What Centre Support Services does

Centre Support Services is a U.S. privately held defense products and training services company, founded approximately 75 years ago (c. 1949), headquartered in Henderson, Nevada with an additional facility in Ridgewood, New York and a partnership location in Blakely, Georgia. The company provides armorer and operator certification courses, a five-day Foreign Weapons Training Course covering AK/RPK series, SVD Dragunov, PKM, RPG systems and other non-standard weapons, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Familiarization course, an Opposing Force (OPFOR) Exercise Support Program, a global procurement and kitting service, and an armory/inventory service built around what it describes as one of the largest U.S. inventories of firearms — over 20,000 U.S. and non-standard small arms plus more than 10,000 non-standard U.S. blank-firing weapon systems. Courses are delivered at four U.S. facilities or on customer sites through Mobile Training Teams (MTT), with instructor staff that includes former CIA EOD specialists and manufacturer-certified armorers.

The underlying technology is hardware-centric: firearm simulators and tactical training equipment, blank-firing weapons, Battlefield Effects (BFX) simulation/pyrotechnics, and an in-house machine shop and gunsmith capability for weapon system integration and customization. The company is differentiated less by software than by a deeply stocked physical inventory and by a regulatory licensing stack — Federal Firearms License (dealer/manufacturer/importer), ITAR compliance, Federal Explosives License, and Foreign Trade Zone operator status at the Nevada site — that together enable lawful import/export of defense articles and global procurement of mission-critical equipment.

The business model combines several revenue streams: course fees for 1–5 day training and certification programs delivered at company facilities or on location; procurement and kitting margins on mission-critical hardware sourced through the Nevada FTZ; rental of firearms and tactical equipment from inventory for training, R&D, demonstration, and testing; OPFOR exercise support contracts bundling blank-firing weapons, simunition, moulage, and custom fabrication; and managed import/export facilitation. Customers are primarily U.S. federal agencies (DoE, DoS, DHS, FBI), the U.S. military, NATO and foreign militaries, federal/state/local law enforcement, and secondarily the commercial entertainment industry via the New York facility. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Centre Support Services

Legal name

Centre Support Services

Website

https://centresupport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Centre Support Services is a U.S. defense products and training services provider delivering armorer certification, foreign weapons and IED training, OPFOR exercise support, global procurement, and firearms rental to federal agencies, military, law enforcement, and the entertainment industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Training and Support Services

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services (56161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Armed Security & Firearms Training & Qualification (BPAKAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Firearms, Range Safety & Less-Lethal Weapons Training (EDAOAMAN), Defense & Security (EDABALAH)

Keywords

• Defense training services
• Armorer certification courses
• Foreign weapons training
• OPFOR exercise support
• Military procurement kitting

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and Certification Courses: Armorer and operator certification courses for various weapon systems. Courses range from 1-5 days with factory certifications. Revenue generated through course fees for training sessions conducted at company facilities or on-location.
2. Procurement and Kitting Services: Mission-critical product procurement and distribution including medical supplies, vehicles, tech, communications, and individual mission-critical gear to government and military customers worldwide
3. Firearms and Equipment Rental: Rental of firearms and tactical equipment from extensive inventory for training, demonstration, R&D, and testing purposes
4. OPFOR Exercise Support: Opposing force exercise support services including prop training aids, battlefield effects, custom design fabrication, blank firing weapons, and realistic moulage
5. Import/Export Facilitation: International trade facilitation services leveraging Foreign Trade Zone operator status and ITAR compliance for defense articles and services

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Centre Support Services provides defense products and training services to government entities, military units, law enforcement agencies, and government contractors. Core offerings include armorer and operator certification courses on US and non-standard weapon systems, foreign weapons familiarization, IED familiarization, OPFOR exercise support with prop training aids and battlefield effects, global procurement and kitting, and access to an in-house armory with 20,000+ firearms. Courses are delivered at company facilities or via Mobile Training Teams at customer sites.

Product overview

Centre Support Services is a defense products and support services company offering a unified portfolio of military/law enforcement training and operational support solutions. The core offerings include Armorer Operator Training Courses (covering US and foreign weapons systems including AK47, Glock, M16/M4/AR15, M320/M203, MK46/48/M249, Remington, U.S. Ordnance series), a 5-day Foreign Weapons Training Course, IED Familiarization training, OPFOR Exercise Support Program, Procurement & Kitting Services, and an extensive Armory/Inventory service with 20,000+ firearms. These services are delivered through 4 US facilities, mobile training teams, and a Foreign Trade Zone in Nevada, with factory-certified instructors providing certification valid for two years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OPFOR Exercise Support Program: Opposing force exercise support and prop training aids including battlefield effects (BFX), custom design & fabrication, blank firing weapons, simunition of scenescape, realistic moulage and vehicle access.

Products and services

• Armorer Operator Training Courses Hands-on training for government, military, and law enforcement personnel on weapon maintenance, repair, and operation, covering US and non-standard small arms (AK47, Glock, M16/M4/AR15, M320/M203, MK46/48/M249, Remington, U.S. Ordnance series) with manufacturer-certified instructors. Courses range from 1-5 days and include factory certifications valid for two years.
• Foreign Weapons Training Course 5-day comprehensive course covering non-standard foreign weapons including Tokarev, Makarov, SKS, FAL, G3, MP5, UZI, AK/RPK series, SVD Dragunov, PKM, RPD, DSHK, RPG systems, NSV, AGS-17, and KPV. Offered at Henderson, NV and Blakely, GA locations.
• IED Familiarization (IED FAM) Course 3-day professional training course led by CIA EOD veteran David La Morte covering history, detection, identification, awareness, and countermeasure tactics for improvised explosive devices.
• Procurement & Kitting Support Global procurement and distribution of mission-critical products and gear including vehicles, medical supplies, individual mission-critical gear, surveillance/counter-surveillance tech, drones, and communications equipment, with ITAR compliance and Foreign Trade Zone facilities.
• OPFOR (Opposing Force) Exercise Support Program Exercise support and prop training aids including battlefield effects (BFX), custom design and fabrication, blank firing weapons, simunition, realistic moulage, and access to vehicles, anchored by an inventory of more than 10,000 non-standard US blank firing weapon systems.
• Armory & Inventory Services One of the largest inventories of firearm simulators and tactical equipment in the United States, with over 20,000 US and non-standard small arms available for rental, training, research, and product development, supported by full-time qualified armorers and gunsmiths.

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Arena Training Facility (Blakely, GA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer Foreign Weapons Training Course at Arena Training Facility location in Blakely, GA. This partnership brings world-renowned training program to a world-class facility easily accessible in the heart of the southeast. The facility offers on-site lodging for convenience.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Academi (Constellis): Large-scale military and security training contractor offering broader defense and protective services to U.S. government customers. Less niche than Centre but a comparable defense training and support services incumbent.
• NRA Training (National Rifle Association): Broad-based firearms training and certification organization serving civilians, law enforcement, and military audiences with armorer and instructor programs. Wider scale and scope but overlapping training category.
• MPRI / L3 Technologies Defense Solutions: MPRI historically provided military training and advisory services to U.S. and allied militaries; now part of L3Harris. Represents a much larger incumbent in defense training and support services comparable in customer base.

Direct peers

• SIG Sauer Academy: Manufacturer-affiliated firearms and armorer training academy offering courses on SIG platforms to military, law enforcement, and civilians. Highly comparable to Centre's armorer/operator certification model.
• Magpul Dynamics: Tactical firearms and accessories brand with associated training curriculum targeting military and law enforcement end-users. Comparable offering of firearms-related training products to a similar customer base.
• SureFire Institute: Tactical illumination and training provider serving military and law enforcement with weapon-light and low-light firearms instruction. Overlaps with Centre's tactical-equipment training and small-unit instructional focus.
• Gunsite Academy: Long-established firearms training school (founded 1976) offering armorer and operator courses to military, law enforcement, and civilians. Closely mirrors Centre's core training business with a similar legacy footprint.
• Thunder Ranch: Private tactical and defensive firearms training school serving military, law enforcement, and qualified civilians. Comparable niche training provider with operator-led instruction similar to Centre's model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-firearms-co

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Centre Support Services