Aerodyne Research Inc.

Aerodyne Research Inc., a for-profit Subchapter S corporation headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, manufactures specialized scientific instrumentation and delivers research and development services to federal agencies as a small-business prime contractor (99% of recent awards), with the vast majority of its work concentrated in atmospheric chemistry, emissions monitoring, and environmental measurement systems delivered to civilian science agencies. The company does not hold formal SBA set-aside certifications but has historically competed on technical merit and holds a long track record dating to 1980 in federal procurement.

Aerodyne's customer concentration reflects its scientific instrumentation focus. The top five funding agencies account for 52% of recent awards by potential value, led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center (42 awards, $10.6 million combined potential value), the Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory ($8.6 million across 10 awards), the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (46 awards, $6.3 million), the Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Test Center ($6.1 million across 8 awards), and the Department of the Navy Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center ($4.9 million across 13 awards). By award count, the Department of the Air Force leads with 178 awards, followed by the Department of the Army (87 awards), and NASA (65 awards), though the dollar concentration differs: NOAA and NASA dominate potential-value rankings relative to their award counts, indicating larger per-order instrument and research contracts. The vendor serves 53 distinct federal agencies.

Aerodyne's capability portfolio centers on chemical ionization mass spectrometers, aerosol speciation monitors, trace-gas analyzers, laser spectroscopy instruments, and associated laboratory and field-deployable environmental measurement systems. Representative prime work includes a $849,547 NASA SBIR Phase II contract (award date July 3, 2025) for development of an airborne spectroscopic static temperature sensor (completion June 30, 2027); a $756,650 EPA purchase order (award date December 22, 2021) for a VOCUS-2R chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer with PTR and AIM reactors and gas chromatograph for air pollutant and PFAS analysis; a $702,038 EPA Region 10 purchase order (award date September 18, 2024) for a chemical ionization mass spectrometer; and a $522,530 NOAA purchase order (award date April 13, 2023) for a mass spectrometer capable of simultaneous measurement of nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide at high precision. Recent SBIR work includes a $224,810 Shared Services Center Phase I contract (award date September 30, 2026) for a compact laser spectrometer for in situ quantification of stratospheric HCl, and two FY24 SBIR Phase I awards of $149,999 and $149,995 respectively (both awarded August 7, 2024) for airborne spectroscopic static temperature sensor and cavity enhanced LED-induced fluorescence nitrogen dioxide detection.

Aerodyne places the majority of its work under Air Force indefinite delivery contracts. The top five parent vehicles are Air Force IDIQs: F1962880C0142 (11 task orders), F1962883C0154 (10 task orders), F1962878C0145 (9 task orders), F1962886C0206 (9 task orders), and an Army IDIQ DAAD0781C0009 (5 task orders). These vehicles represent standing relationships for research and development, product delivery, and field measurement support to defense and civilian science customers.

Activity has been volatile over the recent five-year period: 10 awards in 2022, 13 in 2023, 18 in 2024, declining to 10 in 2025, with 5 awards recorded in 2026 year-to-date. Twelve awards (combined potential value $1.6 million) reach ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months and face recompete risk. The vendor's combined potential value across all 837 awards (prime and sub) is $69.7 million, though obligated dollars total $199 million across the portfolio, indicating substantial completed work and contract modifications against standing vehicles.

Aerodyne's grant footprint spans atmospheric sciences, climate research, agricultural innovation, and energy technology. Named federal grant recipients include NASA (SBIR Phases I and II under CFDA codes for space flight research), the National Science Foundation Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (CFDA 47.050) for collaborative research on volatile organic compound oxidation chemistry and nitrate radical oxidation processes, the Department of Energy Office of Science (CFDA 81.049) for hydrogen monitoring and formaldehyde-nitrogen dioxide toxics monitors, the Department of Agriculture Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment for nitrogen cycling in soil and sulfur monitoring systems in agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for in situ dissolved greenhouse-gas quantification in coastal ecosystems. Representative grant awards include a $272,363 NSF collaborative research grant (award date August 15, 2025, expiration July 31, 2028) for chamber studies of volatile organic compound oxidation across organic peroxy radical conditions; a $526,500 USDA Cooperative Agreement (award date May 20, 2024) for evaluating emissions variability at swine and dairy operations; and multiple SBIR/STTR awards under CFDA 10.212 for agricultural measurement systems. Aerodyne appears as a named sub-recipient in university-led grants from the University of Arizona, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of New Mexico, Georgia Tech, the University of Colorado, and West Virginia University, contributing specialized instrumentation deployment and data analysis to multi-institution field campaigns and laboratory research programs.

SCI-reported invoiced revenue on federal service contracts above the $150,000 threshold totaled $1.6 million in FY2022, with approximately 2.0 FTEs delivered that fiscal year; no SCI-reportable invoicing appears in FY2023–FY2025 in the source, though the absence of records does not indicate zero federal services work — rather, it reflects the company's business model of product sales (goods), small purchases below the SCI threshold, SBIR/STTR development contracts (which may not trigger SCI reporting depending on contract structure), and classified work excluded from the SCI dataset. Median government-paid hourly rates on SCI-reportable prime contracts ran $396.47/hr, with rates spanning $375.44/hr at the 10th percentile to $412.43/hr at the 90th percentile — consistent with senior technical and scientific labor. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, the vendor performed 100% of work in-house, with no subcontractor hours reported.

Aerodyne operates predominantly as a prime contractor with minimal subcontractor engagement in the award portfolio (1% sub awards). The vendor does not appear as a significant subcontractor to larger primes in the source data; its primary role is direct delivery of instrumentation and research services to federal agencies. The company's technical expertise and patented instrumental designs position it as a specialized supplier rather than a systems integrator or feeder sub.

The vendor's NAICS profile is concentrated in research and development (85 awards under NAICS 541710 for R&D in physical, engineering, and life sciences) and analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing (61 awards under NAICS 333319). Its primary PSC coding reflects applied research and exploratory development (R&D codes), space research and supporting activities, and laboratory equipment and supplies, underscoring its focus on scientific instrumentation and federal research support.