Data / Federal awards / NAICS 481212 / Department of Defense
Department of Defense contracts under NAICS 481212 Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation: $8.6 billion to 38 recipients (FY2024 to FY2027)
Updated October 6, 2026. Source: USAspending.gov.
Department of Defense obligated $8.6 billion under NAICS 481212, Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation, across 884 contract awards to 38 named recipients in fiscal years 2024 to 2027. The largest recipients are SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. ($4.5 billion), UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC ($2.4 billion), KALITTA AIR LLC ($414.0 million).
The request: Every federal contract awarded by Department of Defense under NAICS 481212, with the winner, the value and the period of performance. $10 of work on sign-up, no card.
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- Agency
- Department of Defense
- NAICS code
- 481212 Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation
- Contract awards
- 884
- Obligated
- $8.6 billion
- Named recipients
- 38
- Small business share of obligations
- 8%
- Full and open competition share
- 98%
- Set aside share
- 1%
- Latest action
- 2026-07-06
Incumbents at this agency
Ranked by dollars obligated in fiscal years 2024 to 2027.
| Recipient | Business size | Awards | Obligated | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Other Than Small Business | 74 | $4.54 billion | 53.1% |
| UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 67 | $2.40 billion | 28.0% |
| KALITTA AIR LLC | Other Than Small Business | 489 | $414 million | 4.8% |
| BLUE ORIGIN, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 8 | $313.9 million | 3.7% |
| AIR TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAL INC | Small Business | 13 | $309.2 million | 3.6% |
| WESTERN GLOBAL AIRLINES INC | Small Business | 90 | $157.9 million | 1.8% |
| AIR CENTER HELICOPTERS, INC | Small Business | 7 | $120.6 million | 1.4% |
| CANADIAN COMMERCIAL CORPORATION | Other Than Small Business | 2 | $58.3 million | 0.7% |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | Other Than Small Business | 7 | $54.5 million | 0.6% |
| STARFISH SPACE INC. | Small Business | 1 | $48.5 million | 0.6% |
| FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION | Other Than Small Business | 14 | $24.2 million | 0.3% |
| AMERIJET INTERNATIONAL INC | Small Business | 5 | $16.5 million | 0.2% |
| FIREFLY SPACE TRANSPORT SERVICES, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 2 | $15.8 million | 0.2% |
| ROCKET LAB USA INC | Other Than Small Business | 3 | $14.4 million | 0.2% |
| UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CO. | Other Than Small Business | 31 | $11.6 million | 0.1% |
| AEROSTAR INTERNATIONAL, LLC | Small Business | 1 | $8.9 million | 0.1% |
| LYNDEN AIR CARGO, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 9 | $6.6 million | 0.1% |
| ABX AIR, INC. | Small Business | 6 | $6.2 million | 0.1% |
| BLUE ORIGIN WASHINGTON, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 5 | $5.8 million | 0.1% |
| STOKE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | Small Business | 5 | $5.5 million | 0.1% |
| ROCKET LAB NATIONAL SECURITY LLC | Other Than Small Business | 2 | $5 million | 0.1% |
| TATONDUK OUTFITTERS LIMITED | Small Business | 5 | $2.4 million | 0.0% |
| SKY LEASE I, INC | Small Business | 7 | $1.9 million | 0.0% |
| LANTERIS SPACE LLC | Other Than Small Business | 2 | $1.7 million | 0.0% |
| GENERAL ATOMICS | Other Than Small Business | 1 | $404,925 | 0.0% |
| CAPITAL DISTRIBUTION SERVICES LTD. | Other Than Small Business | 1 | $224,832 | 0.0% |
| X-BOW LAUNCH SYSTEMS INC | Other Than Small Business | 2 | $147,247 | 0.0% |
| VALIANT AIR COMMAND, INC. | Other Than Small Business | 1 | $23,750 | 0.0% |
| POLAR AIR CARGO WORLDWIDE, INC | Other Than Small Business | 3 | $6,000 | 0.0% |
| NORTHERN AIR CARGO, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 3 | $6,000 | 0.0% |
| AVELO AIRLINES, INC. | Small Business | 4 | $6,000 | 0.0% |
| LONG WALL COMPANY | Small Business | 3 | $0 | 0.0% |
| RELATIVITY FEDERAL, INC. | Other Than Small Business | 2 | $0 | 0.0% |
| SES SPACE & DEFENSE, INC. | Other Than Small Business | 1 | $0 | 0.0% |
| RELATIVITY SPACE, INC. | Other Than Small Business | 1 | $0 | 0.0% |
| FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION | Other Than Small Business | 1 | $0 | 0.0% |
| AEVUM INC | Small Business | 2 | $-466,600 | -0.0% |
| ASTRA SPACE OPERATIONS, LLC | Other Than Small Business | 3 | $-1,800,400 | -0.0% |
Offices buying
| Sub agency | Awards | Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Air Force | 185 | $7.28 billion |
| USTRANSCOM | 679 | $956.4 million |
| Defense Contract Management Agency | 11 | $190 million |
| Department of the Navy | 8 | $120.8 million |
| Department of the Army | 1 | $23,750 |
Obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Obligated |
|---|---|
| FY2024 | $3.25 billion |
| FY2025 | $2.63 billion |
| FY2026 | $2.67 billion |
Products and services bought
| Code | Product or service | Awards | Obligated |
|---|---|---|---|
| V126 | Transportation/travel/relocation- Transportation: Space Transportation/launch | 187 | $7.35 billion |
| V121 | Transportation/travel/relocation- Transportation: Air Charter | 653 | $981.4 million |
| V111 | Transportation/travel/relocation- Transportation: Air Freight | 10 | $155.6 million |
| J018 | Maint/repair/rebuild of Equipment- Space Vehicles | 1 | $48.5 million |
| AC25 | National Defense R&d Svcs; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; R&d Facilities & Maj Equip | 3 | $9.6 million |
| V221 | Transportation/travel/relocation- Travel/lodging/recruitment: Passenger Air Charter | 27 | $1.2 million |
| V119 | Transportation/travel/relocation- Transportation: Other | 1 | $224,832 |
| V112 | Transportation/travel/relocation- Transportation: Motor Freight | 1 | $23,750 |
Largest contract awards
| Award ID | Recipient | Agency | Type | NAICS | What it buys | Obligated in window | Award value | Starts | Ends | Place of performance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA881125FB001 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 3 LANE 1 | $540,731,341 | $540,731,341 | October 18, 2024 | August 31, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB018 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES | $222,713,114 | $222,713,114 | May 29, 2025 | February 28, 2028 | Englewood, CO | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB017 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES | $205,327,793 | $205,327,793 | May 30, 2025 | August 29, 2029 | Englewood, CO | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB006 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | PHASE 3 LANE 1 LAUNCH SERVICE TASK ORDER (LSTO) FOR NTO-5 | $204,618,632 | $487,345,458 | January 9, 2026 | January 9, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881124FB023 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES | $183,438,742 | $183,438,742 | July 25, 2024 | January 29, 2028 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB010 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | SEE ATTACHMENT 1, PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) | $181,650,000 | $200,000,000 | April 14, 2025 | April 13, 2027 | El Segundo, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB011 | BLUE ORIGIN, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | SEE ATTACHMENT 1, PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) | $181,650,000 | $200,000,000 | April 14, 2025 | April 13, 2027 | El Segundo, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB013 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | SEE ATTACHMENT 1, PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) | $174,650,000 | $200,000,000 | April 14, 2025 | April 14, 2027 | El Segundo, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB004 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH SERVICES PHASE 3, LANE 2 | $173,715,980 | $173,715,980 | January 13, 2028 | June 11, 2028 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881124FB028 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SPACE SECURITY LAUNCH PHASE 2 | $170,743,415 | $170,743,415 | August 19, 2024 | August 19, 2025 | Englewood, CO | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB011 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES PROCUREMENT | $170,267,970 | $170,267,970 | May 4, 2026 | June 2, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB001 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | PHASE 3 LANE 1 LAUNCH SERVICE TASK ORDER (LSTO) FOR SDA-2 | $160,333,658 | $160,333,658 | December 8, 2025 | April 30, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB002 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 3 LANE 1 | $155,233,260 | $155,233,260 | October 18, 2024 | May 4, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB007 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | LAUNCH SERVICE FOR NROL-86 | $153,945,750 | $153,945,750 | January 12, 2026 | May 4, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB016 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES | $153,713,951 | $153,713,951 | May 15, 2025 | November 28, 2027 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB022 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES PROCUREMENT | $153,713,951 | $153,713,951 | July 8, 2025 | February 28, 2029 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881125FB015 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH (NSSL) PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES PROCUREMENT | $150,100,000 | $150,100,000 | April 24, 2025 | December 30, 2026 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB005 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | FA8811-25-D-B002 NSSL PHASE 3 LANE 2 LAUNCH SERVICES FOR USSF-206 | $142,189,654 | $142,189,654 | April 1, 2026 | August 29, 2028 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| HTC71126F1005 | AIR TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAL INC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET - AIR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES | $138,272,484 | $135,164,567 | October 1, 2025 | September 30, 2026 | Japan | usaspending.gov |
| FA881124FB029 | SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 2 | $136,634,569 | $136,634,569 | August 19, 2024 | August 18, 2025 | Hawthorne, CA | usaspending.gov |
| FA881119C0002 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Definitive Contract | 481212 | DELTA IV HEAVY LAUNCH SERVICES | $133,290,164 | $1,728,709,521 | October 24, 2018 | November 30, 2024 | Centennial, CO | usaspending.gov |
| HTC71125F1005 | AIR TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAL INC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET - AIR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES | $129,084,428 | $129,084,428 | October 1, 2024 | September 30, 2026 | Diego Garcia | usaspending.gov |
| FA881126FB016 | BLUE ORIGIN, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | PHASE 3 LANE 1 LAUNCH SERVICE TASK ORDER (LSTO) FOR NTO-4 | $125,201,055 | $125,201,055 | May 28, 2026 | March 15, 2028 | Merritt Island, FL | usaspending.gov |
| FA881124FB008 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH SERVICES PHASE 2 | $123,479,172 | $123,479,172 | July 2, 2024 | April 28, 2028 | Centennial, CO | usaspending.gov |
| FA881124FB012 | UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | Department of Defense | Delivery Order | 481212 | NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PHASE 2 | $121,138,726 | $123,338,859 | May 23, 2024 | November 24, 2026 | Englewood, CO | usaspending.gov |
Public U.S. federal spending data (U.S. Department of the Treasury). Obligations are the contract actions dated in fiscal years 2024 to 2027 of the USAspending.gov award archive of 2026-10-06; a contract's total value is its current value as USAspending reports it, including earlier years. Recipients are matched on their SAM.gov UEI, never on the name, and are shown as the government prints them. Sole proprietorships and opted-out entities count in the totals and are not named. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0. Spot a wrong value? Write to [email protected] with the link to this page.