Darin Barnes

Darin Barnes serves as the primary contracting lead for the FA8213 AFLCMC EBHK, a critical unit within the Department of the Air Force responsible for the development, sustainment, and modernization of explosive ordnance systems and air-launched munitions. In this role, Barnes oversees the acquisition of high-energy materials, initiation systems, and guided missile components essential to maintaining U.S. airpower lethality and readiness. His procurement portfolio centers on technical, mission-critical contracts involving ordnance manufacturing, propulsion technologies, and integrated electronic control systems, ensuring alignment with DoD standards for safety, reliability, and performance in operational environments. Barnes maintains consistent partnerships with specialized defense contractors including Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company, Chemring Energetic Devices Inc., Stratus Systems, Inc., and the Canadian Commercial Corporation. These relationships reflect a preference for vendors with deep expertise in energetic materials, precision munitions fabrication, and mission-critical software integration. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term collaboration with industrial base partners capable of meeting stringent military specifications and sustaining production across multi-year program lifecycles, often involving complex supply chain coordination and technical compliance oversight. His procurement activity is overwhelmingly non-set-aside, with 97.1% of awards issued under full and open competition, reflecting the specialized, security-sensitive nature of the technologies procured. Only 2.9% of awards are designated as total small business set-asides, indicating a focus on technical capability over socioeconomic preferences, though small business participation remains a consideration where feasible within mission constraints. Barnes’ primary NAICS focus lies in 325920 (Explosives Manufacturing), underscoring his core responsibility in acquiring high-energy propellants and detonation systems. Additional emphasis is placed on 335999 for miscellaneous electrical components and 541511 for custom software development supporting ordnance control and diagnostics. His domain expertise spans the integration of mechanical, chemical, and electronic systems required for next-generation air-launched weapons, making him a key steward of the Air Force’s advanced ordnance modernization pipeline.