Airborne Systems North America Of CA Inc.

Airborne Systems North America of California Inc., a subsidiary of TransDigm Group Incorporated, manufactures military parachute systems and aerial delivery equipment as a prime contractor across the Department of Defense and NASA, operating entirely in full-and-open competition with no small business set-asides across its prime footprint. Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, the company competes under NAICS 314999 (All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills) and PSC 16-P (Parachutes and Aerial Delivery Systems), and carries a manufacturer-of-goods designation reflecting its production-focused business model.

Airborne Systems holds four major indefinite-delivery contracts anchoring its federal business. The $250 million T-11 Personnel Parachute System IDIQ with Defense Logistics Agency Aviation (awarded August 2021, completion August 2026) supports procurement of complete T-11 parachute systems, components, and spare parts for Army airborne operations. The $40 million RA-1 Advanced Ram Air Parachute System IDIQ with Army RDECOM (awarded September 2023, completion September 2026) covers RA-1 ram air parachute systems, components, and logistics spares. The $139.9 million Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) Track A IDIQ with NASA Langley Research Center (awarded October 2022, completion September 2027) funds design, manufacturing, and testing of inflatable decelerator structures for space missions, including support for the Dragonfly mission lander parachute decelerator system ($16 million definitive contract awarded August 2022). A $15 million Parachutist Emergency Release System (PERS) IDIQ with Army RDECOM (awarded September 2025, completion September 2029) procures PERS equipment and spare parts. Recent significant delivery orders include $23.99 million for 3,130 T-11 personnel parachute systems (February 2026), $14.97 million for T-11 systems (April 2024), $16.06 million for MC-6 Personnel Parachute System components (May 2023), and $8.71 million for T-11 pack tray assemblies (November 2023).

Customer concentration tilts heavily toward Army programs. The top five funding agencies account for 92% of combined potential value: Army RDECOM leads with 37 awards and $552.9 million in potential value, followed by Army PEO Soldier with 64 awards and $450.1 million, NASA Langley Research Center with 29 awards and $224.1 million, Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command with 46 awards and $56 million, and Army Contracting Command Detroit Arsenal with 7 awards and $55.3 million. By award count, Defense Logistics Agency Aviation dominates with 318 awards worth $32.5 million, reflecting high-volume ordering of individual parachute components and spares under the T-11 and RA-1 IDIQ vehicles. The vendor has served 47 distinct federal agencies across prime awards alone.

Activity has grown modestly year over year—26 awards in 2022 to 70 in 2024—with 2025 showing 52 awards and 2026 tracking 14 awards to date. Twenty-nine awards (combined potential value $57.7 million) face completion within the next twenty-four months, creating recompete exposure across T-11 and RA-1 platforms and PERS equipment. Total awards across prime and sub work stand at 811, with 752 (93%) as prime awards and 59 (7%) as subcontractor work. Combined potential value across all awards is $1.45 billion, with $456.5 million obligated to date (32% of potential).

In its subcontractor role, Airborne Systems supplies parachute components and drag chute systems to Lockheed Martin (U-2 sustainment backpack assemblies and drag chute systems, multiple fiscal years), Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems (BQM-167A and BQM-177A aerial target airframes incorporating parachute recovery systems, multiple awards 2023–2025), Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (IRBM and recurring target parachute components, multiple awards 2023–2025), Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace (MRBM parachute materials and support, 2024–2025), The Boeing Company (Commercial Crew Program parachute systems for crew return capsules, 2024 and 2026), and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (Longshot UAV Phase III parachute deliveries, 2023). The vendor also supports NASA's Orion Production and Operations Contract as a subcontractor for parachute components.

Airborne Systems operates entirely in full-and-open competition; the award record carries no 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB set-asides at the prime level, consistent with its position as an established, specialized aerospace manufacturer within the TransDigm portfolio. The company's footprint is concentrated in parachute systems, decelerator technologies, and associated aerial delivery components for personnel deployment, cargo recovery, and space vehicle entry operations across Army, Air Force, and NASA missions.