Helicopter Transport Services, LLC

Helicopter Transport Services, LLC, doing business as Martin State Airport, operates as a prime contractor providing Type 1 helicopter-based aerial firefighting and emergency response services to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a full-and-open basis, with a subsidiary relationship to U.S. Hold CO., a foreign-owned parent entity. The company is headquartered in Middle River, Maryland (with corporate registration in Marshallton, Delaware) and competes in NAICS 482111 (Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation) and PSC code Q—Natural Resources/Conservation, Forest-Range Fire Suppression/Presuppression.

Helicopter Transport Services delivers concrete aerial firefighting capabilities including water and retardant drops, fire crew and equipment transportation, medical evacuations, aerial reconnaissance, and mapping support for wildland fire suppression operations. Recent representative work includes a $16.9 million delivery order for Type 1 helicopter services in Pine Valley, California (May 2025, total small business set-aside, through December 31, 2029); a $19.5 million delivery order for Lancaster, California operations (May 2025, total small business set-aside); and a $20.1 million delivery order for Rifle, Colorado (March 2025, total small business set-aside)—all under the Type 1 Helicopter Support Services 2025-2034 IDIQ. The company also holds a Basic Ordering Agreement (12024B20G5026) that has supported 192 delivery orders valued at $122.5 million combined. Place of performance spans Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland and multiple operational bases nationwide at Pine Valley California, Lancaster California, East Wenatchee Washington, Rifle Colorado, Sierra Vista Arizona, Broomfield Colorado, San Bernardino California, La Grande Oregon, Helena Montana, and Porterville California.

Customer concentration is extreme and singular. The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management National Interagency Fire Center accounts for 240 of 249 awards (96% by count) and $995.2 million of $1.01 billion combined potential value (98% of total dollars). The Department of the Army Installation Management Command Southeast Region places three awards valued at $11.4 million; the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region places four awards valued at $3.4 million; remaining customers are immaterial by volume and value.

Helicopter Transport Services holds three primary IDVs: the Type 1 Helicopter Support Services 2025-2034 indefinite delivery contract ($50 million ceiling, awarded January 1, 2025, running through December 31, 2034) with 41 task orders valued at $206.7 million; the Basic Ordering Agreement 12024B20G5026 with 192 task orders valued at $122.5 million (prior vehicle, representing call-when-needed helicopter services); and an Indefinite Delivery Contract W911S814D0007 (Army) with 2 task orders valued at $2.9 million. Task order issuance velocity has decelerated sharply—100 awards in 2022, 45 in 2023, 46 in 2024, 32 in 2025 (through late October), and 10 in 2026 to date—signaling either seasonal fire-season demand variation or reduced operational tempo.

SCI-reported invoicing across federal service contracts above the $150,000 threshold totaled $1 million in FY2024 only, with 0.9 FTEs reported that fiscal year; FY2022, FY2023, and FY2025 show zero SCI invoicing. This narrow SCI footprint reflects that Helicopter Transport Services' federal work is predominantly goods-based (helicopter assets and fuel) and delivery-order-driven short-duration services, neither of which triggers standard service-contract reporting. Median government-paid hourly rate derived from SCI records is $543.17/hr. The vendor operates 100% as a prime contractor with no subcontractor engagement recorded across the SCI dataset.

Helicopter Transport Services competes entirely on full-and-open basis for its primary NIFC work; however, several delivery orders under the Type 1 IDV—including the $16.9 million Pine Valley, $19.5 million Lancaster, $16.4 million East Wenatchee, $20.1 million Rifle, $18.6 million Sierra Vista, $20.7 million Broomfield, $18.3 million San Bernardino, $18.8 million La Grande, $18.5 million Helena, and $19.4 million Porterville orders—are designated as total small business set-asides, indicating the underlying IDIQ vehicle reserves capacity for small-business competitors. The vendor does not hold 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, or other SBA designations in the source; its competitive posture is conventional small-business status on designated vehicles.