Defence prime contractors and the programmes they lead
Defence prime contractors (US: defense prime contractors) are companies that hold the main contract with a ministry of defence and are responsible for delivering a whole system, managing a supply chain of subcontractors beneath them. Examples are Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Rheinmetall and Thales. Here are the primes in our data with their awards and programmes.
Prime contractors ranked by award value
| Rank | Contractor | Type | Awards in our data | Total value | Latest award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raytheon Company US | Prime | 14 | USD 6.1bn | 19 Oct 2026 |
| 2 | Lockheed Martin Corporation US | Prime | 9 | USD 4.3bn | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 3 | Sauer Construction, LLC US | Prime | 2 | USD 1.1bn | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 4 | Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. US | Prime | 2 | USD 1bn | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 5 | Ignite Digital Federal Services, LLC US | Prime | 1 | USD 999.8m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 6 | Serco Inc US | Prime | 1 | USD 977.5m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 7 | Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. US | Prime | 2 | USD 961.1m | 1 Oct 2026 |
| 8 | The Boeing Company US | Prime | 9 | USD 951.2m | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 9 | 22nd Century Technologies, Inc. US | Prime | 1 | USD 941.6m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 10 | Exp Federal Inc. US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 11 | Turner Construction Company US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 12 | Sea Pac Engineering Inc US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 13 | Healtheon, Inc US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 14 | Shimmick Construction Company, Inc. US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 15 | Amentum Technology, Inc. US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 16 | Burns & Mcdonnell Engineering Company, Inc. US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 17 | Edgewater Technical Associates, LLC US | Prime | 1 | USD 900m | 4 Sep 2026 |
| 18 | CACI, Inc. - Federal US | Prime | 1 | USD 898m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 19 | Guidehouse Inc. US | Prime | 1 | USD 827.5m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 20 | TCS Alpha Security LLC US | Prime | 1 | USD 750m | 28 Sep 2026 |
Companies we classify as primes because they hold direct awards for systems, platforms or major services. Totals are sums of published award values in our data, in US dollars.
Programmes and their lead primes
Each programme page lists the primes, phase, milestones and the notices and awards linked to it.
F-35 Lightning II
Production and sustainment
Lead primes Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman
Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP)
Development
Lead primes BAE Systems, Leonardo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Future Combat Air System (FCAS / SCAF)
Demonstrator phase
Lead primes Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Indra
Main Ground Combat System (MGCS)
System architecture definition
Lead primes KNDS, Rheinmetall, Thales
Eurodrone (European MALE RPAS)
Development
Lead primes Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Leonardo
European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI)
Joint procurement
Lead primes Diehl Defence, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin
Patriot air and missile defence
Production and modernisation
Lead primes Raytheon, Lockheed Martin
Wisla medium range air defence (Poland)
Delivery
Lead primes Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, PGZ
Narew short range air defence (Poland)
Delivery
Lead primes MBDA, PGZ
How to approach a prime contractor
Know what the prime is buying
Primes buy against programme needs. Look at their recent awards and the programmes they lead, and you can see which subsystems, parts and services they will need next. A subcontract plan in a large US contract often names small business goals that the prime must meet.
Get onto the supplier list
Every large prime runs a supplier registration portal, quality requirements (AS9100 in aerospace, ISO 9001 elsewhere), cybersecurity requirements and often its own supplier diversity or small business office. Registration alone rarely produces orders, but without it you cannot be invited.
Arrive before the bid
Primes choose teammates during capture, months before the tender. Following expiring defence contracts and prior notices tells you when a prime is building a team. Our guide on how SMEs win subcontracts covers the steps in detail.
Questions about prime contractors
What is the difference between a prime and a subcontractor?
Who are the biggest US defense primes?
Who are the main European primes?
How do primes find suppliers?
Keep exploring the defence market
See which defence contracts fit your company
Describe what you supply. We score open tenders, prior notices and recompetes against it and show the first matches straight away.
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