From Precision on the Factory Floor to Strength in the Field
The defense industry is built on precision. Long before a system is deployed, countless components must be designed, tested, refined, and manufactured to meet exacting requirements. From specialized materials to advanced production methods, manufacturers are finding new ways to improve accuracy, reliability, and efficiency. As technologies such as automation, digital engineering, robotics, and additive manufacturing continue to develop, they are opening new possibilities for how defense equipment and components are produced.
At Aero Defense Outlook, we see defense manufacturing as more than an industrial process. It is about turning engineering knowledge into dependable solutions that can perform when reliability matters most. Manufacturers are adopting smarter production methods, improving quality control, exploring advanced materials, and using digital technologies to make development more efficient. At the same time, the demand for precision and resilience continues to push the industry toward new approaches.
In this edition, we take a closer look at the people, technologies, and manufacturing practices shaping this evolving sector. We explore how innovation is changing production across aerospace and defense and how companies are responding to increasingly complex requirements.
We are also pleased to recognize the Top 10 Defense Manufacturing Solutions Providers 2026, honoring companies whose expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and commitment to innovation are contributing to the industry’s progress.
We hope this edition gives you a closer look at the people and ideas working behind the scenes to move defense manufacturing forward.
Brian Schimpf
Co-Founder & CEO
Costa Mesa, CA
anduril.com
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company specializing in advanced autonomous systems, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technologies. Its solutions span air, land, sea, and space, powered by its Lattice software platform, which integrates sensors, autonomous systems, and command-and-control capabilities for defense and national security missions.
Steve Heller
Founder, Chairman & CEO
Mojave Desert, CA
evolutionspace.com
Evolution Space is a U.S. solid rocket motor manufacturer developing propulsion systems for hypersonic, defense, and space applications. The company provides design, development, manufacturing, and testing capabilities, with a scalable propulsion production facility at NASA Stennis Space Center. Its space-proven technology focuses on rapidly deployable, cost-effective, and scalable solid rocket mo...
Will Edwards
Co-Founder & CEO
Addison, TX
firehawkdefense.com
Firehawk Aerospace is an advanced defense technology company transforming solid rocket propulsion through innovative manufacturing, advanced thermoplastics, and additive manufacturing. By redesigning traditional propellant production, the company delivers scalable, cost-effective, and rapidly deployable propulsion solutions for tactical rockets, artillery, and defense systems. With expertise spann...
Mark Bringle
Managing Director
Huntersville, NC
jgasd.com
JGA Space & Defense is a defense and aerospace company providing engineering, manufacturing, and technical solutions for space and national security missions. The company supports customers with capabilities spanning systems engineering, advanced manufacturing, integration, testing, and mission support for complex defense and space applications.
Brian Carter
CEO
Ladson, SC
keelusa.com
Keel is a defense manufacturing company specializing in precision steel fabrication, advanced machining, engineering, and complex integration for mission-critical applications. The company serves the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, aerospace and space, maritime defense, land, surveillance, and commercial industries, delivering customized solutions from design and fabrication to integration and delivery.
Ethan Thornton
Founder & CEO
Huntington Beach, CA
machindustries.com
Mach Industries is a defense manufacturing company developing advanced unmanned aerospace and defense systems and the infrastructure to produce them at scale. Its portfolio includes strike systems, long-range munitions, high-altitude platforms, counter-drone systems, propulsion, and energetics. The company uses vertically integrated and decentralized manufacturing to support rapid, scalable defens...
Even Rogers
CEO
Centennial, CO
trueanomaly.space
True Anomaly is a defense technology company focused exclusively on space defense. It designs and builds spacecraft, mission software, and payloads for space superiority, including the Jackal spacecraft and Mosaic autonomy platform. The company develops scalable, autonomous systems designed to support secure, stable, and sustainable space operations for the U.S., its allies, and partners.
Chris Spagnoletti
CEO
ursamajor.com
ursamajor.com
Ursa Major is an aerospace and defense company developing flight-proven systems for hypersonics, solid rocket motors, and space mobility. The company uses additive manufacturing and flexible architectures to deliver scalable propulsion and defense systems across land, sea, air, and space, with a focus on speed, adaptability, and strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base.
Wes Naylor
CEO
Cocoa, FL
vayaspace.com
Vaya Defense & Space is a propulsion company developing advanced hybrid rocket technologies for defense and space applications. Its solutions include defense propulsion, hypersonic propulsion, orbital launch vehicles, and in-space propulsion systems, powered by its patented Vortex-Hybrid platform. The company focuses on safer, scalable, sustainable, and domestically manufactured propulsion technol...
Jason Hundley
Co-Founder, President & CEO
Albuquerque, NM
xbowsystems.com
X-Bow Systems is a defense technology company specializing in advanced manufactured solid rocket motors, propellants, and integrated launch systems for national security, defense, and space applications. Using patented additive manufacturing technology, the company delivers scalable, high-performance propulsion solutions that strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base through faster, more flexibl...