What APEX Space & Defense Systems does

APEX Space & Defense Systems is a U.S.-domiciled, private-equity-backed composite manufacturing platform serving the space, defense, and mission-critical infrastructure markets. The company operates four wholly-owned business units — Advanced Composite Products & Technology (ACPT, Huntington Beach, CA), All-American Racers (AAR, Santa Ana, CA), Unitech Composites (Hayden, ID), and Oak Engineering and Manufacturing (Gainesville, FL) — collectively employing 400+ people across 400,000+ square feet of manufacturing facilities. All three legacy units carry 40+ years of composite manufacturing heritage, including original equipment on NASA's Space Shuttle program, and have been consolidated under Charger Investment Partners since 2021.

The company produces lightweight, high-strength composite structures and assemblies including flight surfaces, ECS ducting, launch vehicle landing legs, satellite components, COPVs, driveshafts, helmet visors, weapon support structures, and rotorcraft/fixed-wing components. Underlying capabilities span hand lay-up, filament winding, prepreg and wet layup, compression molding, large-format 5-axis CNC machining, tool design and fabrication, assembly/integration/testing, and design engineering in CATIA V5, Composite Workbench, and SolidWorks. Two granted patent families — high-strength metallic bonding to composite structures and ACPT composite driveshaft technology — protect differentiated driveshaft products up to 420 inches in length and 36 inches in diameter.

APEX sells directly to aerospace and defense OEMs, Tier 1 primes, and U.S. government customers under multi-year contracts and sole-source arrangements, supported by AS9100D, ISO 9001, Nadcap, and AS7118 certifications. Disclosed customers include Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, L3Harris, RTX, Anduril, Textron, Oshkosh Defense, AeroVironment, Red Cat, Blue Origin, ULA, Relativity Space, Firefly Aerospace, Muon Space, and K2 Space. The revenue model is contract-based hardware manufacturing combined with engineering and prototyping services, with the company publicly reporting $100M+ in sales across its three target markets.

Name

APEX Space & Defense Systems

Legal name

APEX Space and Defense Systems

Website

https://apexsds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

APEX Space & Defense Systems is a PE-backed composite manufacturing platform with four U.S. business units producing lightweight composite structures, driveshafts, and assemblies for defense primes, space launch and satellite companies, and mission-critical infrastructure customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace and Defense Composite Manufacturing

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Aircraft Structures, Airframes & Composites (IMABAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA), Aerospace Landing Gear Components & Subsystems (IMABANAK), Ground Segment Systems (Ground Stations, TT&C, Mission Ops) (IMABACAJ), Primary Airframe Structures (Fuselage, Wing, Empennage) (IMABAEAA), Interior Structural Components (Floor Beams, Seat Tracks, Frames) (IMABAEAJ)

Keywords

• Composite manufacturing services
• Aerospace composite structures
• Military driveshafts production
• Space launch vehicle components
• Defense OEM supplier

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Composite Component Manufacturing: APEX generates revenue by manufacturing and selling custom composite components and systems for space, defense, and mission-critical infrastructure applications. Revenue is derived from long-term OEM and Tier 1 supply contracts, government and sole-source defense contracts, and production contracts across launch vehicles, satellites, uncrewed systems, rotorcraft, and land/marine vehicles. The company operates on a project/contract manufacturing model with revenue driven by program awards and production volumes.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Revenue from engineering, tooling design, prototyping, and full-rate production contracts for defense primes and uncrewed platform developers, from initial design through first article and into production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

APEX Space & Defense Systems is a vertically integrated composite manufacturing platform operating four U.S.-based business units (ACPT, All-American Racers, Unitech Composites, and Oak Engineering) that designs, engineers, tooling-fabricates, and mass-produces advanced composite components and assemblies. The company produces flight structures, ECS ducting, driveshafts, launch vehicle landing legs, satellite components, COPVs, communication system housings, and weapon support structures for defense primes, space launch providers, and mission-critical infrastructure customers.

Product overview

APEX Space & Defense Systems is a composite manufacturing platform consisting of four business units: Advanced Composite Products & Technology (ACPT), All-American Racers (AAR), Unitech Composites, and Oak Engineering. The company delivers lightweight, durable composite solutions for space, defense, and mission-critical infrastructure industries. Its product portfolio includes Electronic Enclosures, Flight Structures, Flight Control Surfaces, ECS Ducting, Launch & Landing Systems, Uncrewed Systems (UAV/UUV), Communication Systems, Drive Systems/Driveshafts, Satellite Components, COPVs, Industrial Equipment, Helmet Visors, Aircraft Interiors, Marine Platform Components, Land Vehicle Components, Rotorcraft Components, and Fixed Wing Aircraft Components. Manufacturing capabilities encompass hand lay-up, filament winding, CNC machining, assembly/integration/testing, electrical system integration, metallic fabrication, design engineering, and tool design/manufacturing services. The company operates over 400,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities across California, Idaho, and Florida with more than 400 team members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electronic Enclosures and Mobility Systems Custom-designed composite electronic enclosures and mobility systems for defense applications, including multi-pack launchers for military drone deployment and mobile military communication vehicle modules.
• Flight Structures Structural components for high-performance aircraft including fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, and UAVs; manufactures fuselages, wing components, and structural elements for High Altitude Platforms (HAPs).
• Flight Control Surfaces Flight control surface gap seals for high-performance aircraft including F-35, F-18 and other fourth and fifth-generation military aircraft; also includes design and manufacturing of flight surfaces for drones including wings, ailerons, and rudders.
• Environmental Control System (ECS) Ducting Aerospace composite ducting and ECS components for military aircraft, space vehicles, and ground platforms, covering diameter range 1 to 16 inches and lengths up to 15 feet, including inlets, ducts, plenums, piccolo ducts, riser ducts, and waste ducts.
• Launch and Landing Systems (Launch Vehicle Landing Legs) Precision-engineered landing systems for launch vehicles including landing legs for recoverable booster rockets. Manufactures fuselage and payload systems, electrical integration, wiring harnesses, pneumatic and hydraulic components; 150+ rocket landing legs produced to date including fully custom designs.
• Uncrewed Systems (UAV/UUV) Components Composite components for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), including wing assemblies, fuselage assemblies, payload bays, nose cones, and ECS components; supports programs from Group 1 to Group 5 drones.
• Communication Systems Components Mission-critical communication components including subsea fiber amplifiers, ground station receivers, satellite components, and geothermal energy data transmission systems; includes undersea repeater housing tubes, satellite dishes, and ground station communication systems.
• Drive Systems / Composite Driveshafts High-performance carbon fiber composite driveshafts up to 420 inches in length and up to 36 inches in diameter, used in Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV), Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), and other military vehicles; features patented ACPT driveshaft technology.
• Satellite Components and Satellite Systems Composite components for communication satellite systems including solar array panels, high-precision antennas, satellite dishes, payload bays, bus modules, structural components, and propellant systems.
• Composite Overwrap Pressure Vessels (COPVs) Pressure vessels using stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium liners wrapped in fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber, or other composite materials, used for gas/fluid storage at extremely high pressures in space, aviation, defense, and commercial applications.
• Industrial Equipment (Composite Rollers, Shafts, and Components) Composite rollers, shafts, and components for industrial applications including paper production, geothermal energy overwrapping, and marine equipment protection.
• Helmet Visors (F-35) Critical helmet components for the F-35 fighter jet, manufactured using hand layup and compression molding processes; components house avionics providing pilots with aircraft health and performance displays.
• Aircraft Interiors Lightweight, durable composite panels, brackets, glareshields, and window frames for aircraft interiors in the space and defense sector.
• Weapon Support Systems (LASS/MLASS/CUWP) Lightweight Armament Support Structure (LASS) and Multi-station Armament Support Structure (MLASS) systems allowing Blackhawk helicopters to convert from Transport to Attack configuration, plus Composite Universal Weapons Pylons (CUWP) for Bell OH-58D and 407 helicopters.
• Marine Platform Components Composite fairing design and components for marine platforms including LCAC drive shafts, submarine optical mast fairings, and custom marine components; products are resistant to saltwater corrosion with high strength-to-weight ratios.
• Land Vehicle Components Custom carbon fiber composite parts for high-capacity land vehicles including Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), and amphibious military vehicles; includes composite driveshafts and ducting.
• Rotorcraft Components Advanced composite components for rotorcraft systems including glareshields, window frames, weapon support structures, flexbeams, pitch cases, brackets, fairings, and environmental control system components for platforms like Apache and MD Helicopter.
• Fixed Wing Crewed Aircraft Components High-performance composite components for fixed-wing aircraft including radomes, control surface seals, fairings, ECS ducting, inlets, helmet electronic enclosures, brackets, shims, spacers, and secondary structures for fighter jets, trainers, bombers, transports, and ISR platforms.
• Filament Winding Manufacturing Services Filament winding services for producing unique composite components, capable of producing products from small tanks to cylindrical systems up to 30 feet in length; works with fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon, and quartz materials with epoxy, BMI, and cyanate ester resins.
• Hand Lay-Up Manufacturing Services Prepreg and wet layup composite manufacturing services; APEX operates over 55,000 sq ft of layup rooms including over 20,000 sq ft of controlled contamination areas; Nadcap accredited for hand layup.
• CNC Machining Services Turnkey complex composite machining services with 11 five-axis CNC machines, 5 four-axis CNC machines, 14 three-axis CNC machines, 11 lathes, 4 milling machines, and waterjet cutting.
• Assembly, Integration, and Testing Services Full assembly, integration, and testing services including composite part bonding and connecting, hardware installation, electrical systems and wiring harness installation, hydraulic systems, and mechanical and physical testing systems.
• Electrical System Integration Services Electrical system integration and assembly services for space, marine, and defense equipment including wiring harnesses, electrical assemblies, and complete electrical system integration into housing or structural components.
• Close Tolerance Metallic Fabrication Services Metallic fabrication services for tooling, ground support equipment, and military mobile communication equipment; capabilities include autonomous vehicle instrumentation racks, command and control centers, UAV multi-pack launcher systems, and large test stands.
• Design Engineering Services In-house composite design engineering including clean sheet composite design, metal to composite conversions, engineered material solutions, and design for manufacturing; uses CATIA V5, Composite Workbench, and SolidWorks.
• Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Manufacturing Ground support equipment manufacturing from small roll carts for Group 3 loitering munition UAVs to very large shipping fixtures for launch vehicle landing legs; includes shop support tools, transportation fixtures, system mobility dollies, and missile/munition transportation systems.
• Tool Design and Tool Manufacturing Services In-house tooling design and manufacturing services for composite tooling ranging from very small tools for intricate parts to tools in excess of 30 feet in length; includes layup molds, trim and drill fixtures, assembly fixtures, bonding fixtures, and test fixtures.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ military driveshafts delivered without a single failure
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Oak Engineering and ManufacturingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEX acquired Oak Engineering and Manufacturing, a Gainesville, Florida-based composite manufacturer serving the uncrewed systems market (UAVs and USVs). Oak produces composite parts and precision CNC-machined components for uncrewed platforms using carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass through wet layup, infusion, prepreg, and forming processes. Oak's engineering and quality team directly strengthens APEX's New Product Development team.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spirit AeroSystems: One of the world's largest tier-1 aerostructure manufacturers, producing major composite and metallic fuselage, wing, and propulsion structures for Boeing, Airbus, and defense primes. Most directly comparable composite structures manufacturer operating at significantly larger scale.
• Hexcel Corporation: Leading manufacturer of advanced composite materials (carbon fiber, prepregs, honeycomb) and engineered parts used by every major aerospace and defense prime. Directly comparable as a composites-focused aerospace supplier with overlapping customer base.
• Toray Advanced Composites: US-based subsidiary of Toray Industries supplying thermoset and thermoplastic prepreg materials and engineered parts for space and defense applications. Directly competes in the same qualified-supplier pool serving primes and launch vehicle customers.
• Triumph Group: Aerostructures, mechanical, and composite components supplier serving commercial aerospace and defense primes including Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Cited as an APEX customer and a direct competitor on composite aerostructures production.
• Ducommun Incorporated: Provider of engineered products and aerostructures including composite assemblies, electronics, and integrated solutions for commercial and defense aerospace. Direct competitor in composite structures and components for defense and space platforms.
• Kaman Aerospace: Aerospace manufacturer of composite aerostructures, rotorcraft components, and fuzing systems for defense and commercial customers. Comparable in composite structural parts production for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Regional players

• Daher: French aerospace manufacturer producing composite aerostructures, aircraft systems, and industrial composites for major primes including Airbus, Boeing, and Safran. Comparable in composites manufacturing but primarily serves European customers.

Broad incumbents

• HEICO Corporation: Large aerospace aftermarket and parts manufacturer with FAA-PMA parts, electronic technologies, and defense products. Overlapping customer base across commercial and defense aerospace, though its focus is broader than composites-only.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Carbon Fiber & Composites: Manufacturer of carbon fiber, prepregs, and composite parts for aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial markets. Comparable in advanced composite materials and structures serving major primes and launch vehicle customers.

Emerging players

• TPI Composites: Specialized composite manufacturer best known for wind turbine blades, with additional capabilities in transportation, automotive, and select aerospace/defense components. Adjacent composites manufacturing capability with some overlap in defense and industrial segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apexsds

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about APEX Space & Defense Systems