What Aero Gear, Inc. does

Aero Gear, Inc. is a privately held precision manufacturer of aerospace gears and gearboxes, founded in 1982 by Doug Rose and headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut. The company operates a 100,000 square-foot climate-controlled manufacturing facility and employs approximately 175 people, producing mission-critical gearing components for fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, and aero-engine platforms. Its customer base spans the largest names in commercial and military aerospace, including Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin), Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, GE, Rolls-Royce, Avio Aero, and RTX (formerly UTC). Aero Gear has accumulated Gold Supplier recognition from both Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and UTC, signaling preferred-vendor status with key primes.

Aero Gear's core manufacturing capabilities center on low-pressure vacuum carburizing, precision grinding, and isotropic superfinishing — specialized thermal-treatment and surface-finishing processes used to produce gears with high fatigue resistance and tight dimensional tolerances. The company holds AS9100:D and ISO 9001:2015 quality certifications, plus Nadcap accreditation for heat treating and non-destructive testing, qualifying its parts for flight-critical applications. It also operates an in-house gearbox assembly operation, allowing it to deliver complete sub-assemblies rather than discrete gear blanks, and reached a cumulative milestone of 10,000 gearboxes shipped in 2024.

The business model is contract manufacturing under long-term aerospace OEM supply agreements, with revenue derived from piece-part pricing and assembly work tied to multi-year platform production runs. The company is founder-owned and has not taken external investment, indicating an owner-operator capital structure. Supplier performance recognition from Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and UTC in 2017 signals qualified-vendor status with key primes, and a workforce-development partnership with Asnuntuck Community College provides a structured pipeline for precision-manufacturing technicians — addressing a binding labor constraint in U.S. aerospace manufacturing.

Name

Aero Gear, Inc.

Legal name

Aero Gear, Inc.

Website

https://aerogear.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aero Gear is a privately held precision aerospace gear and gearbox manufacturer founded in 1982, serving major commercial and military OEMs including Sikorsky, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, GE, Rolls-Royce, and RTX from its Windsor, Connecticut facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Precision Gear and Gearbox Manufacturing

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing (336412)

SIC

Aircraft & Parts (3720), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Fasteners & Hardware (IMABANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Engine Control, Fuel & Ignition Systems (FADEC/Accessories) (IMABADAK)

Keywords

• Precision aerospace gears
• Aerospace gearbox assemblies
• Vacuum carburizing services
• Bevel gear manufacturing
• Helicopter transmission systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aerospace Gear Manufacturing: Design, engineering, and manufacturing of precision gears and gearbox assemblies for the aerospace industry. Products include spiral bevel, straight bevel, spur, helical gears, and complete gearbox assemblies for fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
2. Aftermarket Spare Parts: Supply of spare gear details to global aerospace customers for maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations.
3. Engineering Services: In-house engineering support including design studies, manufacturing readiness, production support, and gearbox field support throughout the product lifecycle.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aero Gear designs, engineers, and manufactures precision aerospace gears and complete gearbox assemblies for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The company produces spiral bevel, zerol bevel, straight bevel, spur, helical gears, and involute splines, along with full gearbox assembly and functional testing. It supplies aftermarket spare gear details to global aerospace customers for maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations, supported by in-house engineering services covering design studies, manufacturing readiness, production support, and gearbox field support throughout the product lifecycle.

Product overview

Aero Gear, Inc. is a precision aerospace gear and gearbox manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and manufacturing services. The company produces a wide range of precision gears including Spiral Bevel, Zerol Bevel, Straight Bevel, Spur, and Helical gears, along with Involute Splines. The core product offering centers on complete aerospace power drive gearbox assemblies for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. These products are supported by vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities including Low Pressure Vacuum Carburizing, precision grinding, cylindrical grinding, isotropic superfinishing, 5-axis milling (MCM), gearbox assembly, and functional testing. The company also provides engineering services including design, virtual manufacturing simulation, and rapid prototyping. All capabilities are conducted in-house at the 100,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility in Windsor, Connecticut, enabling shorter lead times and quality control through vertical integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precision Aerospace Gears A comprehensive portfolio of precision aerospace gears including spiral bevel gears (pitch diameter up to 16 inches, AGMA Class 14 ground), zerol bevel gears (pitch diameter up to 12 inches, AGMA Class 13), straight bevel gears (pitch diameter up to 20 inches, AGMA Class 10), external and internal spur gears, external and internal helical gears, and involute splines (ANSIB92.1 Class 5). Supplied to aerospace OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers for fixed and rotary wing aircraft power drive applications.
• Aerospace Gearbox Assemblies Complete aerospace power drive gearbox assemblies for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, including accessory gearboxes and power drive transmission systems. Assembly is conducted in a modular, adaptable assembly area that supports simultaneous assembly of multiple systems, with full functional gearbox testing to validate performance and quality. Aero Gear reached the milestone of 10,000 gearboxes shipped as of 2024.
• Engineering & Design Services In-house engineering and design services covering everything from simple build-to-print gear applications to highly specialized gearbox assemblies. Supports the entire lifecycle including design studies, manufacturing readiness, production support, and gearbox field support. Uses CAD (Solidworks, NX), CAM (Esprit, Vericut), gear design (GearLab WindowsLDP), FEA (Ansys), fluid dynamics (Fluent, CFX), and the Gleason Software Suite for bevel gears. Targets aerospace OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
• Virtual Manufacturing Simulation Manufacturing methodology involving simulation of processes prior to production, including fluid dynamics studies to optimize heat treatment, FEA to predict stress and deflections in highly loaded tooling, and simulation of entire machining operations to verify CAM programming accuracy and safety. Allows engineering teams to resolve potential issues in a virtual environment for higher quality and predictability when parts reach the shop floor.
• Rapid Prototyping Development services to achieve best quality from the first development lots, with teams of engineers, programmers, and machinists continuously optimizing processes through rigorous continuous improvement activities and the Plan-Do-Check-Act philosophy. Designed to deliver short lead times and competitive cost by optimizing production flow and eliminating waste.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000 gearboxes shipped as of 2024 milestone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Asnuntuck Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with Asnuntuck Community College's Manufacturing Technology program. Aero Gear provides 2-3 scholarships per year enabling qualified students to complete the program for aerospace manufacturing careers. Students receive classroom instruction combined with hands-on training and internships at Aero Gear. Upon completion, students are offered full-time employment based on performance during internship.
• Lockheed Martin SikorskyflagshipOthersLong-term supplier relationship with Lockheed Martin Sikorsky. Recognized as Gold Supplier for multiple consecutive years, demonstrating commitment to excellence through consistency, reliability, and engineering solutions for aerospace gears.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Arrow Gear Company: Arrow Gear Company is a U.S.-based manufacturer of precision spiral bevel, straight bevel, spur, and helical gears for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Closest direct peer to Aero Gear given its similar focus on high-precision bevel and spur gears with AGMA-class capability and aerospace OEM customer base.
• Heroux-Devtek: Heroux-Devtek is a Canadian manufacturer of aerospace landing gear, precision components, and gearbox-related assemblies serving Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and major engine OEMs. Highly comparable as a precision aerospace component supplier with similar AS9100/Nadcap credentials and OEM-direct GTM motion.
• Senior plc: Senior plc is a UK-based manufacturer of precision engineered components and fluid conveyance systems for aerospace and defense OEMs. Comparable as a precision Tier 2 supplier with build-to-print and design-to-build capabilities serving the same engine and airframe primes that Aero Gear serves.
• Barnes Aerospace: Barnes Aerospace, a division of Barnes Group, manufactures precision components and assemblies — including complex geared and structural parts — for engine and airframe OEMs. Direct peer given its precision aerospace component focus, AS9100 quality stack, and direct-to-OEM sales model.

Broad incumbents

• Moog Inc. Moog designs and manufactures high-precision motion control products, components, and systems for aerospace and defense including precision flight control and engine subsystems. Comparable as a broader incumbent in precision aerospace motion and engine accessory systems, though much larger and more diversified than Aero Gear.
• Triumph Group: Triumph Group is a major Tier 1/2 supplier of aerospace structures, gear systems, and components to commercial and military OEMs. Comparable in product overlap (aerospace gear systems, gearbox assemblies, AS9100-certified components), but operates at much larger scale across multiple product lines and geographies.
• Curtiss-Wright Corporation: Curtiss-Wright supplies engineered, mission-critical components and systems for defense, commercial aerospace, and industrial markets, including precision-machined aerospace parts and gearbox-related subsystems. Comparable as an incumbent aerospace components manufacturer, but serves many more end markets and is far larger.
• TransDigm Group: TransDigm is a specialty aerospace components manufacturer focused on proprietary, sole-source content across engine and airframe systems, including power transmission and accessory products. Comparable as a high-margin aerospace components holding company, though much larger and more diversified.
• Precision Castparts Corp: Precision Castparts Corp (PCC, Berkshire Hathaway) manufactures complex metal components and parts for aerospace and industrial customers, including gear and gearbox content. Comparable as a major aerospace parts supplier with strong OEM relationships, though at significantly larger scale and with broader product breadth.

Emerging players

• Schafer Industries: Schafer Industries (formerly Schafer Gear Works) is a U.S. precision gear manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets with capabilities including grinding and heat treat. Comparable as a smaller, focused precision gear manufacturer, but with broader industrial exposure and less aerospace concentration than Aero Gear.

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aero_gear_inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/aerogearinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aero-gear

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Aero Gear, Inc.