Federal sub-agency · Department of Defense

Department of the Air Force

Department of the Air Force obligated $74.9B on federal contracts in FY2026 across 56,550 contract actions (−22% vs FY2025). Its largest recipient was THE BOEING COMPANY ($5.5B). It also awarded $1.2B in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$74.9B
Actions
56.6K
New awards: 14.8K
Sole-source
54%
Small business
15%
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graphFederal contracts

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 48BFY2017
  2. 57.3BFY2018
  3. 63.3BFY2019
  4. 69.1BFY2020
  5. 72.7BFY2021
  6. 75.7BFY2022
  7. 89.4BFY2023
  8. 97.1BFY2024
  9. 96.4BFY2025
  10. 74.9BFY2026

Top recipients

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. THE BOEING COMPANY$5.5B7.4%
  2. THE BOEING COMPANY$4.9B6.6%
  3. RAYTHEON COMPANY$3.5B4.7%
  4. NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORP$2.9B3.8%
  5. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION$2.5B3.3%
  6. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION$2.4B3.2%
  7. SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP.$2.2B2.9%
  8. SIERRA NEVADA COMPANY, LLC$1.9B2.5%
  9. THE BOEING COMPANY$1.8B2.4%
  10. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY$1.2B1.6%

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles$23.2B31%
  2. Professional services$15.5B21%
  3. Research & development$12.3B16%
  4. Equipment maintenance$7.3B9.8%
  5. IT & telecom$6.1B8.2%
  6. Other equipment & supplies$3.7B4.9%
  7. Transportation & logistics$2.3B3.1%
  8. Facilities & utilities$1.9B2.5%
  9. Construction & real property$1.8B2.4%
  10. Education & social services$623.4M0.8%
  11. Health & medical$73.8M0.1%
  12. Fuel$3.1M0.0%

Where the work was performed

  1. California$9.2B12%
  2. Texas$8.2B11%
  3. Washington$5.7B7.7%
  4. Virginia$5.3B7.1%
  5. Colorado$5B6.6%
  6. Florida$4.8B6.5%
  7. Missouri$4.7B6.3%
  8. Arizona$4.4B5.9%
  9. Utah$3.6B4.8%
  10. Massachusetts$3.4B4.5%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition63%
    US 39% · $47.5B
  • Sole-source awards54%
    US 30% · $40.4B
  • Single-offer competitions9.5%
    US 8.7% · $7.1B
  • Urgency justifications0.3%
    US 5.1% · $253.5M
  • Year-end rush0.0%
    US 6.1% · $0
  • Undefinitized contracts11%
    US 5.0% · $8.5B
  • Time-and-materials pricing1.0%
    US 4.2% · $731.8M

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Offices with the most sole-source money

  1. FA8634 AFLCMC WAQK F15$3.3B100%
  2. FA8219 AFNWC PZBG$2.9B97%
  3. FA8556 AFLCMC EBUK$2.5B100.0%
  4. FA8620 AFLCMC WIJK BIG SAFARI$2.2B100%
  5. FA8682 AFLCMC EBJK$2.1B99%

Contracts terminated for default: 31

Awards to excluded parties

New awards, options exercised and added work this agency signed while the recipient was listed in SAM.gov as debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment or excluded (exact identifier matches).

In FY2026
$0
0 awards · 0 recipients
All loaded years
$466.3K
3 awards · 3 recipients

None in FY2026.

SAM.gov lists what agencies report, and only exclusions in effect: those that ended are known from twice-yearly snapshots, so an end date is approximate. Agencies may award to an excluded party with a documented compelling reason. An exclusion is an administrative measure, not a conviction.

Source: Exclusions (debarred, suspended and otherwise excluded parties) (U.S. General Services Administration, SAM.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Exclusions as listed on Oct 9, 2026, history from Apr 28, 2022.

Largest awards

  1. GROUND-BASED STRATEGIC DETERRENT (GBSD) ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING DEVELOPMENT (EMD) AND EARLY PRODUCTION AND DEPLOYMENT (P&D)$14.4B
    NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORP· Weber County, UT· Research & development· Sep 8, 2020 – Jun 8, 2026· FA821920C0006
  2. RSAF F-15 FLEET MODERNIZATION PROGRAM$11.2B
    THE BOEING COMPANY· St. Louis County, MO· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Nov 2, 2016 – Apr 13, 2026· FA863412C2651
  3. FY19 ENGINEERING SERVICES$8.4B
    THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION· Los Angeles County, CA· Professional services· Oct 1, 2018 – May 7, 2026· FA880219C0001
  4. LONG RANGE ANTI-SHIP MISSILE/JOINT AIR-TO-SURFACE STANDOFF MISSILE LARGE LOT PROCUREMENT$7.2B
    LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION· Orange County, FL· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 27, 2024 – Apr 27, 2026· FA868224CB001
  5. NEXT GENERATION OVERHEAD PERSISTENT INFRARED GEOSYNCHRONOUS EARTH ORBIT SPACE VEHICLE 1-3 PHASE 1$6.5B
    LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP· Santa Clara County, CA· Research & development· Aug 14, 2018 – Jun 4, 2026· FA881018C0005
  6. F-15, FMS, F-15QA AIR VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT$6.4B
    THE BOEING COMPANY· St. Louis County, MO· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Dec 22, 2017 – Jun 10, 2026· FA863418C2701
  7. TAIWAN/MOROCCO F-16 PRODUCTION BLOCK 70/72$5.2B
    LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION· Tarrant County, TX· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Aug 14, 2020 – Jun 12, 2026· FA861520F0001
  8. KC-X MODERNIZATION PROGRAM$5B
    THE BOEING COMPANY· King County, WA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Oct 4, 2016 – Apr 2, 2026· FA862511C6600

Federal grants & assistance awarded

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Department of the Air Force obligated $1.2B in federal assistance in FY2026, on 2,372 actions (296 new awards), +6.4% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 12.800 · Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program ($864.7M).

Assistance · FY2026
$1.2B
New awards
296
Actions
2,372
Since FY2021
$8.2B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 1.1BFY2021
  2. 1.1BFY2022
  3. 2BFY2023
  4. 1.7BFY2024
  5. 1.1BFY2025
  6. 1.2BFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$1B88%
  2. Other assistance$137.1M12%

Top programs

  1. 12.800 · Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program$864.7M75%
  2. 12.777 · Defense Production Act Title Iii (Dpa Title III)$120.4M10%
  3. 12.840 · Civil Air Patrol Program$82.3M7.1%
  4. 12.910 · Research and Technology Development$25.2M2.2%
  5. 12.300 · Basic and Applied Scientific Research$21M1.8%
  6. 12.615 · Research and Technical Assistance$19.7M1.7%
  7. 12.801 · Air Force Academy Athletic Programs$16.9M1.5%
  8. 12.330 · Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Education, Outreach and Workforce Program$3.9M0.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

  1. NATIONAL CENTER FOR DEFENSE MANUFACTURING AND MACHINING$358.2M31%
    BLAIRSVILLE, PA
  2. CIVIL AIR PATROL$82.3M7.1%
    MONTGOMERY, AL
  3. MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY$72.2M6.2%
    BOZEMAN, MT
  4. FLEXTECH ALLIANCE, INC.$52.5M4.5%
    SAN JOSE, CA
  5. WILLIAMS INTERNATIONAL CO., L.L.C.$42.6M3.7%
    PONTIAC, MI
  6. RARE EARTH SALTS SEPARATIONS AND REFINING LLC$37.4M3.2%
    BEATRICE, NE
  7. CORNELL UNIVERSITY$30.2M2.6%
    ITHACA, NY
  8. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY$26.7M2.3%
    CAMBRIDGE, MA

Where it went

  1. Massachusetts$43.8M3.8%
  2. California$39.4M3.4%
  3. New York$25.8M2.2%
  4. Texas$17.7M1.5%
  5. Nebraska$14.6M1.3%
  6. Indiana$14.4M1.2%
  7. Florida$11.3M1.0%
  8. Pennsylvania$10.8M0.9%
  9. Illinois$10.1M0.9%
  10. Colorado$10M0.9%

By state of the place of performance.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Subawards under this agency's awards

First-tier subawards that recipients of this agency's contracts and financial assistance reported, by the fiscal year of the subaward.

FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $4.8B (6,607 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $125.8M (327 subawards)

2,821 sub-recipients

Largest sub-recipients

  1. BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION INC.$302.5M6.2%
    NASHUA, NH · 21 subawards
  2. GOODRICH CORPORATION$294.9M6.0%
    HALTOM CITY, TX · 5 subawards
  3. LEONARDO HELICOPTERS US CORPORATION$180.5M3.7%
    PHILADELPHIA, PA · 65 subawards
  4. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION$170.8M3.5%
    FORT WORTH, TX · 5 subawards
  5. BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION INC.$140.2M2.9%
    CEDAR RAPIDS, IA · 6 subawards
  6. HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.$111.5M2.3%
    MINNEAPOLIS, MN · 12 subawards
  7. MCWILLIAMS FORGE COMPANY$91.2M1.9%
    ROCKAWAY, NJ · 1 subaward
  8. RAYTHEON COMPANY$90.4M1.8%
    EL SEGUNDO, CA · 21 subawards
  9. ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION$79.3M1.6%
    INDIANAPOLIS, IN · 8 subawards
  10. WOODWARD CONTROLS, INC.$76.8M1.6%
    NILES, IL · 7 subawards

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Who lobbies this agency

Organizations whose quarterly lobbying reports list this agency as contacted, ranked by the reports' spending. A report's amount covers all its issues and every agency it lists; reports do not split it.

Lobbying in 2026
$40.4M
Clients
110
Reports
205

The whole amount of every report that lists this agency.

Organizations lobbying it, 2026

  1. GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATIONAI match · 100%$6.8M
    5.2% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Aerospace
  2. THE BOEING COMPANYAI match · 99%$5.2M
    54% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Aerospace, Aviation, aircraft and airlines
  3. GENERAL ATOMICSAI match · 95%$4.6M
    0.3% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Aerospace, Energy and nuclear
  4. NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATIONAI match · 100%$3.7M
    50% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Aerospace
  5. HONEYWELL INTERNATIONALAI match · 100%$3.5M
    1.5% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Aerospace
  6. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY COUNCILAI match · 100%$1.4M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Aerospace
  7. Aerospace Industries Association of America, Inc.$1.4M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Aerospace
  8. Military Officers Association of America$1.3M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Defense, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Veterans
  9. Voyager Space Holdings, Inc.$930K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Defense, Aerospace, Science and technology
  10. RELATIVITY SPACEAI match · 100%$860K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Science and technology
  11. AMERICAN FED OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO$800K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Defense, Budget and appropriations, Homeland security
  12. American Apparel & Footwear Association$737.6K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Defense, Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  13. PROLOGIS, L.P.$530K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Defense, Energy and nuclear, Transportation
  14. Rolls-Royce North AmericaAI match · 98%$510K
    33% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Aerospace, Energy and nuclear
  15. APPLIED INTUITION, INC.AI match · 99%$440K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Defense, Budget and appropriations

11 more clients ($1.2M) are counted but not named: their names may be a person's.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Oct 5, 2026.

Committees that oversee and fund it

Congressional committees whose jurisdiction includes this agency, and the appropriations subcommittees that write its spending bill (Analisa's reading of the House and Senate rules; committees share jurisdiction). Leaders as currently published.

…

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.