Ashleigh Ford

Ashleigh Ford serves as a key procurement professional within the FA8539 organization of the Department of the Air Force, responsible for managing complex acquisitions of airborne electronic systems critical to air dominance and mission readiness. Focused on sustaining and modernizing avionics, radar, navigation, and identification systems across legacy and next-generation platforms, Ford oversees the full lifecycle of contracts—from requirements validation to contract award and performance oversight—ensuring technical compliance and operational continuity for high-value aircraft platforms. Her work directly supports the agency’s strategic imperative to extend the service life of mission-critical systems while integrating cybersecurity resilience into legacy architectures. Ford maintains consistent contracting relationships with industry leaders including NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION, AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, and R F PRODUCTS, INC., all of which provide specialized engineering, integration, and sustainment services for advanced aeronautical systems. These partnerships are characterized by long-term technical collaboration, with contractors often engaged under indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) and cost-reimbursement contract types to support evolving operational requirements and rapid technology insertion. Ford’s procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside preferences. This underscores a deliberate strategy to prioritize technical capability and mission-critical performance over socioeconomic classifications, ensuring access to the most qualified industrial base for highly specialized systems. Her primary procurement focus lies within NAICS 334511, encompassing the design, manufacturing, and sustainment of search, detection, navigation, guidance, and aeronautical systems. She routinely procures mission-critical components such as radar signal processors, electronic warfare suites, secure data links, and integrated avionics architectures, demonstrating deep expertise in aerospace electronics, electromagnetic compatibility, and DoD compliance standards for airborne platforms.