# Keith Brendley

> Keith Brendley is the founder, president and CEO of Artis, LLC, a Herndon, Virginia defense-technology firm he started in 1999. A former RAND Corporation senior analyst and co-author of the influential military doctrine 'Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance,' Brendley is one of America's leading authorities on active protection systems. His signature invention, the Iron Curtain, uses radar, optical sensors and downward-firing countermeasures to neutralize incoming rocket-propelled grenades within centimeters of an armored vehicle. His newer Sentinel system extends that protection to drones and first-person-view loitering munitions.

- **Role:** Founder, President & CEO at Artis, LLC
- **Organizations:** Artis, LLC, RAND Corporation (former), Sarcos Research Corporation (former), Noesis, Inc. (former), Defense Group, Inc. (former), System Planning Corporation (former), NASA Ames Research Center (former)
- **From:** East St. Louis, Illinois, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High school diploma, Clinton High School, Clinton, Illinois, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois, M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, Graduate studies (no degree), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Founded and leads Artis, LLC, a defense and commercial technology firm (est. 1999)., Invented the Iron Curtain active protection system that defeats RPGs and shoulder-launched threats., Iron Curtain scored a perfect 100% in 2013 Army Ground Combat Vehicle testing.

## Career timeline

- **1979** — Consultant at NASA's Ames Research Center, working on software development (through 1982).
- **1982** — Analyst at System Planning Corporation (through 1984).
- **1985** — Senior analyst at the RAND Corporation, leading interdisciplinary high-tech analytical teams; helped establish RAND's Critical Technologies Institute (through 1994).
- **1994** — Program manager at Sarcos Research Corp., leading development projects including a human exoskeletal program (through 1997).
- **1996** — Co-authored 'Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance,' published by National Defense University Press.
- **1998** — Vice president at Defense Group, Inc.; set up the Advanced Real Time Information Systems (ARTIS) division at Noesis, Inc. (later acquired by QinetiQ North America).
- **1999** — Founded Artis, LLC, and became its president and CEO.
- **2005** — Iron Curtain active protection system created at Artis; begins extensive military testing.
- **2013** — Iron Curtain scores 100% in Army Ground Combat Vehicle program testing on BAE's GCV.
- **2017** — Iron Curtain positioned for the U.S. Army's Stryker active protection effort.
- **2024** — Artis debuts Sentinel, a software-defined APS offering top-attack protection and counter-drone/FPV capability.

## Achievements

- Founded and leads Artis, LLC, a defense and commercial technology firm (est. 1999).
- Invented the Iron Curtain active protection system that defeats RPGs and shoulder-launched threats.
- Iron Curtain scored a perfect 100% in 2013 Army Ground Combat Vehicle testing.
- Co-authored the influential military doctrine 'Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance' (1996).
- Developed the third-generation Sentinel APS with top-attack and counter-drone protection (2024).
- Holds multiple patents in active protection and sensing technology.
- Helped establish RAND's Critical Technologies Institute.
- Led a human exoskeletal development program at Sarcos in the mid-1990s.

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Artis debuted the Sentinel active protection system, adding top-attack and counter-drone/FPV defense to its portfolio.

## Links

- Website: https://artisllc.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/keithbrendley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendleyk/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/keith-brendley
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01