Mallory N. Popielski

Mallory N. Popielski serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, where she plays a critical role in acquiring advanced aviation systems essential to naval air superiority and fleet readiness. She manages the full lifecycle of complex procurements for mission-critical aerospace subsystems, including avionics, electronic warfare suites, navigation systems, and guided missile technologies. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to modernize airborne platforms through rapid integration of cutting-edge technologies, ensuring operational continuity across legacy and next-generation aircraft. Popielski specializes in negotiated, performance-based contracts under FAR Part 15, often involving technical proposals, risk-sharing arrangements, and systems engineering support. She maintains consistent working 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 are characterized by long-term, high-complexity engagements focused on systems integration, prototype development, and sustainment of airborne combat systems. Popielski collaborates closely with technical stakeholders and program managers to align contractual requirements with evolving operational needs, ensuring deliverables meet stringent military specifications and certification standards. Popielski’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong emphasis on full and open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions designated as no set-aside. While she does not routinely utilize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her approach prioritizes technical capability and mission-critical performance over socioeconomic preferences, aligning with the high-stakes nature of naval aviation procurement. Her primary focus lies within NAICS 336414—Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing—where she procures advanced defense systems including radar integration, electronic attack modules, data link architectures, and flight control subsystems. Her expertise spans aerospace engineering domains, with deep familiarity in DoD acquisition frameworks, technical specification development, and systems-level contract administration for high-reliability military platforms.