NAICS 334511: Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems and instruments. Examples of products made by these establishments are aircraft instruments (except engine), flight recorders, navigational instruments and systems, radar systems and equipment, and sonar systems and equipment. Cross-References. Establishments primarily engaged in--Show more
NAICS 334511 – Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing encompasses the design, development, and production of precision systems used for targeting, situational awareness, and autonomous navigation across air, land, sea, and space domains. This includes inertial navigation units, radar and sonar detection arrays, global positioning system (GPS) augmentation devices, flight control instruments, and guidance subsystems for missiles, drones, and naval platforms.
Industry Spending Overview
Federal obligations, top contractors and agencies, and related industry codes for NAICS 334511.
AI Industry Description
NAICS 334511 – Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing encompasses the design, development, and production of precision systems used for targeting, situational awareness, and autonomous navigation across air, land, sea, and space domain...
NAICS 334511 – Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing encompasses the design, development, and production of precision systems used for targeting, situational awareness, and autonomous navigation across air, land, sea, and space domains. This includes inertial navigation units, radar and sonar detection arrays, global positioning system (GPS) augmentation devices, flight control instruments, and guidance subsystems for missiles, drones, and naval platforms. These systems are critical to modern defense and homeland security operations, enabling real-time decision-making, terrain avoidance, target acquisition, and mission-critical autonomy. The sector sits at the intersection of aerospace engineering, electronic warfare, and embedded systems integration, serving as an enabling technology for advanced platforms across military and civilian federal missions. Top contractors in this NAICS include large primes such as Raytheon Company, alongside specialized small businesses like Starwin Industries, LLC, QRC, LLC, and Altitude Technologies Inc., which provide niche components, ruggedized avionics, and software-defined instrumentation. The competitive landscape is dominated by defense aerospace firms with deep expertise in MIL-STD compliance, electromagnetic compatibility, and real-time signal processing, with many small businesses holding set-aside contracts for advanced sensor integration and miniaturized electronics. The Department of Defense is the primary buyer, funding programs related to missile defense, unmanned aerial systems, and naval surveillance. The Department of Homeland Security also procures navigation and detection systems for border surveillance, maritime domain awareness, and critical infrastructure protection. Demand is driven by modernization initiatives, counter-drone technologies, and the integration of AI-enabled sensing into legacy platforms. The market is highly technical and regulated, with opportunities concentrated in systems requiring ruggedized design, low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) architectures, and secure data fusion capabilities. Contractors with expertise in FAA and DoD certification standards, along with supply chain resilience for classified components, are best positioned to compete. Growth is tied to ongoing investments in autonomous systems and multi-domain operational readiness.
Small Business Size Standard
The SBA threshold that decides who can bid NAICS 334511 work as a small business.
The SBA cap for this NAICS (13 CFR 121.201). A business at or under it can self-certify as small for work in this code, which is what makes it eligible for a small-business set-aside. The cap is set per NAICS, so the same company can be small in one code and not in another.
13 CFR 121.201, effective January 1, 2026. The SBA revises the table roughly once a year.
Top Contractors
Companies with the highest total award value under NAICS 334511, ranked by dollars won.
| Company | Total Awards | Contracts |
|---|---|---|
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | $1.3B | 11 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | $749.7M | 832 |
| RAYTHEON COMPANY | $560.2M | 33 |
| SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS, INC | $468.5M | 1 |
| SAAB INC | $408.0M | 3 |
| INDRA AIR TRAFFIC, INC. | $380.3M | 12 |
| UNDERSEA SENSOR SYSTEMS, INC. | $377.7M | 2 |
| ELBITAMERICA, INC. | $329.2M | 12 |
| RAYTHEON COMPANY | $323.9M | 13 |
| COLLINS ELBIT VISION SYSTEMS, LLC | $306.0M | 4 |
Top Agencies
Federal agencies directing the most contract spending toward NAICS 334511.
Competition
How many companies historically bid on federal awards in NAICS 334511, from bidder counts reported on USAspending.
Half or more of reported awards drew exactly one bidder, usually a sign of incumbent-held work rather than an open field. · 136,540 reported awards
Median Bidders
1
Per reported award, all-time
Single-Bid Awards
60%
Share of reported awards with one bidder
10+ Bidder Awards
3%
Share of reported awards with 10+ bidders
Reported Awards
136,540
82% of 167,236 total awards
Share of reported awards in each bidder-count bracket per federal fiscal year.
How this code compares up the NAICS hierarchy. Parent cohorts pool every code under their prefix, so they are the steadier baseline when a 6-digit sample is thin.
| Industry Family | Competition | Median Bidders | Single-Bid | Bidder Mix | Reported Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
334511This Code Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing | Usually Single-Bid | 1 | 60% | 136,54082% of 167,236 | |
33451NAICS Industry | Usually Single-Bid | 1 | 62% | 895,60488% of 1,015,890 | |
3345Industry Group Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | Usually Single-Bid | 1 | 62% | 895,60488% of 1,015,890 | |
334Subsector | Fewer Bidders | 2 | 50% | 2,655,79088% of 3,015,335 | |
33Sector Manufacturing | Fewer Bidders | 2 | 44% | 16,883,00469% of 24,369,785 |
Bidder counts reported on past federal awards in this NAICS (USAspending). An open opportunity has no bidders yet, so this is the historical norm for similar work, not a fact about this solicitation. Not all awards report bidder counts, and fewer bidders often means incumbent-held work rather than an easier win. Federal reporting of bidder counts fell from ~96% of awards (FY2016) to ~30% (FY2018 onward); the chart shows shares of reported awards, and washed-out stretches mark years with fewer than 30 of them.
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