NAICS 336411: Aircraft Manufacturing
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) manufacturing or assembling complete aircraft; (2) developing and making aircraft prototypes; (3) aircraft conversion (i.e., major modifications to systems); and (4) complete aircraft overhaul and rebuilding (i.e., periodic restoration of aircraft to original design specifications). Cross-References.Show more
NAICS 336411 – Aircraft Manufacturing encompasses the design, development, and production of military and civilian aircraft, including fixed-wing platforms, rotary-wing systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and associated airframes, propulsion systems, and avionics integration. This sector supports critical national defense, surveillance, logistics, and test & evaluation missions, with a strong emphasis on advanced materials, flight control systems, radar cross-section reduction, and mission-specific payload integration.
Industry Spending Overview
Federal obligations, top contractors and agencies, and related industry codes for NAICS 336411.
AI Industry Description
NAICS 336411 – Aircraft Manufacturing encompasses the design, development, and production of military and civilian aircraft, including fixed-wing platforms, rotary-wing systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and associated airframes, propulsion systems, and avionics integration. This sector suppo...
NAICS 336411 – Aircraft Manufacturing encompasses the design, development, and production of military and civilian aircraft, including fixed-wing platforms, rotary-wing systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and associated airframes, propulsion systems, and avionics integration. This sector supports critical national defense, surveillance, logistics, and test & evaluation missions, with a strong emphasis on advanced materials, flight control systems, radar cross-section reduction, and mission-specific payload integration. As a cornerstone of the defense industrial base, aircraft manufacturing is deeply intertwined with systems engineering, lifecycle sustainment, and compliance with MIL-STD and DO-160 standards, making it one of the most technically complex and capital-intensive segments of federal procurement. Top contractors in this space include Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, a leading prime integrator of stealth and long-range strike platforms, alongside specialized suppliers such as STARWIN INDUSTRIES, LLC, BHPE LLC, LOGISTICO LLC, METREA SPECIAL AEROSPACE, ISR, INC., and MERRILL CORPORATION, which provide niche components, subsystems, and logistics support ranging from composite structures to mission-critical avionics. The competitive landscape is dominated by large primes with deep systems integration capabilities, supported by a network of small businesses and Tier 2 suppliers focused on precision manufacturing and rapid prototyping. The Department of Defense is the primary buyer, driving demand through modernization programs such as Next Generation Air Dominance, NGAD, and UAV fleet expansion. The Department of Agriculture also awards contracts in this code, primarily for aerial firefighting platforms and remote sensing aircraft used in wildfire monitoring and forest management. The market is characterized by high barriers to entry due to stringent certification requirements and long procurement cycles, yet offers sustained opportunity for specialized suppliers in avionics, maintenance support, and rapid-repair services. Contracting professionals should prioritize understanding DoD acquisition pathways like OCONUS sustainment and SBIR/STTR pathways for innovative aerospace technologies.
Small Business Size Standard
The SBA threshold that decides who can bid NAICS 336411 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 336411, ranked by dollars won.
| Company | Total Awards | Contracts |
|---|---|---|
| THE BOEING COMPANY | $2.3B | 1 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | $2.0B | 16 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | $1.6B | 13 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | $1.5B | 7 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | $1.3B | 3 |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | $855.0M | 43 |
| RTX CORPORATION | $798.3M | 2 |
| AEROVIRONMENT, INC | $607.7M | 31 |
| INSITU, INC. | $590.2M | 1 |
| INSITU, INC. | $590.2M | 1 |
Top Agencies
Federal agencies directing the most contract spending toward NAICS 336411.
Competition
How many companies historically bid on federal awards in NAICS 336411, 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. · 152,894 reported awards
Median Bidders
1
Per reported award, all-time
Single-Bid Awards
56%
Share of reported awards with one bidder
10+ Bidder Awards
4%
Share of reported awards with 10+ bidders
Reported Awards
152,894
38% of 402,456 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
336411This Code Aircraft Manufacturing | Usually Single-Bid | 1 | 56% | 152,89438% of 402,456 | |
33641NAICS Industry | Usually Single-Bid | 1 | 61% | 1,369,04872% of 1,905,946 | |
3364Industry Group Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | Usually Single-Bid | 1 | 61% | 1,369,04872% of 1,905,946 | |
336Subsector | Fewer Bidders | 2 | 38% | 2,927,90480% of 3,665,512 | |
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.
Related NAICS Codes
Industries similar to Aircraft Manufacturing, by shared sector, subsector, and industry group.
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