Aspen Helicopters Inc.

Aspen Helicopters Inc., a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) and veteran-owned small business (VOSB) based in Oxnard, California, provides rotary-wing aviation services—including aerial firefighting, emergency transport, personnel and cargo movement, and specialized recovery operations—primarily as a prime contractor to federal land management and defense agencies on competitive awards and total small business set-asides. The company competes predominantly under total small business set-aside designations across its prime footprint, with SBA certifications valid through December 26, 2027.

Aspen's capability portfolio centers on helicopter-based operational support spanning wildland fire suppression, marine wildlife and environmental surveys, military testing support, and logistics operations. Representative work includes a $14.3 million fixed-price contract with Naval Air Warfare Center (awarded October 2021, completion March 2027) for air transportation and drone recovery services at Point Mugu Naval Base in Ventura County; a $49.5 million multiple-award IDIQ with the Department of Interior for on-call Type III helicopter flight services running through April 2027, which has generated over two dozen delivery orders including a $795.9 thousand order from US Pacific Fleet Forces for exclusive-use Type III helicopter services on San Clemente Island (awarded April 2025); and a $50 million multiple-award contract with the National Interagency Fire Center for Type II/III helicopter support services through December 2033, anchoring the company's fire-suppression work.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward wildland fire and natural resource management. The top customer by potential value—the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management / National Interagency Fire Center—accounts for 37 awards and $151.3 million in combined potential value (39% of the company's total). The Department of the Interior, split across Departmental Offices/Interior Business Center (29 awards, $76.4 million) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (9 awards, $18.8 million), represents the second and third largest customer tiers combined. The Department of the Navy Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center ranks third with 26 awards and $60 million. By award count, the Department of the Interior Departmental Offices leads with 305 awards, followed by National Park Service Pacific West Region (83 awards, $1.4 million) and Naval Sea Systems Command (60 awards, $1.9 million), indicating fragmented ordering patterns across Interior bureaus but concentrated dollar value upstream at NIFC and the Camarillo exclusive-use contract vehicles.

Aspen holds seats on multiple parent indefinite delivery vehicles. The largest are two multi-award IDIQs under National Interagency Fire Center contracts: one $50 million vehicle for Type II/III helicopter support (65 task orders issued) and one $20 million Type 3 vehicle (39 task orders). The Department of Interior Interior Business Center BPA for on-call fixed-wing aircraft rental (ceiling $9.98 million, 40 task orders) and the Department of Interior on-call Type III helicopter flight services IDIQ (ceiling $49.5 million, multiple-award structure) are secondary vehicles feeding National Park Service, NOAA, and US Pacific Fleet Forces task orders. Aspen also holds a $7.5 million single-award BPA with Air Force Space Command for aircraft support during inclement weather for space launches (awarded April 2025, completion April 2028), a $22.5 million National Light Fixed Wing Services IDIQ with NIFC (awarded July 2025, completion December 2033), and a $7.4 million single-award EU helicopter services IDIQ with the Office of Policy Management and Budget for Camarillo operations through March 2028.

Activity has remained steady, averaging roughly 24 to 29 awards annually over the past five years (2022–2025), with 8 awards recorded year-to-date in 2026. Thirteen awards with ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $18.1 million, representing recompete exposure for the NIFC Type 2/3 vehicles, Interior BPA calls, and smaller Naval Sea Systems Command test-support orders.

SCI-reported federal service contract activity is modest and trending downward. Aspen invoiced $2.1 million (FY2022), $2.1 million (FY2023), and $1.9 million (FY2024) across service contracts above the $150,000 reporting threshold, corresponding to roughly 5.3, 4.1, and 3.2 FTEs respectively—indicating a shift toward lower-labor, equipment-intensive delivery (helicopter charters and flight hours priced per sortie). Median government-paid hourly rates on SCI-reportable service contracts ran around $237/hr, with the 10th percentile at $188/hr and 90th percentile at $322/hr; this pricing reflects pilot and crew labor, not total contract margins. Aspen reported zero sub-hours engagement across SCI-reportable prime contracts, signaling delivery using its own pilot and crew resources.

Aspen operates almost entirely as a prime contractor—99% of the 846 recent awards in the source are primes, with only 9 sub-awards identified. Sub-award work is minimal and routed through large defense primes: Leidos (autonomous systems and intelligence warfare center support, two awards), HII Mission Technologies (aviation services for fleet training, one award), American Systems Corporation (Demonstration and Assessment Team support, two awards), and Mantech SRS Technologies (range sustainment aerial services, one award). The company does not rely on subcontractors for delivery of its core helicopter services; instead, subs represent small engineering or support services leveraged on defense programs where Aspen provides aviation logistics.

The vendor's federal contracting footprint is dominated by two NAICS categories reflecting its core business: Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (337 awards) and Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (72 awards), with PSC codes predominantly Transportation/Travel/Relocation passenger and cargo air charter (648 awards combined) and Natural Resources/Conservation forest-range fire suppression (40 awards). This mix reflects the dual revenue streams—wildland fire helicopter support and military/federal logistics flights—that anchor the company's federal market position.

Helicopter and Airplane contract, charter, maintenance, and fuel sales.