industry.
Ken is particularly looking forward to conversations around practical hardware and software integration, including SOSA-aligned hardware, RTOS environments, and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) toolsets.
The broader MOSA conversation is critical because it encourages the industry to move away from proprietary, vendor-locked architectures and toward a more collaborative ecosystem.
For Ken, that means creating an environment where the best available technologies can be integrated more seamlessly — helping reduce costs and speed up deployment.
And at the Summit, he hopes those conversations can lead to impact that lasts long after the event.
From Standards to Shared Solutions
One area Ken hopes to see continued progress is standardized compliance and acceptance testing across the defense industry.
Different teams are approaching MBSE, FACE and SOSA integration, testing, and verification in different ways.
Sharing those experiences and developing stronger, common strategies can help streamline the development lifecycle while improving delivery timelines and system reliability across the defense sector.
It’s a reminder that progress doesn’t happen in isolation.
It happens when people share what they’ve learned, work through challenges together, and build toward common goals.
A Career Shaped by Variety
When asked about the project or accomplishment he’s most proud of, Ken doesn’t point to one specific moment.
Instead, he points to the breadth of his career.
Working primarily at a small company has given him opportunities across commercial, aerospace, defense, and medical fields.
That variety has made his career consistently interesting — and taught him the value of adaptability.
Every industry presents its own challenges. Learning how to approach those challenges has helped Ken become a more versatile and well-rounded engineer.
Inspired by a Legacy of Service
Ken’s appreciation for service also has a personal connection.
If he weren’t in his current role, he believes he may have pursued a career in the medical field, following in his mother’s footsteps.
His mother was a nurse for more than 40 years because she loved that caring for people was at the center of everything she did.
Her legacy is something Ken deeply admires and works to carry forward in his own way.
Today, that spirit of service shows up through his engineering work — using technical expertise to help develop capabilities that support the people serving in the field.
Celebrating Our People
Ken’s work may focus on embedded systems, open standards, and technical integration, but the purpose behind it is unmistakably human.
He’s helping create systems that can adapt.
He’s helping advance interoperability across the defense ecosystem.
And he’s helping support capabilities designed with the warfighter in mind.
That’s what #PeopleOfPrecise is all about: recognizing the people behind the technology and celebrating the expertise, experiences, and purpose they bring to the mission every day.
We’re proud to have Ken on the Precise team — and we look forward to seeing him at Booth #115 during the 2026 MOSA Industry & Government Summit.
Come say hello, start a conversation, and learn more about the work happening at the intersection of open architecture, engineering, and mission success.
Precise Systems All-In Open Architecture(s)
Lexington Park, MD, November 6, 2024 – Precise Systems – a leading provider of mission-critical support and innovative solutions for the defense and government sectors and beyond – is thrilled to showcase and exclusively sponsor the launch of the new MOSA Editorial Book. The MOSA Ebook is published by OpenSystems Media, a well-respected group that brings to engineering audiences the Military Embedded Systems and Embedded Computing Design magazines, targeted webinars and conferences.
With growing Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) strategies in Tri-Service programs and upgrades, the momentum in the defense marketspace is rapidly changing the way the Department of Defense is developing the latest technologies. This is recognized even more so via ongoing collaboration from Industry rolling out new Open Architecture (and Open Standards) products.
Recently, Precise Systems expanded its own Open Architecture team of experts through the acquisition of TES-I, completed in August. TES-I added several Industry talents to the Precise Systems family; a valuable fit encompassing agile embedded and enterprise systems, software, and hardware engineering.
The new MOSA Ebook was distributed by OpenSystems Media to over 15,000 subscribers. It includes articles from leaders and influencers heavily involved in OA. Of special note is the interview by CAPT Jarrod Hair, Program Manager of NAVAIR PMA-209 on ‘NAVAIR leveraging MOSA in avionics systems’. All-in with OA resources and capabilities, Precise Systems remains firmly dedicated to supporting the warfighter by providing even stronger advantages against peer-on-peer adversaries.
About Precise Systems
As a defense solutions-based company, Precise Systems is focused on technical innovation in support of the warfighter. We align our expertise to deliver the highest quality of service powered by a highly skilled workforce. Precise Systems capabilities include expert consultation on network and weapons systems acquisition programs, maintenance/modernization programs, and sustainment programs with solutions in Digital Transformation, Advanced Engineering, Open Architecture(s), Physical Sciences Research, Platform Lifecycle Support, Electronic Warfare, Interactive Training & Simulation, and Foreign Military Sales. Since 1990, Precise Systems has demonstrated and perfected our abilities to manage the customer’s needs. No matter how complex – we consistently provide the right solutions with exceptional service. More: www.goprecise.com
Precise Attends First-Ever MOSA Industry & Government Summit & Expo
LEXINGTON PARK, MD, November 17, 2023 – On September 18th and 19th, 2023, the first-ever Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) Industry and Government Summit and Expo brought together more than 1,500 exhibitors, attendees, and partners representing federal offices, industry executives, and subject matter experts from across the DoD. Included in these attendees were members of our PMA-209 Avionics Architecture Team (AAT) and Common Mission Computers and Displays (CMCD) IPT Team – Sally Bixby Chris Slyfield, Jason Morris, and Bryan Stovall.
The two-day event included Leadership Keynotes and panels; technical and business sessions; and exhibitor product and capability demonstrations from a broad array of MOSA experts. The event also included a tech innovation challenge aspect which provided companies an opportunity to present their latest product(s) to a panel of judges from Tri-Services and Industry. The MOSA Summit provided first-hand engagement with top government offices on initiatives, as well as with leading Industry executives and authorities implementing MOSA.
Keynote speakers included HON. Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; HON. Nickolas Guertin, Director of Operational Test and Evaluation; Christopher Garrett, Technical Advisor for US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center; and John Whitley, Former Acting Secretary of the US Army. At the Expo, attendees engaged directly with US Army PEO Aviation, US Army DEVCOM C5ISR Center, US Navy NAVAIR Air Combat Electronics Program Office, and US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at their individual booths.
The CMCD IPT Team within PMA-209 presented at the Army PEO Aviation booth and Jason Morris had the opportunity to participate in the Army Aviation Mission Computing Environment Panel session, which discussed the challenges of implementing Open Standards. This opportunity made it possible to discuss all the work the CMCD IPT has been doing within PMA-209, for over a decade, along with the recent collaboration with the Army PEO Aviation. The panel discussion included a synopsis of all the work the CMCD IPT has been doing to bring flexibility and interoperability within Naval Aircraft using Open Standards.
As part of this booth presentation, Bryan Stovall speaks of his experience, saying, “I was privileged to be a part of the first-ever MOSA Summit. It was great to see how so many DoD Vendors/Suppliers have embraced the concept of open standards. Understandably, the DoD would like to move away from ‘vendor-lock’ and moving to modular-based open standards will help to reach that goal. Based on my experience at the MOSA Summit, the vendors that attended do not see the move as a threat to their business, but rather as a logical progression to help strengthen our armed forces.”
At the AAT booth – in collaboration with the Army DEVCOM C5ISR Center and Air Force Life Cycle Management Center – Chris Slyfield and Sally Bixby, along with the PMA-209 team, put a spotlight on a coordinated mission built on common DoD Open Architecture Standards in real-time interoperability. Other AAT booth demo stations featured a new Technical Starter Kit – a complete package for Learning and Implementing a FACE™ Application; plus, the HOST/Hardware Open Systems Technologies framework V5.0 recently released; the new Data Modeling Video Series, and more.
Precise is proud to have such a well-rounded presence representing our Team at the first-ever MOSA Summit. We look forward to future attendance and gaining new knowledge to better innovate at the edge of our nation’s warfighters.
About Precise Systems
As a solutions-based company, Precise Systems is focused on innovation in support of the warfighters and aligning our expertise to deliver the highest quality of service. Powered by our highly skilled workforces, we provide expert consultation on network and weapons systems acquisition programs, maintenance/modernization programs, and sustainment programs with solutions in Digital Transformation, Advanced Engineering, Platform Lifecycle Support, and Technical Services. Since our establishment, we have demonstrated and perfected our ability to manage the customer’s needs, no matter how complex – offering exceptional service and the Precise solution.