Calling All Prime Defense Contractors, Could King Aerospace Be the Sub for You?
January 11, 2022
Prime defense contractors know their stuff. Think BAE Systems, Boeing, Collins Aerospace, General Dynamics, General Electric, Honeywell, Huntington Ingalls, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies and more. But even they sometimes need added support.
Providers such as us – King Aerospace – occasionally serve as a prime defense contractor, but because of our smaller size, we more frequently fill a subcontractor role. That’s why I’m writing this. I’m not convinced all prime contractors fully know who we are and how we might mesh with their contracts.
Allow Me to Introduce Ourselves
First and foremost, we’re in the people business. Yes, we’re a provider of military contractor logistics support (CLS) and have been since our founding in 1989, but our focus is making a significant difference in the lives of others. We just happen to work on aircraft. And over the decades, we’ve worked on some extremely important aircraft.
King Aerospace has gained performance-based experience supporting the U.S. government and all branches of the military – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy/Marine Corps, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security.
We view CLS as our patriotic duty. We give it our all. It’s also something we do extremely well. Specialized logistics support directly speaks to our maintenance abilities and passion for service to our country. We are dedicated to ensuring intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) military aircraft are fully mission capable today and tomorrow.
CLS Is Not a Job; It Is Our Calling
Delivering CLS services can take us to some challenging places. The men and women who wear the King Aerospace wings could use the location’s potential volatility as an excuse, but they do not. They get the job done so our military can do theirs.
Most of the military aircraft we support are commercial derivative aircraft not originally designed for military needs. We understand how to modify and maintain these aircraft for the military’s use. It’s also more cost effective for the government – and taxpayers – than building military-specific aircraft and maintaining special parts for them. Aircraft CLS programs cover a wide scope of services from field support technicians who provide maintenance at the flight line to supply-chain management. We do it all.
The military expects MROs to meet the highest standards as they manage and maintain government-owned aircraft fleets and subcontract work from major defense contractors. It helps that the expected highest-possible quality aligns with the operations we have in place for our corporate and VVIP aircraft, including the Boeing Business Jet. King Aerospace has been honored as the Boeing Supplier of the Year for collaboration. That’s especially meaningful to us, because it acknowledges our ability to listen, problem solve and pull together as a team.
Each of Us Has Our Why
King Kulture drives the excellence of our services. Part of that is helping all team members find and follow their “why,” their internal motivation. Everyone involved in our contractor logistics support services understands their unique and valued roles. What they do each and every day, wherever they are in the world, helps ensure our troops’ readiness and America’s security, both today and tomorrow.
While many CLS providers average five to 10 years for contract retention, we typically keep contracts from 10 to 18 years. Because of this longevity, King Aerospace often acts as the stabilizing factor as military forces rotate in and out. We shepherd the new personnel as they transition in. More work frequently comes our way, which only happens when you’re delivering at a high level.
Troops Only Fly If Aircraft Do
CLS helps ensure our military troops’ mission readiness. They can’t fly if aircraft are grounded. CLS produces a dynamic environment. You must be ready for anything, anytime. Our team rapidly deploys wherever and whenever they are needed. King Aerospace operates AS9110C-certified facilities and FAA repair stations at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX; Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM; and Camp Humphreys, South Korea. We also operate 24/7 logistics outposts around the world, even in the most remote, hostile and harsh locations. We take the protection of our personnel very seriously and take the appropriate measures to minimize risks and threats.
It’s no small thing to get parts and people into challenging environments where travel is restricted. It calls for dedicated, mission-focused people who do the right thing for the right reasons with the right attitude when no one is looking. Because many of our team members are themselves veterans, they embrace King Aerospace’s passion for God, Country and Family. They treat each other like brothers and sisters.
I wish I could be more specific about the subprime contracts we support or have supported, but most primes prefer we don’t call attention to our role. And we respect that. Just know that we have extensive, hands-on experience supporting government-operated, special mission aircraft that are derivative of Boeing, DeHavilland and Beech King Air aircraft. Whether the aircraft is flying a top-level government official or conducting information-gathering flights over a demilitarized zone on the other side of the world, our support does not waver. Our no-excuses approach ensures each mission receives the attention it deserves. Which is to say, it gets our complete attention.
If you’re a prime contractor in search of a subcontractor who won’t let you down, let’s talk. Soon. We can start the conversation here.