Kellan Tarleton

Kellan Tarleton serves as a key procurement lead within the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, responsible for managing complex acquisitions that advance naval aviation capabilities. Focused on research, development, and systems integration, Tarleton oversees contracts for next-generation avionics, electronic warfare systems, and mission-critical aircraft subsystems. Their work directly supports the agency’s mission to modernize airborne sensor suites and sustain legacy platforms, ensuring operational readiness across the fleet. Tarleton handles high-technical-acquisition programs requiring deep engineering expertise and rigorous testing protocols, often coordinating across multiple technical domains to align procurement with developmental timelines and operational requirements. Tarleton maintains consistent partnerships with leading defense and aerospace contractors, including SABRE SYSTEMS, LLC, THE BOEING COMPANY, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC., and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC. These relationships reflect a pattern of engaging established prime contractors with proven capabilities in systems engineering, avionics integration, and mission software development. Tarleton’s procurement approach emphasizes collaboration with vendors capable of delivering ruggedized, mission-essential technologies under strict military standards, often requiring compliance with MIL-STD and DO-178C protocols. A defining feature of Tarleton’s contracting strategy is a 100% preference for Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a strong institutional commitment to fostering innovation through small business participation. All acquisitions are structured to maximize opportunities for small businesses, ensuring broad access to high-value technical contracts without reliance on large business set-asides or sole-source mechanisms. The portfolio is overwhelmingly focused on NAICS 541715 (Research and Development in Physical and Engineering Sciences), with a secondary emphasis on NAICS 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services). Tarleton procures advanced software-defined radios, sensor fusion algorithms, secure communications architectures, and real-time data processing systems, reflecting deep expertise in airborne systems engineering and digital modernization within the naval aviation domain.