Small defence contractors and how they win work
Small defence contractors (US: small defense contractors) are SMEs that supply parts, components, software, engineering and services to armed forces or to prime contractors. Most of their revenue comes from subcontracts and small direct awards rather than large programmes. Below are small suppliers active in our public award and subaward data, and how an SME gets in.
Small suppliers most active as subcontractors
| Rank | Contractor | Type | Awards in our data | Total value | Latest award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woven Electronics, LLC US | Supplier | 25 | USD 31.3m | 28 Aug 2026 |
| 2 | Jones Lang Lasalle Americas, Inc. US | Supplier | 10 | USD 6.6m | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 3 | Royal Engineered Composites, Inc. US | Supplier | 7 | USD 9.3m | 28 Aug 2026 |
| 4 | Chandler Industries, Inc. US | Supplier | 7 | USD 6.9m | 25 Aug 2026 |
| 5 | Cdw Government LLC US | Supplier | 7 | USD 1.9m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 6 | Fine Laboratories, Inc. US | Supplier | 6 | USD 1.4m | 20 Aug 2026 |
| 7 | World Wide Technology LLC US | Supplier | 5 | USD 2.6m | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 8 | Caterpillar Inc US | Supplier | 5 | USD 1.3m | 30 Aug 2026 |
| 9 | Nammo Perry Inc. US | Supplier | 4 | USD 4.4m | 17 Aug 2026 |
| 10 | Thundercat Technology, LLC US | Supplier | 4 | USD 4.4m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 11 | General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. US | Prime | 4 | USD 3.2m | 24 Sep 2026 |
| 12 | Vegas Fastener Manufacturing, LLC US | Supplier | 4 | USD 862k | 3 Sep 2026 |
| 13 | Woodward Controls, Inc. US | Supplier | 3 | USD 41.5m | 21 Aug 2026 |
| 14 | Sierra Nevada Company, LLC US | Prime | 3 | USD 7m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 15 | Heligear Acquisition Co. US | Supplier | 3 | USD 6.1m | 21 Aug 2026 |
| 16 | Metallus Inc. US | Supplier | 3 | USD 6m | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 17 | Avnet Inc US | Supplier | 3 | USD 6m | 10 Sep 2026 |
| 18 | Carahsoft Technology Corp US | Supplier | 3 | USD 3.8m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 19 | Raventek Solution Partners, LLC US | Supplier | 3 | USD 3.7m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 20 | L3Harris Technologies, Inc. US | Prime | 3 | USD 2.9m | 23 Sep 2026 |
Suppliers with subawards from primes totalling under USD 50m in our data, ranked by number of subawards. Source: subaward records in USAspending.gov.
Small suppliers with repeat direct awards
| Rank | Contractor | Type | Awards in our data | Total value | Latest award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aar Supply Chain, Inc US | Supplier | 8 | USD 21.8m | 19 Oct 2026 |
| 2 | Affolter Contracting Company, Inc US | Supplier | 2 | USD 21.4m | 21 Sep 2026 |
| 3 | RTX Corporation US | Supplier | 2 | USD 19.8m | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 4 | Autocomp Management Sp. z o.o. PL | Supplier | 2 | USD 14.6m | 12 Oct 2026 |
| 5 | Collins Elbit Vision Systems, LLC US | Supplier | 4 | USD 14.4m | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 6 | Canadian Commercial Corporation Ottawa QC K1A 0S6 CAN US | Supplier | 2 | USD 13.6m | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 7 | Acm Elite, LLC US | Supplier | 2 | USD 12.2m | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 8 | The Entwistle Company LLC US | Supplier | 4 | USD 11.2m | 8 Oct 2026 |
| 9 | Rotair Aerospace Corp US | Supplier | 6 | USD 11m | 19 Oct 2026 |
| 10 | C.I.D Praha S.R.O. CZ | Supplier | 2 | USD 10.3m | 20 Mar 2025 |
| 11 | Beaver Aerospace & Defense, Inc. US | Supplier | 2 | USD 9.6m | 19 Oct 2026 |
| 12 | Tunista Operations Support Services LLC US | Supplier | 2 | USD 7.9m | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 13 | Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation US | Supplier | 2 | USD 7.9m | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 14 | Intelligent Manufacturing Solutions, LLC US | Supplier | 4 | USD 7.6m | 19 Oct 2026 |
| 15 | CCI Utility and Construction Services, LLC US | Supplier | 3 | USD 7.6m | 29 Sep 2026 |
Suppliers with at least two direct awards and under USD 25m in total award value in our data.
The SME route into defence
Start below the prime
For most SMEs the first defence revenue is a subcontract. Primes have small business goals on US contracts and offset or industrial participation obligations in Europe, so they actively look for capable smaller suppliers. The military suppliers map shows which primes already buy what you make.
Use the set-asides and small lots
In the US many contracts are set aside for small businesses, and the Defense Logistics Agency places thousands of small purchase orders for parts. In Europe, the EU directive encourages buyers to split contracts into lots, and many ministries publish small value notices nationally.
Prepare the basics once
Registration on the buyer's portal, a CAGE or NCAGE code, a quality certificate, a cybersecurity baseline (CMMC in the US, Cyber Essentials in the UK) and export control awareness. With these in place, every new opportunity is a bid decision rather than a paperwork project. See how defence SMEs win subcontracts from primes.
Questions small defence suppliers ask
What counts as a small defense contractor?
Can a small company sell directly to a ministry of defence?
How do I find primes to approach?
Is DefenceContractors affordable for a small business?
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.
- A fit score with reasons on every row
- Source and publication date on every record
- US, UK, NATO and EU buyers in one search