Airborne Systems

What Airborne Systems does

Airborne Systems, founded in 1919 by Leslie Irvin and headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey, designs and manufactures parachute systems, guided precision aerial delivery systems (GPADS), aircraft safety equipment, and spacecraft entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems for military, space, and humanitarian customers. The company operates from three U.S. facilities (Pennsauken, NJ; Santa Ana, CA; Eloy, AZ) with approximately 500 employees, and reports no public ownership structure. Its product portfolio spans personnel and cargo parachutes (Intruder, T-11, MC-6, Spartan Reserve), GPS-guided delivery systems (MicroFly, DragonFly, FlyClops), parachutist oxygen systems (SOLR), inflatable aerodynamic decelerators (HIAD, SIAD), aircraft landing deceleration, spin/stall recovery, and ejection seats, plus capsule and booster recovery parachutes for crewed and uncrewed spaceflight. Technical differentiation rests on proprietary simulation tools, including the MIDAS 6-DOF recovery analysis code and pioneering LS-DYNA fluid-structure interaction modeling, backed by in-house tensile, wind tunnel, supersonic flight, and environmental testing capabilities up to 75,000 lb payloads.

The business model is anchored in direct sales to the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, allied-nation militaries (50+ countries), and a small set of commercial space primes (SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing). Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales under competitive and IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) contracts, supplemented by recurring training services at the ISO 9001:2015 certified Sawtooth Training Facility in Eloy, Arizona, which trains ~400 U.S. Marines annually under a 5-year IDIQ. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is custom-quoted against contract specifications. The company holds FAA TSO-C23f, AS9100D, ISO 9001:2015, and NASA human-rating certifications, and is the sole OEM for F-16 deceleration systems with development work on F-35 ejection seats. Notable program milestones include the Mars 2020 Perseverance parachute, SpaceX Dragon main parachutes (Crew-5, Inspiration4), Blue Origin New Shepard escape systems, and the Artemis II Orion eleven-parachute recovery system (April 2026).

Name

Airborne Systems

Legal name

Airborne Systems North America

Website

https://airborne-sys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Airborne Systems designs and manufactures parachute, GPADS, aircraft safety, and spacecraft recovery systems for the U.S. military, NASA, allied-nation armed forces, and commercial space primes across three U.S. facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Parachute and Recovery Systems

NAICS

Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Flight Training (611512)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes) (IMABACAL)

Keywords

• Military parachute systems
• Guided precision aerial delivery
• Spacecraft recovery systems
• Inflatable aerodynamic decelerators
• Parachutist oxygen equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Pennsauken

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Military Parachute Systems: Design, manufacturing, and sale of military parachute systems including personnel parachutes (Intruder, Marauder, Hi-5, Multi-Mission System, PS-2, Gemini Tandem), cargo parachutes (T-11, MC-6, Octo-11), and GPADS for precision aerial delivery.
2. Space and Recovery Systems: Recovery systems for spacecraft including capsule recovery parachutes, booster recovery systems, planetary EDL systems for Mars missions, and HIAD technology for NASA and commercial space programs.
3. Training Services: ISO 9001:2015 certified training programs for military customers including rigger training, airborne training, and SOLR oxygen training conducted at company facility or in-country at military installations.
4. Air Systems and Safety Equipment: Aircraft safety systems including spin/stall recovery parachutes, ejection seat systems, aircraft landing deceleration systems, weapon deployment systems, and cockpit control systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Airborne Systems designs, develops, and manufactures military and aerospace parachute and aerodynamic decelerator systems, including personnel parachutes, cargo parachutes, GPS-guided precision aerial delivery systems (GPADS), parachutist oxygen supply systems, spacecraft entry/descent/landing and recovery systems, inflatable hypersonic decelerators (HIAD/SIAD), and aircraft safety systems such as ejection seats and spin-stall recovery parachutes. The company also provides ISO 9001:2015 certified parachute training courses and comprehensive product testing services.

Product overview

Airborne Systems is the world's leading military parachute design and manufacturing company with over 100 years of experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized into distinct product lines: Personnel Parachute Systems (Intruder Family, Marauder, Hi-5, Multi-Mission System, PS-2, Gemini Tandem) for military and commercial jump operations; Cargo and Troop Parachutes (T-11, T-11 Gen 2, MC-6, MC-6+, Octo-11, TJRS, AS-2000, T-11 Cargo, Unicross, Spartan Reserve) for heavy-duty deployment; GPADS - Guided Precision Aerial Delivery Systems (MicroFly II, MicroFly III, FireFly, FireFly II, NanoFly, RazorFly, DragonFly, FC Mini, FlyClops 2K, jTRAX NAVAID) using GPS-guided technology; Oxygen Systems (SOLR family) for high-altitude parachutist support; Space and Recovery Systems (Capsule, Booster, Payload, Fairing recovery) for spacecraft applications; Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIAD, SIAD, airbags, pneumatic actuators, inflatable wings) for hypersonic and supersonic applications; and Air Systems (landing deceleration, ejection seats, spin-stall recovery, flight termination) for aircraft safety. The company also provides comprehensive engineering and design services, product testing capabilities (tensile, flight, wind tunnel, environmental), and military training courses through their ISO 9001:2015 certified Sawtooth Training Facility in Arizona.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personnel Parachute Systems

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 50,000 T-11 Parachute Systems worldwide as of 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner for space recovery systems. Designed parachutes for Orion capsule, Mars missions (Perseverance, Curiosity), Space Shuttle, and various planetary exploration programs. Ongoing collaboration on Artemis program and future crewed lunar missions.
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Mars 2020 Perseverance rover parachute system (2016-2021). Partnered on Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) program and ongoing planetary exploration missions.
• SpaceXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of main parachute systems for Dragon spacecraft. Supported Crew-5 mission splashdown and Inspiration4 crewed mission return.
• Blue OrigincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped escape system for New Shepard crew capsule. Supporting New Shepard program with parachute landing systems for crew capsule recovery.
• BoeingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCST-100 Starliner recovery system developed based on Orion parachute design heritage. Boeing commercial crew program partner for NASA.
• U.S. ArmycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected Airborne Systems for MC-6 replacement (2006 IDIQ contract) and ongoing supply of T-11, Intruder, and other military parachute systems.
• U.S. Marine CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded Enhanced Multi-Mission Parachute System (E-MMPS) contract featuring Hi-5 canopy and Edge harness container. 5-year IDIQ for USMC Multi-Mission Parachute Course training approximately 400 Marines annually.
• UK Defence (DE&S)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded UK SOLR (Parachutist Oxygen Supply System) contract for next-generation oxygen delivery systems integrating with A400M and C-17 platforms.
• Dynetics (DARPA Gremlins Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Dynetics in DARPA Gremlins program Phase 3 for air-launched recoverable drone systems.
• Martin-BakercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partnership dating to 1951 for development of first autonomous pilot ejection seat system. Ongoing collaboration on aircraft escape systems.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Collins Aerospace (RTX):

Direct peers

• IrvinGQ: UK-based manufacturer of personnel and cargo parachutes for military forces, including the IrvinGQ line descended from the original Irvin Air Chute Company genealogy. Competes with Airborne Systems in NATO and Commonwealth tenders.
• BRS Aerospace: Manufacturer of whole-aircraft ballistic parachute recovery systems for general aviation and military UAS. Competes at the intersection of safety/recovery parachutes, particularly in light aircraft and drone markets.
• Pioneer Aerospace (Safran): Safran-owned manufacturer of military and cargo parachutes, deceleration systems, and aerial delivery hardware. Most direct head-to-head competitor to Airborne Systems in troop/cargo parachutes and GPADS for U.S. and allied militaries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/airbornesysna
• Facebookfacebook.com/airbornesystems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airborne-systems

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Airborne Systems