- Bill Gattle will succeed Logen Thiran, who has led ARA as CEO since 2012
- Gattle led the 2025 sale of LightRidge’s Geost business to Rocket Lab
- He held leadership positions at Harris and L3Harris before joining LightRidge
Bill Gattle, former president of L3Harris Technologies‘ space systems business, has been named president and CEO of Antenna Research Associates. Gattle will replace Logen Thiran, who led the integrated radio frequency and advanced communications firm as CEO for 14 years, ARA said Tuesday.
Who Is Bill Gattle?
Gattle is a space and defense executive with nearly 40 years of leadership experience. Before joining ARA, he was chair of the board at Trident Solutions, the successor to LightRidge Solutions. He remains on the board of LightRidge, where he served as CEO and oversaw the acquisition of its Geost business by Rocket Lab in 2025.
Prior to LightRidge, Gattle headed L3Harris’ space systems segment, where he spearheaded the unit’s business strategy, financial performance and program execution.
He also served as president of space and intelligence solutions at Harris, which merged with L3 Technologies in 2019 to form L3Harris. In that position, Gattle oversaw work supporting defense and intelligence missions, with responsibilities spanning satellite and airborne sensing; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads; small-spacecraft programs; data analysis; and electronic warfare. He also became the vice president and general manager of the national business unit for Harris’ government communications systems division.
What Is Antenna Research Associates?
Antenna Research Associates serves aerospace and defense customers with technologies spanning communications, tactical radio frequency and radar applications. Established in 1963, the company manufactures antennas and radio frequency systems for military and civilian applications. It develops equipment and subsystems for national security missions, with capabilities including design, manufacturing, testing and installation.
Ted Shanahan, a partner at OceanSound Partners, said the firm invested in ARA because of its expertise in the electromagnetic spectrum and more than 50 patents. He said these strengths position the company to support unmanned aircraft, airborne sensing and identification, and tactical communications at the edge.
