Suzanne L. Tilton

Suzanne Tilton serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), where she plays a critical role in executing complex procurements to support the development, testing, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. She manages the full lifecycle of acquisitions for mission-critical avionics, flight control hardware, diagnostic instrumentation, and specialized aircraft support equipment, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and alignment with NAWCAD’s mission to maintain airpower readiness. Her work directly enables the integration of next-generation technologies into naval aircraft platforms through rigorous source selection and contract administration. Tilton maintains established working relationships with leading defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., and PCI Aviation LLC, among others. These partnerships are centered on the procurement of high-reliability aerospace components and mission-specific electronic systems. She collaborates closely with prime contractors to ensure technical requirements are met, delivery schedules are adhered to, and performance metrics are rigorously enforced, fostering a results-driven contracting environment grounded in technical precision and accountability. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 92.6% of awards issued without set-aside designation, indicating a focus on technical capability over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is limited to 7.4%—primarily through Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5—her approach prioritizes mission-critical performance and industrial base readiness over socioeconomic targets. Tilton’s procurement portfolio is heavily concentrated in NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), with significant activity in 334220 (Radio and Wireless Communications Equipment) and 334519 (Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing). She specializes in acquiring precision avionics, embedded flight systems, and diagnostic instrumentation critical to naval aircraft operations, demonstrating deep technical fluency in aerospace electronics and systems integration.