Air Cargo Carriers, LLC

Air Cargo Carriers, LLC, a veteran-owned limited liability company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, provides Shorts SD3-60 Sherpa aircraft maintenance, inspection, and pilot qualification training services to federal agencies exclusively as a prime contractor. The company holds FAA Part 145 Certified Repair Station status for Sherpa aircraft, positioning it as a specialized provider for forestry and wildland fire management operations. Air Cargo Carriers competes full-and-open with no set-aside designations across its entire footprint.

The company's capability portfolio centers entirely on Sherpa aircraft support. Recent representative work includes over 40 delivery orders from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) for Sherpa inspection and maintenance services under a single-award IDIQ valued at $8.068 million running through August 31, 2029, with individual orders ranging from approximately $33,887 to $56,107; a $66,750 purchase order from Federal Aviation Administration Headquarters for initial and recurring Shorts SD3-60 pilot qualification training; and a $22,500 pilot training purchase order from FAA's Franchise Acquisition Services. The company also executed prior training contracts with the FAA valued at $43,630 for pilot qualification services.

Customer concentration is overwhelming and singular. The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management National Interagency Fire Center accounts for 47 of 73 awards (99% coverage by count) with $10.1 million in combined potential value — essentially the entire active footprint. The Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Headquarters placed three awards totaling $175 thousand for pilot training. Regional Forest Service offices (R6-Pacific Northwest and R4-Intermountain) and the Washington Office Acquisitions division round out activity with de minimis volumes.

Air Cargo Carriers holds two parent IDIQs. The primary vehicle is the single-award Indefinite Delivery Contract 1202SA24T9500 with USDA Forest Service, valued at $8.068 million through August 31, 2029, supporting Sherpa maintenance, inspection, and logistical support with primary operations in Redmond, Oregon. The company also holds Indefinite Delivery Contract AG04GGC150007, which has generated 11 task orders worth $666 thousand. Both vehicles are full-and-open, full-competition procurements.

Activity has accelerated sharply in recent periods. The vendor received one award in 2021, one in 2023, eight in 2024, 28 in 2025, and 12 through mid-2026. This growth is driven almost entirely by recurring delivery orders under the NIFC IDIQ vehicle, issued at a cadence reflecting operational demand for aircraft maintenance. Combined potential value across all 73 awards is $13.9 million, with $3 million obligated (21% draw).

Air Cargo Carriers operates purely as a prime contractor — zero subcontract work appears in the source. The company's category concentration by NAICS and PSC reflects its narrow specialization: 50 awards map to Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (NAICS 488119), with 19 mapped to aircraft parts manufacturing categories and 2 to flight training. By PSC, 54 awards center on maintenance, repair, and rebuild of aircraft and airframe structural components.

The vendor's federal footprint is structurally dependent on sustained NIFC demand for Sherpa maintenance and single-aircraft-type expertise. Its exclusive focus on one aircraft platform and one primary customer (NIFC at 73% of dollar value) creates both vulnerability and defensibility — the company holds a certified repair station status that competitors would need time and investment to replicate, but any shift in the NIFC's operational requirements or aircraft fleet composition would materially affect revenue.