David Clark Company

What David Clark Company does

David Clark Company Inc. is a privately held, family-owned American manufacturer headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts, specializing in noise-attenuating headsets, intercom systems, and crew survival equipment. Founded in 1935, the company has operated from its Worcester facility since 1963 and is currently relocating to a new modern headquarters in 2026. Its core products span five primary verticals: aviation (passive and Electronic Noise Cancelling headsets for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including the DC Jet X and DC ONE-X lines), marine (Series 9100 Digital, 9500 Workboat, 9800 Performance Boat, and 9900 Wireless intercom systems), fire/rescue (Series 3800 wired and 9900 wireless vehicle intercoms), aerospace (the Model S1041 Orion Crew Survival System for NASA's Artemis program and the S1100 Salus suit for Boeing's Starliner), and pro-audio/industrial (H8500 series and 10S/DC stereo headsets with independently certified NRR ratings). Underlying technology is grounded in proprietary acoustic engineering, electronic noise cancellation, IP-networked digital intercom architecture, and specialized life-support systems including contingency pressurization capability up to 8 psid for six days.

The company operates a hardware-sales revenue model across diversified channels: an extensive global authorized dealer network spanning more than 50 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania; direct enterprise sales through regional sales managers; direct-to-consumer e-commerce via store.davidclark.com; and event-driven demand generation through major industry trade shows (EAA AirVenture, NBAA, FDIC International, WorkBoat Show, I/ITSEC, GSE Expo Europe). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is generally quote-based for custom and enterprise orders. The customer base spans individual general aviation pilots (SMB/long-tail), thousands of fire departments and first-responder agencies worldwide (government), commercial airlines and airports (enterprise), U.S. and international military/defense (government), and flagship aerospace partners including NASA, Boeing, and Axiom Space. The business is privately held with no public ticker, no disclosed venture or institutional investment, and no published financials, and is currently led by President and CEO Richard Urella.

Name

David Clark Company

Legal name

David Clark Company Inc.

Website

https://davidclarkcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

David Clark Company is a privately held Worcester, Massachusetts manufacturer of noise-attenuating headsets, intercom systems, and NASA-qualified spacesuits, serving aviation, marine, fire/rescue, military, pro-audio, and aerospace customers worldwide through a global dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Communication Headsets and Intercom Systems

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Microphones, Headsets & Audio Input Devices (HDACAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF), Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE)

Keywords

• Noise-attenuating headsets
• Aviation communication systems
• Marine intercom systems
• Aerospace spacesuits
• Fire rescue communication

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aviation Headsets: Sale of noise-attenuating and electronic noise-cancelling headsets for fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft to general aviation and commercial pilots.
2. Marine Communication Systems: Sale of intercom systems for workboats, performance boats, and marine vessels including Series 9100 Digital, Series 9500 Workboat, Series 9800 Performance Boat, and Series 9900 Wireless.
3. Fire/Rescue Communication Systems: Sale of vehicle intercom systems and wireless communication solutions for fire departments and first responder agencies including Series 3800 and Series 9900 wireless systems.
4. Aerospace Space Suits: Design and manufacture of space suits for NASA missions including Orion Crew Survival System for Artemis program and Salus suits for Boeing Starliner. Also developing suits for Axiom Space for lunar surface spacewalks.
5. Pro-Audio Headsets: Sale of professional audio headsets for high-noise environments including front of house, concerts, industrial manufacturing, nuclear power plants, and video/camera operations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

David Clark Company manufactures noise-attenuating headsets with boom microphones and integrated intercom/communication systems for aviation, marine, fire/rescue, military, and industrial markets. The company also designs and produces advanced crew survival spacesuits for NASA (Orion Crew Survival System for Artemis) and commercial aerospace programs (Boeing Starliner Salus suit). Products span passive and electronic noise-cancelling headsets, digital/wireless intercoms, and custom-built spacesuits.

Product overview

David Clark Company offers a diversified portfolio of communication headsets and intercom systems across multiple market segments. The core offerings include aviation headsets (fixed wing and helicopter, both passive and Electronic Noise Cancelling), marine intercom systems (Series 9100 Digital, 9500 Workboat, 9800 Performance Boat, and 9900 Wireless), fire/rescue communication systems (Series 3800 wired and 9900 wireless), and professional audio headsets. The company also manufactures advanced aerospace spacesuits including the Model S1041 Orion Crew Survival System for NASA's Artemis program and the S1100 Salus for Boeing's Starliner. The product architecture ranges from standalone headsets to integrated intercom systems with digital, wired, and wireless capabilities, serving aviation, marine, fire rescue, military, industrial, and aerospace markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Headsets (Fixed Wing) Noise-attenuating and Electronic Noise Cancelling (ENC) headsets for fixed wing aircraft, designed for general aviation and commercial pilots. Includes passive and ENC variants.
• Aviation Headsets (Helicopter) Broadest line of helicopter headsets with passive noise attenuating and Electronic Noise Cancelling options for rotary wing aircraft.
• Series 9100 Digital Intercom Digital intercom system with unlimited number of users, radios, and ancillary devices; IP network compatibility; supports both digital wired and wireless crew stations with individual user functional programmability.
• Series 9500 Workboat Intercom Marine intercom system for demanding workboat applications, accommodating up to eight crewmembers and three mobile radios while providing hearing protection.
• Series 9800 Performance Boat Intercom Intercom system for high-speed performance boating, accommodating up to six headsets with radio transmit and receive for two crewmembers, plus auxiliary stereo input.
• Series 3800 Fire/Rescue Intercom Wired vehicle intercom system for firefighters and first responders, enhancing safety and critical communications both en route and at the scene.
• 10S/DC Stereo Headset Consumer stereo headset with independently certified Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 23dB, featuring hi-fidelity dynamic earphone elements with 10-20,000 Hz range.
• Model S1041 Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) Spacesuit Advanced spacesuit designed specifically for NASA's Orion spacecraft and Artemis program. Provides crew protection during launch/entry and serves as backup pressurizable environment for contingency scenarios lasting up to 6 days.
• S1100 Salus Space Suit Lightest weight space suit ever flown, designed for Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. Features integral air-cooling, touch-screen compatible gloves, soft helmet, and lightweight conformal footwear co-developed with Reebok.
• Pro Audio Headsets (H8500 Series) Professional audio headsets including models H8530, H8532, H8535, H8542, H8570, H8590, H8592, H8595, DC 8362, DC 8692, DC USB, and DC USB-S for high-noise professional environments such as concerts, industrial manufacturing, nuclear power plants, and video/camera operations.
• Military/Defense Communication Systems Communication headsets and systems designed for military and defense applications, including maritime craft operations.
• Industrial Bluetooth (Aurora) Headset Industrial-grade Bluetooth headset solutions for high-noise environments.
• DC Jet X Headsets New aviation headset model featured on the company homepage, designed for pilots in high-noise aircraft environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• NRR 23dB noise reduction on stereo headsets
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026David Clark Company designed and manufactured the Model S1041 Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits for NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed deep space mission since 1972. The suits were worn by astronauts during launch, the lunar flyby, and re-entry operations aboard the Orion spacecraft. This builds on the company's long heritage providing spacesuits for NASA's Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs.
• BoeingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2024David Clark Company provided the S1100 Salus space suits for Boeing's Starliner Crew Flight Test, worn by NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during launch and re-entry operations. The Salus is the lightest weight space suit ever flown and serves as the qualified baseline design for Starliner launch and entry suits.
• Axiom SpaceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid Clark Company is working with Axiom Space to develop the suit that crewmembers will wear to perform spacewalks on the Moon, supporting future Artemis lunar surface missions.
• Canadian Space AgencyminorOthersDavid Clark's Orion Crew Survival System was worn by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen during the Artemis II mission, representing international collaboration in deep space exploration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bose Corporation: Bose is a direct competitor in the premium aviation headset market (e.g., Bose A20, ProFlight Series 2), targeting the same general aviation and commercial pilot customers as David Clark with active noise-cancelling technology. Both companies compete on hearing protection, comfort, and brand prestige in the pilot community.
• Lightspeed Aviation: Lightspeed is a direct competitor in premium noise-cancelling aviation headsets (Zulu, Delta, Sierra), targeting the same fixed-wing and rotary-wing pilot segment as David Clark. Both compete head-to-head on ANR performance, comfort, and Bluetooth/wireless integration.
• ILC Dover: ILC Dover is the primary competing spacesuit manufacturer for NASA (current Artemis lunar surface suit prime contractor via Axiom Space partnership), directly overlapping with David Clark's OCSS and Axiom Space initiatives. Both companies serve the same space-agency customer base with crew survival and pressure-garment systems.
• Sennheiser: Sennheiser competes with David Clark in aviation headsets and professional audio/headset categories, including pro-audio, broadcast, and high-noise-environment applications. Both sell premium headsets to enterprise and professional customers globally.
• Gentex Corporation: Gentex manufactures helmet-mounted oxygen masks, communication systems, and hearing protection for military and rotary-wing aviation — overlapping directly with David Clark's military/defense and helicopter aviation communications business. Both supply integrated communications solutions to defense customers.

Broad incumbents

• 3M (Peltor / ComTac): 3M's Peltor/ComTac line offers hearing protection and tactical communication headsets for military, industrial, and shooting applications — directly comparable to David Clark's military, fire/rescue, and industrial headset offerings, with a much larger corporate parent providing broader distribution.
• Collins Aerospace: Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies business, supplies avionics and integrated communication systems to commercial aviation and defense customers globally — overlapping with David Clark's airline/airport, military, and crew communications portfolios as a much larger incumbent supplier to the same primes.
• Honeywell Aerospace: Honeywell supplies a broad portfolio of aerospace communications, hearing protection, and crew safety equipment to commercial aviation, defense, and space customers. While not focused exclusively on headsets, its communications and life-support categories overlap materially with David Clark's commercial aviation and aerospace crew survival businesses.

Emerging players

• Axelent / Sensear (Sensaphonics): Sensear and similar specialists develop smart hearing protection and communication devices for high-noise industrial environments — directly comparable to David Clark's pro-audio and industrial Bluetooth (Aurora) product lines, often targeting industrial customers with newer digital and Bluetooth-enabled platforms.

Others

• Plantronics / Poly (HP Poly): While focused primarily on enterprise and consumer communications headsets rather than high-noise aviation/marine environments, Poly is an adjacent headset manufacturer with comparable manufacturing scale and a shared overlap in pro-audio and industrial use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greenheadsets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAF8IJOE2n9QmfOaje_LqVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Davidclarkcompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/david-clark-company-inc.?trk=tabs_biz_home

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about David Clark Company