Ultramet

Ultramet, a for-profit small business manufacturer of advanced materials for extreme environments based in Pacoima, California, operates almost exclusively as a prime contractor (98% of recent awards) under full-and-open SBIR/STTR solicitations, with all prime awards designated as total small business set-asides. The company specializes in developing oxidation-resistant coatings, ceramic matrix composites, refractory metals, and thermal protection systems for hypersonic vehicles, space propulsion, and defense applications.

Ultramet's customer concentration centers on defense R&D and civilian space agencies. The Missile Defense Agency dominates the dollar ranking with 22 awards and $16.9 million in combined potential value, followed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Materiel Command with 30 awards and $12 million, and NASA's Shared Services Center with 38 awards and $10.3 million. Volume metrics diverge from dollar metrics: NASA (72 awards) and the Air Force (70 awards) lead by award count but carry smaller individual contract values, while MDA anchors the highest-dollar work. Ultramet has served 32 distinct federal customer agencies across recent work. The top five funding customers account for 63% of combined potential value, with defense R&D (MDA, AFRL, DARPA) representing the largest concentration and NASA handling a substantial volume of smaller SBIR Phase I and Phase II awards.

Ultramet competes across a portfolio of SBIR and STTR vehicles rather than on parent GWACs or IDIQs. Recent representative prime work includes a $3.8 million SBIR Phase III cost-plus-fixed-fee award from the Missile Defense Agency (November 2024) for CVD high-temperature oxidation protection coatings on scalable carbon-carbon materials; a $2 million STTR Phase II definitive contract from Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support (February 2025) for increased component sizes of carbon-fiber zirconium-carbide ceramic matrix composites for hypersonic applications; a $1.5 million STTR Phase II award from MDA (January 2025) for silicide coatings on refractory metal alloys for high-temperature oxidation protection of hypersonic vehicle leading edges; and multiple NASA SBIR Phase I and Phase II awards for thermal protection systems, including a $849,999 Phase II contract (August 2025) for a high-performance deorbit engine with minimal power requirements and a $156.5 thousand Phase I award (September 2025) for thin flexible oxidation-resistant coatings for 3D-woven carbon fabric thermal protection materials. NAICS concentration sits in Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (73 awards), with secondary work in Metal Coating and Allied Services manufacturing (6 awards).

Activity has contracted in the past two years after sustained volume 2021–2024. Ultramet recorded 16 awards in 2022, declined to 7 in 2023 and 7 in 2024, recovered to 10 in 2025, and has received 2 awards year-to-date in 2026. Eight awards worth $10.3 million in combined potential value reach completion within the next twenty-four months and face recompete exposure. The vendor maintains minimal subcontract exposure (2% of recent awards); named subcontract work includes Moog Inc. subcontracts for Ascent green monopropellant thrusters (three awards, February 2026 through October 2025), HRL Laboratories work on additive manufacturing of SiC composite structures for hypersonics (August 2024), and Amentum Technology R&D services sub-awards (July 2022 and November 2022). Federal grant work concentrates with the Department of Energy Office of Science (CFDA 81.049), with three project grants totaling $619.5 thousand supporting compact heat exchanger development, porous yttrium-chromium hydride microreactor moderators, and high-radiopurity structural components via CVD (all awarded June 2022 through February 2025); Ultramet also holds a sub-award from the Regents of the University of Michigan (March 2025) on high-emissivity coatings for heat rejection.