Chelton LIMITED

Chelton LIMITED, operating through its Cobham Aerospace Connectivity Division, manufactures specialized aviation antennas, signal converters, intercom systems, and related electronic components for military aircraft platforms as a prime contractor (55% of recent awards) and as a subcontractor to major defense primes. The company is a United Kingdom-based international manufacturer with no SBA certifications; it competes full-and-open across Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and allied military customers and has accumulated over $30.8 million in combined potential value across 76 prime awards and 62 sub-awards since 2005, with obligated dollars running at $59.4 million (193% of potential value), indicating mature in-execution work.

Chelton's customer base is defense-heavy and concentrated. The top customer by award count is the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard (40 awards, $2.1 million combined potential value), reflecting Chelton's established position as the sole-source original equipment manufacturer for HC-27J, HC-130J, and HC-144 aircraft antenna systems, logic controls, mast components, and repair services. By potential value, the Department of the Army Materiel Command Communications Electronics Command leads (6 awards, $8.8 million), anchored by two large Foreign Military Sales contracts for Chelton VIC-3 and VIC-5 tactical intercom systems to Poland ($6.2 million) and Estonia ($815,250). The Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime (4 awards, $6.1 million) and Defense Logistics Agency Aviation (2 awards, $4.3 million) round out the top-four dollar customers, primarily for antenna and signal converter procurement. The top five funding agencies account for 71% of awards by count and 91% of combined potential value, with concentrated exposure to Coast Guard maintenance contracts and Army communication electronics purchases.

Chelton places work under Air Force and Army indefinite delivery contracts. The Indefinite Delivery Contract FA852621D0001 (Air Force Materiel Command) carries 22 task orders, representing the vendor's largest vehicle position. The Indefinite Delivery Contract W56HZV22D0083 (Army) hosts 9 task orders, and three additional Army and Air Force IDCs each carry two to three task orders. These vehicles enable recurring antenna, converter, and intercom procurement and repair across military aviation and ground platforms.

Activity has accelerated sharply. Awards per year ranged from 12 in 2022 to 50 in 2024, declining to 34 in 2025 and 8 year-to-date in 2026. Eleven awards (combined potential value $4 million) face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating near-term recompete exposure. Recent representative prime work includes a $1.76 million Naval Supply Systems Command definitive contract for antenna procurement (April 2025), a $4.2 million Defense Logistics Agency Aviation signal converter purchase order (April 2025), and a $2.3 million Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime circuit card assembly order (May 2023, completion December 2026). Chelton's most recent award was a $17,086 Coast Guard purchase order for HC-144 aircraft antennas (June 16, 2026).

In its subcontractor role, Chelton supplies components to Boeing (C-17 Globemaster III sustainment, F-15EX advanced procurement, and MUOS/SATURN systems), BAE Systems Land & Armaments (Bradley Fighting Vehicle A4 follow-on production and systems technical support), Bell Textron and Bell Boeing (antenna and logic converter units for rotorcraft production), Leidos (control stations and operator equipment for unspecified tactical programs), Lockheed Martin (MLRS production), General Atomics (Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system GPS anti-jam systems and performance-based logistics), and Sierra Nevada Company (aircraft induction antenna option exercises). Sub-award activity has been steady; multiple Boeing C-17 sustainment sub-awards span 2024–2025, and Bradley vehicle sub-awards to BAE Systems span 2023–2025.

Chelton's prime award portfolio concentrates heavily in aircraft antenna and component manufacturing (40 awards under NAICS Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing; 37 awards under Aircraft Manufacturing) and military ground-vehicle systems (13 awards in Armored Vehicle and Tank Component Manufacturing). By PSC, antennas and waveguides dominate (34 awards), followed by maintenance, repair, and rebuild of aircraft components (8 awards) and miscellaneous communication equipment (5 awards). All prime awards carry no small business set-aside — Chelton competes as an unrestricted contractor, often as sole-source due to its original equipment manufacturer status and proprietary technical data for specialized aviation components. The vendor's federal contracting history dates to at least March 2004.