Northern Air Cargo, LLC

Northern Air Cargo, LLC (doing business as Northern Air Cargo Inc.), a subsidiary of Saltchuk Resources, Inc., operates as a prime contractor providing heavyweight and oversized domestic and international air cargo transportation services to the Department of Defense and federal emergency-response agencies. The company competes on a full-and-open basis without set-aside designation, positioning itself as a large business contractor across all 276 awards in the source portfolio.

Northern Air Cargo specializes in commercial air freight movement for less-than-planeload shipments, operating from Anchorage, Alaska. The concrete capability footprint centers on door-to-door pickup and delivery for general cargo, hazardous materials, medical supplies, and specialized equipment exceeding weight thresholds (150 pounds domestically, 300 pounds internationally). Representative work includes delivery orders under the Global Heavyweight Services (GHS) contract to move equipment to Poland ($2.0 million, February 2025; $353 thousand, May 2025), medical freight transportation for the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support command ($71.9 million ceiling, February 2023 through January 2026), and Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) air transportation services supporting Air Mobility Command ($18.0 million ceiling, October 2024 through September 2030). The company also performed emergency disaster-relief air cargo shipment services for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Alaska ($14.7 thousand, November 2025).

Customer concentration is overwhelmingly defense-focused. The top five customer agencies account for 83% of recent awards by count, dominated by the Department of the Air Force Air Mobility Command (18 awards, $3.17 billion combined potential value), the Department of the Air Force (60 awards, $847.4 million), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (141 awards, $40.3 million). The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support command anchors the second-largest single-vehicle ceiling at $71.9 million. This customer concentration reflects Northern Air Cargo's strategic positioning as the primary commercial carrier for DoD heavyweight logistics across global operations.

Northern Air Cargo holds three significant federal IDVs. The Global Heavyweight Services (GHS) contract, valued at $1.503 billion through September 2032, represents the dominant vehicle — 28 delivery orders under this IDV account for $29.3 million in combined potential value. The USTRANSCOM Global Heavyweight Service generated 42 task orders valued at $6.1 million combined. The Civil Reserve Air Fleet International Charter Airlift Services vehicle carries an $18.0 million ceiling through September 2030, supporting transports of human remains and escorts from Dover Air Force Base and other North American locations, as well as general contingency airlift. Together, these parent vehicles enable Northern Air Cargo to respond rapidly to DoD worldwide cargo movement requirements across multiple continents without vehicle-specific competitive constraints.

Activity has declined modestly in recent years — 9 awards in 2022, peaking at 15 in 2023, then dropping to 12 in 2024, 7 in 2025, and 4 awards through April 2026. Combined potential value across all 276 awards totals $4.14 billion, though only $58.6 million (1%) has been obligated as of the source snapshot. The company operates exclusively as a prime contractor — zero sub-award activity appears in the portfolio — positioning Northern Air Cargo as a direct vehicle holder rather than a subcontractor partner.

Category coding reflects the core capability. The top NAICS classifications are Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (154 awards) and Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (17 awards). PSC coding concentrates in Transportation/Travel/Relocation—Air Freight (189 awards) and Transportation/Travel/Relocation—Air Charter (52 awards). Northern Air Cargo's work spans performance at Anchorage and subordinate operational locations worldwide, with recent delivery orders executed in Poland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Panama, Chile, Kenya, Latvia, and other strategic locations supporting military operations, equipment deployments, and contingency logistics.