Michele Sandlin

Michele Sandlin serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), supporting the lifecycle acquisition and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. Responsible for managing complex contract actions across the aircraft development and logistics lifecycle, she plays a critical role in executing NAVAIR’s mission to maintain air superiority through the procurement of cutting-edge aircraft, weapons, avionics, and mission-critical support infrastructure. Her portfolio primarily encompasses full-spectrum acquisitions for carrier-based and expeditionary aircraft platforms, including integration of next-generation sensors, propulsion systems, and digital engineering solutions. Sandlin maintains sustained contracting relationships with leading defense prime contractors including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics, reflecting a consistent focus on high-performance aerospace systems integration. Her working patterns emphasize long-term, performance-based contract structures with established industry partners who possess deep technical expertise in military aviation platforms, unmanned systems, and mission support logistics. These partnerships are characterized by collaborative engineering reviews, risk-sharing mechanisms, and integrated logistics support agreements designed to ensure operational readiness and sustainment. Her procurement activity is exclusively non-set-aside, with 100% of contracts awarded under full and open competition, indicating a strategic emphasis on technical capability, industrial base readiness, and mission-critical performance over socioeconomic preferences. This reflects the specialized nature of naval aviation systems, where mission success demands proven, high-reliability solutions from a limited pool of qualified industry partners. Sandlin’s primary focus is on NAICS 336411 (Aircraft Manufacturing), encompassing the procurement of manned and unmanned fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms, airborne weapon systems, flight control systems, and associated avionics integration. Her technical expertise lies in the acquisition of aerospace systems requiring rigorous military specification compliance, flight certification, and lifecycle sustainment planning, underscoring her deep alignment with NAVAIR’s mission to field and maintain the Navy’s most advanced air capabilities.