Mr. Cory McElyea

Cory McElyea serves as a Contracting Officer within the W6QK Acc-rsa under the Department of the Army, where he plays a pivotal role in securing mission-critical aerospace systems that sustain and modernize the Army’s aerial and missile defense capabilities. He manages the full lifecycle of complex acquisitions for avionics, propulsion components, guided missile subsystems, and auxiliary aircraft equipment, primarily supporting platforms such as the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache. His portfolio emphasizes high-reliability, defense-grade hardware and integrated systems that meet stringent military performance and interoperability standards, ensuring operational readiness across expeditionary and homeland defense missions. McElyea maintains strategic, long-term contracting relationships with major defense prime contractors, most notably Lockheed Martin Corporation and Alaska Aerospace Corp. These partnerships are characterized by deep technical collaboration on advanced aerospace systems, including precision-guided munitions integration, flight control systems, and launch infrastructure support. His procurement approach prioritizes performance-based contracting, technical risk mitigation, and sustained industrial base engagement, fostering stable vendor relationships built on compliance with DFARS, FAR, and military specification requirements. McElyea’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of awards issued without set-asides. This indicates a deliberate focus on leveraging the broadest possible industrial base to meet urgent capability gaps, rather than reserving contracts for socioeconomic categories such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB firms. His approach aligns with the agency’s priority to accelerate fielding of advanced systems through established defense industry partners with proven technical capacity and quality assurance infrastructure. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336413, encompassing the manufacture of other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment, including flight control actuators, sensor housings, and mission computer interfaces. He also regularly procures specialized ball and roller bearings (NAICS 332991) and electromagnetic components (NAICS 335129) critical to propulsion and avionics reliability. McElyea’s expertise centers on high-stakes, precision-engineered hardware for aerospace defense systems, requiring deep technical fluency in MIL-STD, AS9100, and ITAR compliance frameworks.