ICXAB.

A growth case.

Background.

A defense customer needed something that did not exist. We built the company that could deliver it.

Qamcom is a deep-tech house with more than 15 years of strategic expertise in radar, advanced signal processing, high-frequency electronics, embedded systems and system engineering. When a defense customer identified the need for a next-generation radar environment simulation system (a platform capable of mimicking the electromagnetic response of dynamic objects, weather and terrain in real time, enabling radar systems to be tested rapidly and repeatably without live assets) it met a capability that Qamcom was uniquely positioned to deliver.

ICXAB is the company we built around that opportunity.

The ICXAB Journey.

R&D.

Multi-year development across nine engineering disciplines, from first principles to a delivered system.

Working from first principles, our engineers developed a hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform capable of generating complex, dynamic radar scenarios in real time.

No off-the-shelf solution existed. Beginning in 2015, the project required multi-year research and development across nearly every technical discipline Qamcom possesses: RF and radar engineering, real-time signal generation and processing, antenna array design, analogue and digital electronics, FPGA architecture, embedded software, systems engineering and mechanical and thermal design.

Working from first principles, our engineers developed a hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform capable of generating complex, dynamic radar scenarios in real time, coordinated with the hardware under test and controlled through purpose-built operator interfaces.

The core challenges included high-fidelity target and environment modelling at operational bandwidths, deterministic low-latency signal routing across distributed hardware, and real-time coordination of multiple simulation channels.

The resulting technology and IP are applicable far beyond the original programme, spanning defense, automotive radar, marine systems and air traffic management. At its peak, the programme engaged a dedicated cross-functional team drawn from multiple Qamcom sites, covering research, engineering, production, integration and project management.

This was advanced development following our model: explore, prove and engineer, the first steps towards refinement, scaling and real-world impact.

Incubation.

From partnership to full operational ownership over a five-year arc, through a global pandemic.

The project originated within ICXAB, a Swedish company with established relationships in the defense and aerospace sector. As the technical complexity and delivery scope grew, it became clear that the programme needed a partner with deep engineering capacity and a willingness to commit fully. Qamcom stepped in as that partner, bringing the research, systems architecture, hardware and software development, production and integration capability required to take the project from concept to delivery.

Over the course of the programme, Qamcom became the operational engine of the venture: researcher, system architect, developer, integrator and installer in one. We handled everything from system design and electronics production to on-site installation and operator training at the customer’s facility. The full scope of the system (a complete radar environment simulation facility including simulation hardware, antenna systems, a test radar and user-facing software) was engineered, produced, shipped, installed and verified by Qamcom.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck mid-project, disrupting global supply chains and requiring significant engineering adaptation; the team delivered regardless. This included the full startup kit we use when building technology, platforms and companies for real impact: IP and IPR management, operational structure, customer management, strategy and business development.

Investment.

In-kind venture investment: engineering depth and delivery capability in exchange for ownership.

Qamcom acts as an active industrial owner, not a traditional investment company. We combine capital with IP, platforms, engineering services and structural capital. Our entry into ICXAB was structured as an in-kind venture investment: a commitment of engineering teams, technology platforms and full delivery capability in exchange for ownership and a long-term role. This is the growth case model in practice.

We committed the technical depth and operational capacity needed to execute a programme that would otherwise have been out of reach, and created value through technology rather than capital alone. Over the period from initial partnership in 2015 to full ownership in 2023, our stake grew as the depth of investment and the strategic importance of the platform grew, a natural progression that reflected the scale of what had been built and our commitment to the long-term potential of the technology.

Outcome.

Three outcomes: a delivered system, a reusable technology platform, and a new strategic position.

The ICXAB case produced three distinct outcomes across a journey spanning from 2015 to the present.

Advanced partnership: International defense customer.

The defining achievement was the successful delivery of a demanding, multi-year engagement with an international defense organisation, executed across cultures, time zones and languages, through a global pandemic, on the customer’s home ground. Qamcom developed, produced, shipped, installed and verified a complete radar environment simulation system, from concept to operator training, without an external prime contractor.

The system enables the customer to test and validate radar systems with pre-defined, repeatable scenarios that are otherwise logistically and financially impossible in real-world conditions, and provides a strong platform for advanced algorithm development including AI and machine learning.

Technology platform: hardware-in-the-loop simulation.

The programme produced a proprietary technology platform with broad applicability across defense, automotive, marine and aerospace domains. The IP and engineering capabilities developed (real-time radar environment simulation, advanced antenna array design, high-performance signal processing and purpose-built control systems) form a reusable foundation for new products and customer engagements.

This is not a single-contract capability; it is a technology position that Qamcom owns and can scale.

Strategic foundation: defense sector entry.

ICXAB is the cornerstone of Qamcom’s entry into the defense technology sector as a credible, independent systems provider. The successful delivery of a complex, demanding programme demonstrated that a mid-size Swedish deep-tech company can operate at a level typically reserved for large prime contractors.

For Qamcom, ICXAB is a concrete demonstration that our growth case model can turn an advanced partnership into a wholly owned technology company: from opportunity to ownership, through technology.

Contact us.

Johan Lassing

Founder, CEO

johan.lassing@qamcom.se

Anders Johansson

CTO, ICXAB

anders.johansson@qamcom.se

Message us.

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