Birns Oceanographics Inc.

Birns Oceanographics Inc., doing business as Birns, manufactures underwater connectors, cable assemblies, and specialized lighting systems for the Department of the Navy as a small-business prime contractor (44% of recent awards) and as a subcontractor on defense submarine and maritime systems programs. The Oxnard, California-based for-profit manufacturer holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and has maintained registered small-business status since 2001, competing under total small-business set-asides on the majority of its prime purchase orders while also winning open-competition awards from Naval Information Warfare Systems Command.

Birns's customer base is concentrated almost entirely within the Navy. The top three Navy customers account for 90% of awards by count: Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) dominates with 24 awards totaling $764 thousand in combined potential value, followed by Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) with 4 awards ($580 thousand), and the Department of the Navy at large with 5 awards ($27 thousand). Naval Education and Training Command and Defense Logistics Agency Aviation round out the active set. Representative prime work includes a $234,811 sole-source small-business set-aside purchase order from NAVSEA in September 2024 for 12 Birns connectors designated for naval undersea warfare applications, a $185,125 small-business set-aside purchase order from NAVSEA in May 2025 for Birns connector procurement, and a $159,031 open-competition purchase order from NAVWAR in April 2023 for cable assemblies and receptacles. A recent $27,388 purchase order from NUWC Keyport (April 2026) procured undersea cables and cable plug kits for naval undersea operations. Birns also places work under three parent vehicles: an Indefinite Delivery Contract (N0002422D6404) with 3 task orders, the Information Analysis Center Multiple-Award Contract with 1 task order, and the C5ISR Gateway to Sustainment with 1 task order.

In its subcontractor role, Birns supplies connectors, cable assemblies, and materials to L3 Technologies on submarine photonics mast programs (electronic connectors and special tools), to Lockheed Martin on outboard ACDL connectors and mast simulator cable assemblies, to General Dynamics Mission Systems on the Hammerhead Prototype program, to The Boeing Company on the XLUUV (ORCA) unmanned underwater vehicle program, to Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory on submarine survivability and maritime ISR payload programs, and to Fairwinds Technologies and HII Mission Technologies on cable and equipment support work. Activity has grown sharply — one award in 2020 to fifteen in 2025 — with only one award ($27 thousand) reaching ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months. Birns's capability portfolio centers on high-performance underwater connector systems, cable assemblies for deep ocean and military subsystems, and underwater lighting and cable repair services, spanning search-detection-navigation instrument manufacturing (NAICS 334511) and electronic connector manufacturing (NAICS 334417).

UNDERWATER LIGHTING, HAZARDOUS AREA LIGHTING, EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEMS, MARINE LIGHTING, UNDERWATER & WET/DRY LIGHTING FOR NUCLEAR APPLICATIONS, UNDERWATER CONNECTORS AND CABLE ASSEMBLIES, CUSTOM DESIGN AND FABRICATION AVAILABLE