KWD Aircraft Support Equipment LLC

KWD Aircraft Support Equipment LLC PDI Ground Support, a for-profit limited liability partnership and small business manufacturer based in Solon, Ohio, manufactures aviation ground support equipment and specialized aircraft components as a prime contractor (97% of recent awards) on full-and-open federal procurements, with no recurring set-aside posture. The division operates under parent company KWD Aircraft Support Equipment LLC and competes across multiple federal customers without preferential small business reserve positioning despite holding small business status.

KWD's capability footprint centers on specialized aviation ground support equipment, aircraft maintenance components, and related hardware for military platforms. Recent representative work includes a $408,900 definitive contract awarded by Naval Air Systems Command in January 2025 for propeller transport dollies (P/N 207-000-104) in support of the KC-130J program on a sole-source basis; a $282,221 purchase order from the U.S. Coast Guard in July 2026 for QEC dolly units and lift trailers supporting Bay 3 and Sacramento stand-up operations; a $164,100 purchase order from Coast Guard in July 2022 for a GTC dolly for C-130J aircraft; a $236,890 Total Small Business set-aside from Naval Air Systems Command in September 2022 for QEC/Engine Buildup Dollies supporting the C-130J Hercules program; and recurring Defense Logistics Agency orders spanning propeller adapters, aircraft towbars, swivel casters, engine mounting clips, leveling jacks, and related fastening components with individual order values ranging from sub-thousand to $127,250.

Customer concentration clusters heavily around Defense Logistics Agency components. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Construction and Equipment organization leads by count with 54 awards ($1 million combined potential value), followed closely by Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime with 53 awards ($1.3 million combined potential value) and Defense Logistics Agency Aviation with 40 awards ($268 thousand combined potential value). These three DLA divisions account for a substantial majority of award volume. By potential-value ranking, Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center dominates with 9 awards valued at $1.5 million combined, followed by DLA Land and Maritime ($1.3 million), DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment ($1 million), and Coast Guard ($671 thousand). The top five customers account for 88% of recent awards and 88% of combined potential value.

KWD holds three active indefinite delivery contracts, all single-award vehicles. The most recent is a $350,000 ceiling IDC awarded by DLA Land and Maritime on December 18, 2025, for ADAPTER, PROPELLER D components with estimated four orders per year. A prior $250,000 ceiling IDC with DLA Land and Maritime (awarded December 13, 2024) for the same component category generated an estimated 3-11 orders annually. A third IDC valued at $250,000 (awarded April 21, 2022, expired April 21, 2023) was set aside for Total Small Business and covered CASTER, SWIVEL supplies. The broader activity footprint includes 216 total awards across purchase orders and delivery orders, predominantly small-value, transactional procurements.

Activity trajectory shows growth through 2024 (49 awards) followed by a sharp decline—20 awards in 2025 and 12 through mid-2026. Within the next twenty-four months, nine awards with combined potential value of $406 thousand face ultimate completion dates, representing near-term recompete exposure, particularly on the IDC positions that anchor the customer relationships.

Subcontract footprint is minimal—only 7 sub-awards (3% of total awards) in the source. KWD supplies aircraft ground support equipment, dollies, propeller assemblies, and portable stands to Lockheed Martin Corp (six sub-awards across 2024, including QEC sling assemblies, propeller dollies, engine dollies, and portable stands in support of airframe programs) and Textron Aviation Defense LLC (one sub-award in January 2024 for GSE and spares under the Vietnam Air Force T-6 Basic Trainer Program foreign military sale).

The top NAICS categories reflect the core hardware and component manufacturing mission: Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing (71 awards), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (45 awards), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (18 awards), and Hardware Manufacturing (14 awards). The top PSC codes mirror this mix—Aircraft Ground Servicing Equipment (52 awards), Hardware Commercial (52 awards), and Airfield Specialized Trucks and Trailers (21 awards)—underscoring a business model centered on direct manufacture and delivery of standardized and specialized components to defense logistics and military aviation maintenance supply chains rather than systems integration or complex engineering services.