Kellan Tarleton

Kellan Tarleton serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, where he plays a critical role in executing complex acquisitions for advanced naval aviation systems. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of contract actions—from solicitation and evaluation to award and administration—he supports the agency’s mission to modernize airborne sensor suites, enhance electronic warfare capabilities, and sustain legacy aircraft subsystems. His portfolio primarily encompasses procurement of mission-critical avionics, communications, navigation, and auxiliary aircraft equipment, ensuring alignment with operational readiness requirements across the fleet. Tarleton works closely with engineering and technical stakeholders to translate capability needs into enforceable contractual language that mitigates risk and ensures performance compliance. He maintains enduring relationships with leading defense contractors including SABRE SYSTEMS, LLC, THE BOEING COMPANY, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC., and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industry leaders with proven expertise in aerospace subsystem integration, electronic systems engineering, and precision manufacturing. Tarleton’s contracting approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and rigorous source selection criteria, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in compliance and mission alignment. Tarleton’s procurement activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic focus on accessing the broadest possible pool of technical capability rather than socioeconomic set-asides, prioritizing mission-critical performance over socioeconomic classification. While small business participation is not formally targeted, vendors of all sizes are evaluated on technical merit, past performance, and ability to deliver complex aerospace systems. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), encompassing avionics, mission computers, and aircraft-specific hardware, with secondary activity in NAICS 423830 (Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers) for specialized components and subsystems. His domain expertise centers on integrating next-generation airborne systems into naval aircraft platforms, requiring deep familiarity with MIL-STD specifications, DO-178C software standards, and defense supply chain logistics.