Specter Aerospace Inc.

Specter Aerospace Inc., operating through its Specter Aerospace Division and headquartered in Peabody, Massachusetts, is a minority-owned, self-certified small disadvantaged business specializing in advanced hypersonic technologies, propulsion systems, and high-speed vehicle development for defense applications. As a venture-backed startup, Specter Aerospace has established itself as a prime contractor focused on delivering innovative dual-use technologies to support critical national defense priorities in hypersonic weapons development, airbreathing propulsion systems, and related advanced aerospace capabilities. The company provides research and development services, conceptual design, prototype testing, and engineering solutions predominantly to the Department of Defense and its subordinate agencies through both direct contract awards and positions on federal contracting vehicles.

Specter Aerospace's federal contract history demonstrates substantial expertise in Small Business Innovation Research programs across multiple phases, with awards spanning from fiscal years 2021 through 2025. The company has received Phase I SBIR contracts from the Air Force Research Laboratory for initiatives including hypersonic airbreathing weapon concepts, wide operability propulsion systems, cost-effective hypersonic ground test capabilities, igniter and combustion technology, and novel models for dual-use entrepreneurship, with individual Phase I awards ranging from $49,000 to $75,000. Phase II SBIR awards have been significantly more substantial, including a $1.798 million Air Force contract for next-generation hypersonic testing capabilities, a $950,000 Air Force award for combined cycle hypersonic cruise missile development, and a $749,979 Air Force contract for improvements to high-speed vehicle operability using plasma discharges. Most recently, Specter Aerospace has received major Phase II SBIR awards from the Missile Defense Agency totaling nearly $6 million for the High Mach Airbreathing Target program and the HITMAN (Hypersonic Interceptor for Maneuvering Systems) initiative, both with completion dates of September 2027 and structured as cost-plus-fixed-fee arrangements. The Naval Air Warfare Center has also awarded the company multiple Phase II SBIR contracts, including two research and development awards valued at approximately $2.09 million and $2.02 million with firm fixed-price structures, complemented by a $2.25 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for Phase II research. Additionally, Specter Aerospace received a Phase III SBIR award from the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base valued at $4.119 million for night hypersonic testing capabilities. All federal contract awards have been designated as total small business set-asides, reflecting the company's status as a qualifying small disadvantaged business and the federal government's commitment to supporting minority-owned defense contractors. The company's prior work includes conceptual design and testing of combined cycle hypersonic cruise missiles, propulsion systems for high-speed munitions with extended range capabilities, hypersonic airbreathing weapon concepts, ignition and plasma discharge technologies, and advanced detection systems for threat identification at hypersonic speeds.

Specter Aerospace maintains two active federal contract indefinite-delivery vehicles that position the company for ongoing opportunities and expanded procurement access. The primary vehicle is the Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC), a $92 billion multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract administered by the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base with an ultimate completion date of September 9, 2031. Specter Aerospace was selected as one of 55 awardees on the EWAAC On-Ramp I solicitation, effective February 25, 2022, which was designed to provide rapid and flexible procurement of armament and weapons development deliverables to support the Air Force's Eglin Armament Enterprise organizations. This vehicle enables the company to compete for delivery orders across a broad range of advanced capabilities including fabrication, manufacturing, high-performance computing, energetics, and enterprise analytics, with no set-aside designation but a guaranteed minimum $250,000 contract value. The company has already demonstrated its position on EWAAC through a $1,000 delivery order for EWAAC On-Ramp services completed in May 2022. Additionally, Specter Aerospace holds a Basic Ordering Agreement with the Naval Air Warfare Center for Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase II actions, awarded on September 21, 2021, with an ultimate completion date of September 20, 2026. This single-award BOA with no set-aside designation provides the company with a standing authorization to pursue additional Phase II SBIR research opportunities with the Navy, further cementing its role as a strategic innovation partner for naval aviation and hypersonic technology development initiatives.