Federal spending under NAICS 481212 totaled 16.06 billion across 14,513 award actions in the last five years, with an average action value of 1.11 million. The Department of the Air Force accounted for the largest share of obligations, followed by the Forest Service, NASA, USTRANSCOM, and the Department of the Navy.
NAICS Industry
NAICS 481212 Federal Contract Obligations (Last 5 Years)
Federal procurement data for NAICS 481212, Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation, covering obligations, awards, agencies, vendors, and annual trends over the last five years.
Annual obligations peaked in 2024 at 4.29 billion and remained high in 2025 at 3.80 billion; Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and United Launch Services, LLC were the top vendors by obligated amount.
NAICS Code
481212
Industry
NONSCHEDULED CHARTERED FREIGHT AIR TRANSPORTATION
Total Obligated
16.06 billion
16,061,506,715.59
Award Actions
14,513
Average Action Value
1,106,697.90
About NAICS 481212 federal contract activity
NAICS 481212, NONSCHEDULED CHARTERED FREIGHT AIR TRANSPORTATION, recorded 16.06 billion in obligated dollars across 14,513 awards over the last 5 years, with an average award value of 1.11 million. The category is concentrated in large, mission-critical air freight and launch-related transportation services, as reflected in the high dollar volume relative to award count.
Agency demand and leading federal buyers
The DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE is the largest buyer in this NAICS, obligating 10.26 billion across 1,117 awards, or roughly 64% of total obligated dollars in the period. The FOREST SERVICE follows with 3.24 billion and 11,006 awards, while NASA, USTRANSCOM, and the DEPT OF THE NAVY account for smaller but still significant portions of activity.
Vendor concentration and leading contractors
Vendor concentration is led by SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. at 5.19 billion across 510 awards and UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC at 4.90 billion across 501 awards. The remaining top vendors are materially smaller by obligated dollars, including FIREFLY AEROSPACE INC, AERO FLITE INC, and KALITTA AIR LLC, indicating a market where a few suppliers capture most of the spend.
Annual contract trend over the analysis window
Annual obligations peaked in 2024 at 4.29 billion and remained elevated in 2025 at 3.80 billion, following 3.45 billion in 2023 and 2.95 billion in 2022. The low point in the window was 2021 at 1.57 billion, so the series shows a sharp multi-year expansion in obligated spending, with award counts also rising strongly after 2021.
How to interpret this page
This page summarizes FPDS obligations for NAICS 481212 over the last 5 years using total obligated dollars, award count, and average award value. Agency, vendor, and annual trend figures are based on the provided FPDS Query aggregates and are reported as totals for the full analysis window or by fiscal year as applicable.
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 5 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 | 10,255,197,887.79 | 10.26 billion | 1,117 |
| 12C2 | FOREST SERVICE | 3,240,810,645.69 | 3.24 billion | 11,006 |
| 8000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | 1,310,666,840.52 | 1.31 billion | 677 |
| 9776 | USTRANSCOM | 841,244,136.41 | 841.24 million | 755 |
| 1700 | DEPT OF THE NAVY | 227,531,550.28 | 227.53 million | 143 |
| 97AD | IMMEDIATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE | 148,223,357.08 | 148.22 million | 9 |
| 1406 | DEPARTMENTAL OFFICES | 50,318,480.51 | 50.32 million | 491 |
| 12K3 | ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE | 10,463,253.02 | 10.46 million | 130 |
| 97SD | SPACE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (SDA) | 4,206,500.00 | 4.21 million | 1 |
| 7505 | OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE | 2,392,904.00 | 2.39 million | 9 |
Insight
Over the last 5 years, NAICS 481212 obligated $16.06 billion across 14,513 awards, with spending concentrated in a small set of agencies. The DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE accounted for the largest share at $10.26 billion, followed by the FOREST SERVICE at $3.24 billion and NASA at $1.31 billion; these three agencies together represent the clear majority of obligations in this code. Award volume is more dispersed than dollars, with the FOREST SERVICE issuing 11,006 awards versus 1,117 for the Air Force, indicating differing procurement patterns across major 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 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. | 3BVL8 | 5,190,367,997.47 | 5.19 billion | 510 |
| UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC | 43HC6 | 4,898,576,871.19 | 4.90 billion | 501 |
| FIREFLY AEROSPACE INC | 7AMV1 | 346,431,597.49 | 346.43 million | 84 |
| AERO FLITE INC | 3J0M6 | 334,954,867.95 | 334.95 million | 611 |
| KALITTA AIR LLC | 1VL55 | 303,213,425.31 | 303.21 million | 442 |
| AIR TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAL INC | 1KHM4 | 301,630,243.66 | 301.63 million | 48 |
| INTUITIVE MACHINES, LLC | 6U6Q8 | 264,595,385.14 | 264.60 million | 56 |
| ASTROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY, INC. | 54PA2 | 242,925,172.03 | 242.93 million | 45 |
| BRIDGER AIR TANKER, LLC | 86QG7 | 235,362,294.05 | 235.36 million | 223 |
| HELICOPTER TRANSPORT SERVICES, LLC | 52DP8 | 230,866,285.90 | 230.87 million | 362 |
Insight
NAICS 481212 shows a highly concentrated obligation profile over the last 5 years: SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. and UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC account for $10.09 billion combined, or about 63% of the $16.06 billion obligated. After these two vendors, obligations drop sharply to the next highest vendor at $346.43 million, indicating a long tail of much smaller suppliers. Award volume is broader than dollar concentration suggests, with 14,513 awards averaging $1.11 million each and several vendors receiving relatively high award counts at lower obligated amounts.
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 5 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 | 3,409 |
| 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 |
Insight
Over the last 5 years, NAICS 481212 obligated $16.06 billion across 14,513 awards, with an average award value of about $1.11 million. Obligations were concentrated in the most recent two years, peaking in 2024 at $4.29 billion and remaining elevated in 2025 at $3.80 billion, compared with $1.57 billion in 2021. Award counts were highest in 2022 and 2023, while 2025 and 2024 had fewer awards than 2022 but higher obligated dollars, indicating larger awards in the later years.
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