2025 in Review: Projects Delivered, Lessons Learned, and What’s Ahead for APELC
December always seems to be a month to reflect on the past, while also eyeing the coming year. This is a healthy process where reflection is a way of thinking out what has worked versus what has not likely based on the good versus bad, or the successes versus the failures we have experienced through the past year. It’s an interesting process both in business as well as in our personal lives. I thought that it might be interesting to reflect “out loud” a bit, without going personal, or course.
APELC had a good year, I think. Some highlights might include:
NSWC NOTES Refurbishment – A First-of-Its-Kind System
Our big win came with the successful delivery and completion of the NSWC NOTES refurbishment effort. This was a huge effort, working to overhaul their dated system, which included removing their existing pulser and replacing it with updated hardware.
Before delving too far, I want to say that the crew at NSWC were fantastic to work with. They really worked well with APELC’s crew, throughout the design and installation process.
The system resulted in what is likely the first MIL STD 2169D compliant test facility, while also being capable of testing to the MIL STD 461 (RS105) standard, for EUT volumes of approximately 3 m x 3 m x 3m, and with peak electric field strengths ranging from 1 kV/m to 100 kV/m.
The pulsed power system included 8 pulsers, supported by a state-of-the-art control console.
We are very proud of this system.
Materials Testbed for UT Arlington – Built Despite Challenges
We successfully delivered a material testbed system to the University of Texas at Arlington
We faced a number of challenges with this system, especially with the capacitor manufacturer. Never have we received an order of materials so late, not meeting the design prints and even finding variances between components. However, the system is in-place and hopefully getting a lot of use.
Ongoing Support for Boeing’s Little Mountain Test Facility
We renewed a service contract with Boeing, at the Little Mountain Test Facility. Under this agreement, we travel to their facility to check-out and calibrate the various MIL STD 188-125 E1 and E2 systems we’ve sold them. Finding any problems, we ship some systems home for repair, or even complete overhauls, with the goal of keeping Boeing’s test capability the best it can be. This has been a very successful relationship.
Reworked HPRF System Delivered to White Sands Missile Range
We successfully refurbished and delivered a high-powered RF test stand to the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). While we had previously delivered this system, it wasn’t quite what the customer wanted. So, we retook possession and fixed the system, giving the customer great electric field coverage over a wide frequency spectrum. We also spent time with the customer working with the system to help promote their success.
New SBIR Phase II Award for RF Arrays
We won a Phase 2 SBIR through the Air Force to develop RF array structures. There are a number of companies, including APELC, developing the pulsed power to operate in an array geometry; however, it seems that with so much focus being placed on the pulsed power, little attention is being placed on the actual structures. Things like “what makes sense and what doesn’t”; what do these structures look like and what resources might be required to install them; Can we really make a transportable array? We are making wonderful progress toward answering many of these questions.
And speaking of arrays, we are very hopeful that we will be funded to develop the pulsed power to complete the array.
Internal Wins and Changes
Reflecting more from a company perspective, we’ve seen some victories and some challenges.
- On the upside, we brought in some really good engineering and manufacturing talent this year, and will continue doing so this coming year.
- We continue to improve our Quality Management System, which has proven to be vital to our processes and products.
- On the downside, we lost Matt Lara to the fusion community. Matt was my first hire and worked for me for more than 21 years – a pretty good run.
What’s Coming in 2026
This coming year, I believe that some amazing things are coming.
- Our growth trajectory is pretty amazing for the coming years
- We continue bringing in new talent, planning to hire more engineers, technicians and machinists. But also, we plan to bring in a manufacturing manager and a quality manager.
- We continue improving our facility and infrastructure
- We’re adding another building, expanding our test area and giving us approximately 22,500 sqft of working space
- We continue improving our manufacturing capabilities, adding more machines
- We are expanding our testing areas as well
- I believe that the biggest change this year will come with our website
- We will be overhauling the site with major updates and improvements
- Most importantly, we will soon be launching e-commerce, giving our customers the convenience of ordering our products online
- We are starting online sales with our quick disconnect connectors (Kong Connectors)
- With success, we hope to expand the online offerings
Help Us Improve – We Value Your Feedback
Now I would like to ask a favor of you. How are we doing and how can we do better? I have created a very short survey, only 4 questions. We would really appreciate your feedback – not only for these blogs but also regarding APELC.
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About the Author
Jon Mayes is the Founder and President of APELC. With over 25 years of experience in pulsed power system design and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Jon has led the development of industry-leading Marx generators, EMP simulators, and high-voltage test systems. His work has supported the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and major research institutions across the U.S.
