Top DoD nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation contractors
In the 12 months ending Oct 5, 2026, the Department of Defense obligated $2.3B in net prime contract dollars under NAICS 481212, down 10.7% from $2.6B in the preceding 12 months. 20 prime contractors received positive obligations, and 2 of them accounted for 80% of that spend.
Prime contracts funded by the Department of Defense. Latest 12 months: Oct 6, 2025 to Oct 5, 2026. Source: USAspending.gov.
DoD publishes contract data to USAspending with a 90-day delay, so the most recent months understate DoD activity.
Obligations by fiscal year
Net prime contract obligations by federal fiscal year (October to September).
Top DoD contractors for NAICS 481212
Ranked by positive obligations in the latest 12 months. Share is of all positive obligations in this market.
| # | Contractor | Latest 12 mo | Prior 12 mo | Share | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | $1.7B | $1.3B | 70.3% | — |
| 2 | United Launch Services, LLC | $237.3M | $619.5M | 10.1% | — |
| 3 | Blue Origin, LLC | $208.8M | $100.0M | 8.9% | ▲ 2 |
| 4 | Kalitta Air LLC | $120.5M | $247.6M | 5.1% | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Starfish Space Inc. | $48.5M | $0 | 2.1% | New |
| 6 | Air Center Helicopters, Inc | $26.4M | $42.2M | 1.1% | ▲ 1 |
| 7 | Canadian Commercial Corporation | $22.3M | $1.4M | 0.9% | ▲ 10 |
| 8 | Aerostar International, LLC | $8.9M | $6.4M | 0.4% | ▲ 4 |
| 9 | Air Transport International Inc | $7.5M | $131.6M | 0.3% | ▼ 5 |
| 10 | Western Global Airlines Inc | $6.0M | $91.9M | 0.3% | ▼ 4 |
| 11 | United Parcel Service Co. | $4.1M | $7.4M | 0.2% | — |
| 12 | Federal Express Corporation | $1.5M | $11.9M | 0.1% | ▼ 3 |
| 13 | Lynden Air Cargo, LLC | $1.4M | $1.1M | 0.1% | ▲ 6 |
| 14 | Lanteris Space LLC | $1.3M | $460K | 0.1% | ▲ 7 |
| 15 | ABX Air, Inc. | $834K | $3.9M | 0.0% | — |
What changed in the last 12 months
Contractors with the largest change in reported obligations versus the preceding 12 months.
Largest gains
- Space Exploration Technologies Corp.$1.3B → $1.7B (+$329.6M) · now #1
- Blue Origin, LLC$100.0M → $208.8M (+$108.8M) · now #3
- Starfish Space Inc.$0 → $48.5M (+$48.5M) · now #5
Largest declines
- United Launch Services, LLC$619.5M → $237.3M (−$382.2M) · now #2
- Kalitta Air LLC$247.6M → $120.5M (−$127.0M) · now #4
- Air Transport International Inc$131.6M → $7.5M (−$124.1M) · now #9
New to this market
2 contractors received their first obligations in this market (since FY2022) during the latest 12 months. The largest:
| Contractor | First obligation | Latest 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Starfish Space Inc. | Jan 30, 2026 | $48.5M |
| Valiant Air Command, Inc. | Apr 1, 2026 | $24K |
Where the money comes from
Funding sub-agencies within the Department of Defense, latest 12 months. The funding organization can differ from the office that runs the requirement.
| Funding sub-agency | Latest 12 mo | Prior 12 mo | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of the Air Force | $2.3B | $2.6B | Down $265.7M (10.3%) |
| Department of the Navy | $26.5M | $42.3M | Down $15.9M (37.5%) |
| Department of the Army | $24K | $0 | New |
Potential recompetes
Large awards in this market whose current period of performance ends in the next 18 months. Treat these as research leads: options, extensions, and follow-on vehicles often change the timing.
| Award | Incumbent | Obligated | Current end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FA881126FB006 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. PHASE 3 LANE 1 LAUNCH SERVICE TASK ORDER (LSTO) FOR NTO-5 | $204.6M | Jan 9, 2027 |
| FA881125FB011 | Blue Origin, LLC SEE ATTACHMENT 1, PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) | $181.7M | Apr 13, 2027 |
| FA881125FB010 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SEE ATTACHMENT 1, PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) | $181.7M | Apr 13, 2027 |
| FA881125FB013 | United Launch Services, LLC SEE ATTACHMENT 1, PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) | $174.7M | Apr 14, 2027 |
| FA881126FB001 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. PHASE 3 LANE 1 LAUNCH SERVICE TASK ORDER (LSTO) FOR SDA-2 | $160.3M | Apr 30, 2027 |
| FA881125FB002 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 3 LANE 1 | $155.2M | May 4, 2027 |
| FA881126FB011 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES PROCUREMENT | $170.3M | Jun 2, 2027 |
| FA881125FB001 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 3 LANE 1 | $540.7M | Aug 31, 2027 |
| FA881124FB023 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES | $183.4M | Jan 29, 2028 |
| FA881125FB018 | United Launch Services, LLC NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES | $222.7M | Feb 28, 2028 |
Common questions
Who are the top DoD contractors for NAICS 481212?
In the latest 12 months, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. ($1.7B), United Launch Services, LLC ($237.3M), Blue Origin, LLC ($208.8M) received the most DoD obligations for nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation.
How concentrated is this market?
The eight largest primes held 99.0% of positive obligations, and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. alone held 70.3%. 2 contractors won their first obligations in this market during the latest 12 months.
Are any large DoD NAICS 481212 contracts ending soon?
10 of the largest awards in this market reach their current end date in the next 18 months. The first is FA881126FB006 (Space Exploration Technologies Corp., $204.6M obligated), ending Jan 9, 2027. An end date is a research lead, not a confirmed recompete: options and extensions often move it.
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$40.4MFigures are net obligations on prime contracts (award types A–D) from USAspending.gov, grouped by funding agency and the NAICS code on each award. Net obligations include deobligations and corrections, so they can differ from positive-obligation totals. See methodology.
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