Athena Technologies Appoints Rear Admiral James B. Godwin (US Navy, Ret.) as Vice President of Certification and Life Cycle Support.

WARRENTON, Va. -- Athena Technologies, a leading provider of flight control and navigation solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), today announced the appointment of Rear Admiral James "Gib" Godwin (Ret.) to Vice President of Certification and Life Cycle Support. In this newly created senior management position, Godwin will be responsible for advancing Athena's GuideStar[TM] flight control and navigation products through the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) certification process for controlling and navigating both UAVs and manned aircraft in military and commercial air space. In addition, Godwin will spearhead Athena's training, logistics and aftermarket support service offerings.

Godwin brings to Athena over 30 years of experience in the US Navy including key senior management positions as the F/A-18 Program Manager, where he was responsible for platform integration, design, development and production delivery, through testing and fielding, of the $4.88 billion F/A-18 E/F. As the Deputy F/A-18 Program Manager, he led the life cycle support of the F/A-18 A/B/C/D fleet of 1700 aircraft, which spanned 7 nations and was deployed on 12 US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft carriers.

Recently, as Program Executive Officer of Enterprise Information Systems, Program Manager of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, and Program Executive Officer of Tactical Aircraft, Godwin has managed major programs, and has significant experience in building large teams and effecting change.

"It is an honor and pleasure to have Admiral Godwin join us," said Dr. David Vos, Athena's CEO. "As we consolidate our certificated products and Performance Base Logistics businesses, we created this position to lead our growth in this area. Gib's extensive background in aviation, program management, and logistics, combined with his ability to grow technology-oriented organizations, positions us well for continued success," he added.

Ranked among the fastest growing companies by Deloitte and Inc Magazine, Athena is growing at a rate of 50% per annum in both unmanned and manned aviation markets. Godwin will assist Athena in its mission to commercialize UAVs through redundant and reliable controls for critical uses, such as disaster relief, fire fighting, cargo delivery, weather monitoring and more.

"I am very excited to join one of the fastest moving, innovative organizations in the aviation industry," said Godwin. "The work Athena is doing in the area of flight controls and navigation for every type of UAV imaginable is groundbreaking. This company is demonstrating capabilities that will change the defense industry and society overall, and I look forward to contributing to this important work."

About Athena Technologies

Athena Technologies is a premier developer and producer of navigation and control systems. Founded in 1998, the company produces the GuideStar[TM] family of versatile, compact and cost-effective flight control systems for military applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), target drones and missiles. The company is an independent, privately held firm with headquarters in Northern Virginia. Additional information is available at www.athenati.com.