Federal procurement under NAICS 481212 totals $28.14 billion across 22,319 award actions, with an average action value of $1.26 million. The Department of the Air Force leads agency obligations, while United Launch Services, LLC is the largest vendor by obligated value.
NAICS Industry
NAICS 481212 Federal Contract Obligations (Last 10 Years)
FPDS analysis for NAICS 481212 covers federal obligations for nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation over the last 10 years.
Annual results reflect the provided 2021-2025 trend rows within the 10-year analysis window; total obligations are shown as recorded in FPDS data.
NAICS Code
481212
Industry
NONSCHEDULED CHARTERED FREIGHT AIR TRANSPORTATION
Total Obligated
28.14 billion
28,140,224,715.06
Award Actions
22,319
Average Action Value
1,260,819.24
About NAICS 481212 federal contract activity
NAICS 481212 covers nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation and has accounted for $28.14 billion in obligated contract value across 22,319 awards over the last 10 years, with an average award value of $1.26 million. The activity profile is concentrated in a relatively small number of high-value obligations, indicating a market shaped by mission-specific air freight and lift requirements rather than routine scheduled service.
Agency demand and leading federal buyers
The Department of the Air Force is the largest buyer in this NAICS, with $18.53 billion across 1,592 awards, making it the dominant demand center by both dollars and award value. The Forest Service follows with $4.88 billion and 14,298 awards, while NASA and USTRANSCOM also represent major spenders at $2.47 billion and $1.42 billion respectively; the Department of the Navy is materially smaller at $378.65 million.
Vendor concentration and leading contractors
United Launch Services, LLC leads all vendors by obligated value at $11.64 billion across 759 awards, followed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. at $6.44 billion across 633 awards. Other significant vendors include Russia Space Agency, AERO FLITE INC, and NEPTUNE AVIATION SERVICES, INC., showing a mix of aerospace launch support and air freight service providers.
Annual contract trend over the analysis window
Annual obligations were highest in 2024 at $4.29 billion, followed by 2025 at $3.80 billion and 2023 at $3.45 billion, with 2022 at $2.95 billion and 2021 at $1.57 billion. Award counts remain elevated in 2022 through 2025, but the dollar pattern is more uneven, suggesting that a smaller number of large obligations drive year-to-year changes.
How to interpret this page
This summary is based on FPDS award records for NAICS 481212 over the last 10 years, using obligated amount and award count as the primary measures. Annual and entity-level figures reflect total obligated value within the selected analysis window and are not adjusted for inflation or segmented by contract type beyond the NAICS classification.
Top Agencies
SELECT
agency_id,
agency_name,
total_obligated,
award_count,
formatReadableQuantity(total_obligated) AS total_obligated_readable
FROM
(
SELECT
content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID AS agency_id,
anyHeavy(content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID__name) AS agency_name,
sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
count() AS award_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE
contract_type = 1
AND content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode = '481212'
AND content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID IS NOT NULL
AND content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID != ''
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) >= toStartOfYear(now()) - INTERVAL 10 YEAR
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) < toStartOfYear(now())
GROUP BY agency_id
)
ORDER BY total_obligated DESC
LIMIT 10| Agency ID | Agency Name | Total Obligated | Readable | Award Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5700 | DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE | 18,534,399,668.70 | 18.53 billion | 1,592 |
| 12C2 | FOREST SERVICE | 4,884,272,159.79 | 4.88 billion | 14,298 |
| 8000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | 2,467,376,223.37 | 2.47 billion | 933 |
| 9776 | USTRANSCOM | 1,418,529,766.89 | 1.42 billion | 2,477 |
| 1700 | DEPT OF THE NAVY | 378,647,151.30 | 378.65 million | 304 |
| 1406 | DEPARTMENTAL OFFICES | 277,285,616.62 | 277.29 million | 1,962 |
| 97AD | IMMEDIATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE | 152,973,357.08 | 152.97 million | 10 |
| 12K3 | ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE | 36,188,948.96 | 36.19 million | 284 |
| 7505 | OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE | 7,725,014.82 | 7.73 million | 26 |
| 97SD | SPACE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (SDA) | 4,206,500.00 | 4.21 million | 1 |
Insight
Obligations for NAICS 481212 over the last 10 years are highly concentrated, with the Department of the Air Force accounting for $18.53 billion, about two-thirds of total obligations, despite only 1,592 awards. The Forest Service is the second-largest obligating agency at $4.88 billion and has the highest award count among the top agencies at 14,298, indicating a much more distributed procurement profile. NASA and USTRANSCOM follow at $2.47 billion and $1.42 billion, respectively, while the remaining agencies each obligate less than $400 million, reinforcing a steep drop-off beyond the top four buyers.
Top Vendors
SELECT
vendor_name,
cage_code,
total_obligated,
award_count,
formatReadableQuantity(total_obligated) AS total_obligated_readable
FROM
(
SELECT
content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName AS vendor_name,
anyHeavy(content__award__vendor__vendorSiteDetails__entityIdentifiers__cageCode) AS cage_code,
sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
count() AS award_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE
contract_type = 1
AND content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode = '481212'
AND content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName IS NOT NULL
AND content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName != ''
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) >= toStartOfYear(now()) - INTERVAL 10 YEAR
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) < toStartOfYear(now())
GROUP BY vendor_name
)
ORDER BY total_obligated DESC
LIMIT 10| Vendor | CAGE Code | Total Obligated | Readable | Award Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | 43HC6 | 11,639,947,621.81 | 11.64 billion | 759 |
| SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | 3BVL8 | 6,439,927,022.96 | 6.44 billion | 633 |
| Russia Space Agency | 869,464,321.37 | 869.46 million | 104 | |
| AERO FLITE INC | 3J0M6 | 576,063,976.86 | 576.06 million | 730 |
| NEPTUNE AVIATION SERVICES, INC. | 3MJY3 | 425,398,189.52 | 425.40 million | 568 |
| ASTROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY, INC. | 54PA2 | 388,476,520.40 | 388.48 million | 57 |
| INTUITIVE MACHINES, LLC | 6U6Q8 | 351,803,385.70 | 351.80 million | 69 |
| HELICOPTER TRANSPORT SERVICES, LLC | 52DP8 | 349,742,765.12 | 349.74 million | 407 |
| FIREFLY AEROSPACE INC | 7AMV1 | 346,431,597.49 | 346.43 million | 84 |
| KALITTA AIR LLC | 1VL55 | 303,213,425.31 | 303.21 million | 442 |
Insight
Over the last 10 years, obligations under NAICS 481212 total $28.14 billion across 22,319 awards, with an average award value of $1.26 million. The vendor base is highly concentrated: UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC and SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. account for $18.08 billion combined, or about 64% of total obligations. After the top two, obligated amounts drop sharply to a much smaller tier, with all remaining top vendors each below $1.0 billion, indicating a long-tailed distribution of spending.
Annual Trend
SELECT
year,
total_obligated,
award_count,
formatReadableQuantity(total_obligated) AS total_obligated_readable
FROM
(
SELECT
toYear(parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate)) AS year,
sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
count() AS award_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE
contract_type = 1
AND content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode = '481212'
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) >= toStartOfYear(now()) - INTERVAL 10 YEAR
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) < toStartOfYear(now())
GROUP BY year
)
ORDER BY year DESC| Year | Total Obligated | Readable | Award Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,797,339,685.67 | 3.80 billion | 3,408 |
| 2024 | 4,293,009,182.55 | 4.29 billion | 3,110 |
| 2023 | 3,448,472,704.92 | 3.45 billion | 3,361 |
| 2022 | 2,948,149,809.58 | 2.95 billion | 3,948 |
| 2021 | 1,574,535,332.87 | 1.57 billion | 685 |
| 2020 | 2,023,817,008.63 | 2.02 billion | 920 |
| 2019 | 2,137,568,508.43 | 2.14 billion | 1,013 |
| 2018 | 2,512,156,352.71 | 2.51 billion | 1,613 |
| 2017 | 2,604,804,290.44 | 2.60 billion | 1,585 |
| 2016 | 2,800,371,839.26 | 2.80 billion | 2,675 |
Insight
Over the last 10 years, NAICS 481212 obligated $28.14 billion across 22,319 awards, with an average award value of about $1.26 million. Obligations were broadly sustained from 2016 through 2020 at roughly $2.0 billion to $2.8 billion annually, then increased sharply in 2021–2025, ranging from $1.57 billion to $4.29 billion. Activity was most concentrated in 2024 and 2025, which together accounted for $8.09 billion and 6,518 awards, indicating a recent expansion in both funding volume and award frequency.
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