Spirit Aerosystems Inc.

Spirit Aerosystems Inc., a subsidiary of Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc., is a major aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, specializing in aerostructures, advanced composite technologies, and high-rate manufacturing processes. The company provides a comprehensive range of products and services to the federal government through prime and subcontractor relationships, with particular expertise in hypersonic vehicle development, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) fabrication, additive manufacturing, and bonded aircraft structure certification. As a for-profit manufacturer of aerospace components and structures, Spirit Aerosystems serves as both a prime contractor receiving direct awards from multiple federal agencies and a subcontractor supporting major defense contractors in the execution of government programs.

Spirit Aerosystems' federal contract portfolio demonstrates substantial involvement in advanced aerospace research and development for the Department of Defense and NASA. The company holds multiple definitive contracts with the Air Force Research Laboratory totaling tens of millions of dollars, including the Hypersonic Air-Breather Research and Manufacturing Expansion (HARMEX) program valued at $12.84 million extending through September 2028, the Conformable Reusable Airframe Structures for Hypersonic (CRASH) program worth $13.8 million with completion by December 2027, and the Bonded Unitized Composites Large-Scale Structural Demonstration (BUCLSS) program valued at $25.1 million through September 2029. Additional Air Force Research Laboratory awards include a $5.1 million contract for large-scale additive manufacturing for hypersonics, a $6.4 million contract for certification of bonded aircraft structures by process control, and an $8.8 million contract for industrialization of oxide/oxide composites for hypersonic applications. Spirit Aerosystems received a $14.4 million DARPA contract for the CALIENTE WING TEST project focusing on advanced aerospace research through the Tactical Technology Office, with completion scheduled for June 2026. NASA Glenn Research Center awarded the company a $3.03 million delivery order to demonstrate automated CMC processing and fabrication capabilities for hypersonic vehicle applications, including the design and fabrication of flaperons, torque tubes, wing, and fuselage subcomponents. All prime federal contracts reviewed carried no set-aside designations, reflecting Spirit Aerosystems' status as a large, capable contractor selected on a competitive basis. As a subcontractor, Spirit Aerosystems supports major aerospace primes including The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, and Bell Textron Inc., providing aircraft parts, major structures, assemblies, and specialized components including intercostal assemblies, shear web assemblies, and structural subcomponents for both fixed-wing and rotorcraft platforms.

Spirit Aerosystems' federal grant awards are predominantly concentrated in NASA cooperative agreements focused on advancing composite manufacturing technologies and high-rate production capabilities. The company received a $12.6 million cooperative agreement as a single-source participant in NASA's High-Rate Composites Aircraft Manufacturing (HICAM) Project Phase 1, with performance extending through September 2029, aimed at developing mature, affordable, high-rate composite manufacturing and assembly technologies with reduced equipment and tooling costs. Spirit Aerosystems participated in multiple smaller HICAM-related cooperative agreements awarded by NASA's Shared Services Center between 2021 and 2023, totaling approximately $1.2 million collectively, supporting specific manufacturing approaches and technologies to enable 4-6 times production rate increases for large composite airframe structures. The company also received cooperative agreements from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for two projects totaling approximately $500,000 in combined value through December 2024: one addressing continuous fiber silicon carbide ceramic composite manufacturing through a low-cost polymer infiltration process, and another developing artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled automated non-destructive inspection frameworks for composite aerostructures manufacturing. As a subgrantee, Spirit Aerosystems collaborated with the University of Delaware under an Advanced Technology International grant focused on cold spray support of castings, and provided technical guidance and engineering support to Wichita State University for the Modeling for Affordable Sustainable Composites project, assisting in technology roadmap development for urban air mobility and aviation applications. All grant awards carried no set-aside designations and emphasized innovation in advanced materials, manufacturing processes, and production rate improvements aligned with broader federal aerospace and defense modernization objectives.

Spirit Aerosystems maintains significant federal contract indefinite delivery vehicle (IDV) relationships providing flexible procurement frameworks for ongoing government support. The company holds a position on the Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC), a $46 billion multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract issued by the Department of the Air Force through the Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base with performance extending through September 2031. Under the EWAAC vehicle, Spirit Aerosystems provides a broad range of products and services supporting the Air Force's agile acquisition strategy for weapons development, with the company's demonstrated capabilities in hypersonic applications, additive manufacturing, composite materials, and structural certification directly aligned with contract objectives. Additionally, Spirit Aerosystems holds a $15 million indefinite delivery contract awarded by NASA Glenn Research Center on September 26, 2024, extending through September 2029, focused on the design, analysis, characterization, and fabrication of ceramic matrix composite structures for hypersonic vehicle applications, including flaperons, torque tubes, wing, and fuselage subcomponents for reusable hot structure designs. This IDV structure supports NASA's efforts to advance hypersonic vehicle capabilities by validating CMC fabrication techniques with potential transition to operational platforms. Both IDV vehicles position Spirit Aerosystems to respond rapidly to government task order and delivery order requirements, leveraging the company's established technical expertise in advanced aerospace manufacturing and defense applications without requiring separate competitive procurements for each specific requirement.