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Company profile

FIRST RF Tech Stack

Antenna and RF system developer for defense and aerospace programs

Defense and Space Manufacturing Boulder, CO 51–200 employees Founded 2003 Privately Held
firstrf.com LinkedIn

FIRST RF designs and manufactures antennas and RF systems for radar, communications and electronic warfare. Its stack pairs FPGA tooling (Verilog, VHDL, Xilinx Zynq, Yocto) with EM and structural simulation (HFSS, FEKO, CST, Nastran, Abaqus), pointing to a shift from passive antennas toward active RF electronics. Hiring is engineering-heavy and senior-skewed, with an HDL technical lead role, though velocity is currently minimal.

Tech Stack 37 technologies

Core StackPython MATLAB SolidWorks C++ React Verilog VHDL Altium Designer FPGA Embedded Linux Yocto Zynq I2C AXI Aurora HFSS FEKO NADCAP CST Studio Suite Altair HyperMesh SolidWorks Simulation MSC Nastran NX Nastran Abaqus Altair LTspice RTOS Xilinx DO-178C Vector Network Analyzer+7 more

What FIRST RF Is BuildingChallenges and projects from their job posts

◆Challenges

  • Ensuring ITAR compliance
  • Meeting MIL-STD-810 and harsh-environment requirements
  • Aligning product roadmap with emerging threats
  • Winning new opportunities
  • Improving test flow processes

▲Active Projects

  • Active RF and antenna systems for next-gen products
  • FPGA logic design and verification
  • Structural-thermal-dynamic simulation of RF assemblies
  • High-reliability electronic hardware design and packaging
  • Production transition of new products
  • Test strategy, fixtures and equipment for new products

Hiring Activity

Minimal15 roles · 0 in 30d

Department

Engineering
10
Manufacturing
2
Product
1

Seniority

Senior
7
Mid
4
Junior
1
Principal
1

Notable leadership hires: HDL Technical Lead

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About FIRST RF

FIRST RF is a privately held product-development company headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 2003. It builds antennas and RF systems spanning radar, communications, electronic warfare, conformal antennas and millimeter-wave sensing. Customers include government agencies and prime contractors, supported from early R&D through manufacturing and fielding. The company employs 51–200 people and has delivered more than 250,000 antenna systems used across land, air, sea and space platforms.

HeadquartersBoulder, CO
Company Size51–200 employees
Founded2003
Hiring MarketsUnited States

Frequently Asked Questions

What tech stack does FIRST RF use?

FIRST RF uses Verilog, VHDL, Xilinx Zynq FPGAs, Embedded Linux with Yocto, C++ and Python, plus HFSS, FEKO, CST Studio Suite, MATLAB, SolidWorks, Nastran and Abaqus for RF and structural simulation.

Where is FIRST RF headquartered?

FIRST RF is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and hires in the United States.

What is FIRST RF working on?

Job posts point to active RF systems for next-generation products, FPGA logic design and verification, structural-thermal simulation of RF assemblies, and transitioning new designs into production.

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How this profile is built

FIRST RF's technology stack, projects, and hiring signals are inferred from public hiring and company data — career pages, public listings, and company web presence — then clustered and de-duplicated. Figures are estimates that refresh over time. Read our full methodology →

This is not an official vendor or customer list. It is a technology-adoption signal inferred from public data, intended for B2B research.