September 12, 2023 — The Association of Old Crows (AOC), an international organization for the electronic warfare (EW) community, has recognized three early-career Southwest Research Institute engineers for their achievements in EW research and development. Two honorees received back-to-back Electronic Warfare Professional Outstanding Young Crow Awards. AOC named one engineer a 2023 Future 5, a designation for innovative professionals building EW careers. EW technology detects and defeats enemy signals on the electromagnetic spectrum to protect U.S. and allied forces.
Recipients of the international AOC EW Professional Outstanding Young Crow Award demonstrate outstanding skills, leadership and community contributions. In 2022, AOC recognized SwRI Research Engineer Madeline Vaughn, the first-ever recipient of the new award. This year, SwRI Research Engineer Alexander Davis received the award. Each year, AOC also recognizes the Future 5, five EW professionals who actively innovate and strive for excellence. SwRI Research Engineer Jarrett Holcomb is part of the 2023 Future 5 group.
“These young engineers have demonstrated that they are talented, capable leaders and have made notable contributions to the field of advanced electronic warfare,” Winfield Greene, SwRI Advanced Electronic Warfare Director, said. “According to the AOC, Madeline, Alex and Jarrett are three of the most outstanding young EW professionals on the planet, and we agree.”
Davis, based in SwRI’s Advanced Electronic Warfare Department in Warner Robins, Georgia, will be recognized at the Annual AOC International Symposium and Convention in Washington D.C. in December. A 2019 electrical engineering graduate of Mercer University, he currently leads research for an internally funded airborne wideband direction-finding project and conducts advanced aircraft electronic countermeasure testing.
“Electronic warfare technology protects our military’s valuable assets and people. Developing cutting-edge EW solutions at SwRI is one of my greatest responsibilities and privileges,” Davis said. “I couldn’t have earned this award without the support of SwRI colleagues who have provided guidance in the early years of my career.”
Vaughn, also based in SwRI’s Warner Robins office, graduated from Mercer University’s electrical engineering program in 2020. Her current work includes developing receivers, Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA™) solutions and advanced digital radio frequency memory.
“It was a special experience to be named the first-ever recipient of the EW Professional Outstanding Young Crow Award and to receive recognition on an international level,” Vaughn said. “This award not only recognizes my work, but also acknowledges SwRI’s initiatives to advance electronic warfare technology.”
Holcomb, a lead architect of SwRI’s award-winning System Performance and Real Time Analysis (SPARTA) software, designs, develops, tests, and implements radar processing hardware and software for radio frequency countermeasure systems.
“As a Future 5 award recipient, I hope to extend my reach to inspire future EW leaders to protect the warfighter through innovation,” Holcomb said.
SwRI develops advanced military and defense electronic warfare systems for air and ground applications. For more information, visit Advanced Electronic Warfare Solutions or contact Lisa Peña, +1 210 522 2046, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.