Lockheed Martin Aculight Corporation

Lockheed Martin Aculight Corporation, a division of Lockheed Martin Corporation based in Bothell, Washington, designs and manufactures directed-energy laser systems and advanced optical components for the Department of Defense as a prime contractor on full-and-open federal contracts and Other Transaction Agreements. The company operates 98% of its federal awards as a prime, with no SBA set-aside designations across its footprint.

Aculight's capability portfolio centers on high-energy laser (HEL) and airborne high-energy laser (AHEL) systems, fiber laser module development, semiconductor-based laser arrays, advanced optical components, and integrated laser system prototyping and sustainment for ground and airborne platforms. Recent representative work includes a $237.4 million multiple-award Other Transaction IDV with the Army for Infantry Fighting Vehicle Compact High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) prototype development awarded July 2023; a $23.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee DARPA definitive contract for directed-energy research with an ultimate completion date of June 2026; a $12.8 million DARPA contract for Modular Efficient Laser Technology (MELT) semiconductor laser array development (awarded October 2022, with Phase 2 and Phase 3 options totaling $15.2 million not exercised per White House direction); a $3.7 million Air Force Research Laboratory Other Transaction Agreement for Fiber Laser Module Evolution for SBC (FLAMES) extending to August 2026; and a $1.41 million Naval Sea Systems Command delivery order for AHEL support and HEL system repairs and upgrades through June 2025 under a $12.3 million single-award IDIQ.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted to the Navy and Army on the dollar side, despite broader Air Force volume. The top five funding entities account for 95% of combined potential value, anchored by Naval Sea Systems Command (14 awards, $1.22 billion combined potential value), the Army (9 awards, $237.4 million), and the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory (22 awards, $75.1 million). The Navy dominates dollars but the Air Force places more individual awards—a divergence driven by Navy's larger vehicle ceilings against smaller research task orders from Air Force labs.

Aculight holds positions on three active high-ceiling vehicles: the Army's $237.4 million IFPC-HEL Other Transaction IDV (multiple award), Naval Sea Systems Command's $75 million High Energy Laser Rapid Prototyping multiple-award IDIQ through March 2028, and Naval Sea Systems Command's $12.3 million single-award IDIQ for HEL/AHEL technical and subject matter expert services through July 2026. Top parent vehicles in the portfolio also include Air Force IDCs and basic ordering agreements, though Aculight's task-order volume on these is lower than on Navy vehicles.

Activity has moderated in recent years—two awards in 2021, four in 2022, five in 2023, three in 2024, and one in 2025—reflecting the non-renewal of DARPA MELT Phase 2 and 3 options. Two awards totaling $1.13 billion combined potential value reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, exposing significant recompete risk or contract wind-down. The company subcontracts to Radiance Technologies Inc. on directed-energy system integration lab (DESIL) support work (four modifications placed between July and September 2024). When executing as a prime, Aculight engages a diverse subcontractor network including TTM Technologies North America for advanced circuit board manufacturing, Nhanced Semiconductors for specialized wafer services, Powerphotonic for optical components, Jenoptik Optical Systems for precision optics, IPG Photonics for fiber laser systems, Axiom Optics for advanced imaging equipment, and others. The subcontractor composition reflects the photonics, semiconductor, and advanced-optics intensity inherent in directed-energy prototype development. Aculight's federal customer base spans 30 distinct agencies, though 53% of recent awards are concentrated among the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory, Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Naval Air Systems Command.