Kristen Thomas

Kristen Thomas serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), supporting the lifecycle acquisition and sustainment of naval aviation systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. She manages complex contracting actions centered on the development, testing, and maintenance of advanced aircraft platforms, avionics, and mission-critical support systems. Her work directly enables NAVAIR’s mission to maintain air superiority through modernized carrier-based and expeditionary aviation capabilities. Thomas specializes in full-spectrum defense acquisitions under the Aircraft Manufacturing NAICS code, overseeing contracts that span design, integration, flight testing, and logistics support for next-generation naval air systems. Thomas maintains enduring relationships with prime contractors including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics, reflecting a consistent reliance on industry leaders with deep expertise in military aerospace systems. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and systems integration, often coordinating with contractors on technical specifications for advanced sensors, propulsion systems, and weapons integration. These partnerships are characterized by long-term sustainment engagements and iterative development cycles aligned with fleet modernization timelines. Thomas’s procurement portfolio reflects a 100% focus on unrestricted, full and open competition, with no set-asides designated for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic programs. This underscores a strategic alignment with NAVAIR’s requirement for specialized, high-technology capabilities that currently reside predominantly within large, established aerospace defense contractors with the infrastructure to meet rigorous military certification and production standards. Her primary industry focus is NAICS 336411 — Aircraft Manufacturing — where she procures advanced fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms, mission systems, flight control hardware, and associated support equipment. Her technical expertise lies in integrating next-generation avionics, electronic warfare suites, and autonomous systems into naval aviation fleets, ensuring operational readiness across carrier air wings and expeditionary strike groups.