Kaman

What Kaman does

Kaman Corporation is a precision engineered components manufacturer founded in 1945 and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets through two reportable segments: Aerospace and Defense, and Industrial Distribution. The company operates a federation of nine specialized sub-brands — Bal Seal Engineering (spring-energized seals, canted coil springs, electrical contacts), EXTEX Engineered Products (certified aftermarket aerospace parts), GRW and RWG (precision bearings), Kaman Air Vehicles (K-MAX and SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters), Kaman Composites (metallic and composite aerostructures), Kaman Fuzing (fuzes and safing/arming devices), Kaman Measuring (non-contact displacement and speed sensors), and Kamatics (self-lubricating bearings and flexible drive systems). Each sub-brand addresses demanding technical requirements in aerospace, defense, medical, dental, semiconductor, energy, and general industrial applications, with products qualified to stringent OEM and government certifications.

Kaman's business model is anchored by long-term supply contracts with major aerospace and defense prime contractors — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus are explicitly named enterprise customers — and by direct sales of engineered products to industrial OEMs. Revenue mechanics are dominated by hardware sales of qualified components under multi-year program agreements, with the industrial distribution segment adding volume through third-party industrial bearings, seals, and fluid-power products. The company maintains a global operating footprint with manufacturing, engineering, and commercial sites across the United States (Connecticut, California, Arizona, Colorado, Vermont), Germany (Rimpar, Höchstadt), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), and Hong Kong. Kaman was taken private in January 2024 when The Carlyle Group acquired the company for approximately $1.8 billion in an all-cash transaction, and in April 2025 divested its KARGO UAV program to Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, refocusing the portfolio on precision components rather than whole aircraft.

Name

Kaman

Legal name

Kaman Corporation

Website

https://kaman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Kaman Corporation is a precision engineered components manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. It operates nine specialized sub-brands supplying seals, bearings, fuzes, sensors, composites, and helicopters to primes like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace and Defense Precision Engineered Components

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (3364), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Ball & Roller Bearings (3562), Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Bearings, Bushings & Motion Components (IMABANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military/Defense Helicopter Manufacturing (IMABABAB), Aerospace Seals, Gaskets, O-Rings & Elastomeric Components (IMABANAF), Ordnance Components & Subassemblies (Casings, Liners, Guidance Sections) (IMABAHAL), Special-Mission Fixed-Wing Aircraft Manufacturing (ISR, AEW&C, Patrol) (IMABAAAH)

Keywords

• Aerospace components manufacturing
• Defense fuzing systems
• Precision engineered bearings
• Unmanned aerial systems
• Industrial distribution supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aerospace and Defense Segment: Precision engineered components for aerospace and defense markets including helicopters, composites, fuzing, measurement systems, seals and bearings. Relies on long-term contracts with prime contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus.
2. Industrial Distribution Segment: Distribution of precision parts and engineered products to industrial markets

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Kaman designs, engineers, and manufactures highly engineered aerospace and defense products, including precision bearings, spring-energized seals, fuzing and safing/arm devices, precision displacement sensors, composite aerostructures, and manned and unmanned aircraft systems such as the K-MAX helicopter and SH-2G Super Seasprite. It also operates an industrial distribution business selling bearings, seals, and related MRO supplies to OEM and MRO customers.

Product overview

Kaman Corporation is a precision engineered components manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets through two segments: Aerospace and Defense, and Industrial Distribution. The company operates multiple specialized sub-brands rather than a single unified platform. Key product lines include Bal Seal Engineering (spring-energized seals and contacts), EXTEX (aftermarket aerospace parts), GRW and RWG (precision bearings), Kaman Air Vehicles (K-MAX and SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters), Kaman Composites (aerostructures), Kaman Fuzing (munitions fuzes and safing/arming devices), Kaman Measuring (displacement sensors), and Kamatics (self-lubricating bearings). Note: Kaman Air Vehicles' KARGO UAV program was divested to Piasecki Aircraft in April 2025, and Kaman Precision Products and Kaman Composites have become separate companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bal Seal Engineering: Spring-energized seals, canted coil springs and contacts for critical equipment protection
• EXTEX Engineered Products
• GRW
• Kaman Air Vehicles
• Kaman Composites
• Kaman Fuzing
• Kaman Measuring
• Kamatics
• RWG

Products and services

• K-MAX Heavy-Lift Helicopter
• SH-2G Super Seasprite Naval Helicopter
• KARGO Unmanned Aerial System
• Self-Lubricating Bearings (Kamatics)
• Seals, Springs, and Contacts (Bal Seal Engineering)
• Precision Bearings (GRW and RWG)
• Displacement Sensors (Kaman Measuring)
• Fuzing and Safing/Arm Devices (Kaman Fuzing)
• Composite and Metallic Aerostructures (Kaman Composites)
• Aerospace Aftermarket Parts (EXTEX Engineered Products)
• Industrial Distribution of Bearings and MRO Supplies

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Piasecki Aircraft Corporationformer - asset divestitureStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Piasecki Aircraft acquired Kaman Air Vehicles' KARGO UAV program, including all intellectual property and assets. The program received an initial $12 million award and completed autonomous flight testing with U.S. Marine Corps and Army. Demand projected to exceed 300 aircraft. Operations relocated to Piasecki's Heliplex facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Triumph Group: Triumph Group designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs, and overhauls aerospace and defense structural components, control systems, and accessories, directly competing with Kaman Composites, Kamatics, and Kaman Air Vehicles in support of major aerospace and defense programs.
• Park Aerospace Corp. Park Aerospace (formerly Park Electrochemical) produces composite materials and parts, including composite aerostructures and laminate structures for aerospace and defense applications, directly comparable to Kaman Composites Vermont.
• HEICO Corporation: HEICO operates two segments: Flight Support Group (FAA-approved aftermarket replacement parts for aircraft components, similar to EXTEX) and Electronic Technologies Group (mission-critical components for aerospace and defense, similar to Kaman's precision engineered components).
• Senior plc: Senior plc is a UK-based manufacturer of precision engineered components for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets, with comparable fluid conveyance, structural, and high-precision engineered product offerings for prime contractors and OEMs.
• Ducommun Incorporated: Ducommun provides engineering, manufacturing, and after-market support for aerospace and defense structural components and electronic systems, with comparable exposure to commercial and military fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms via long-term prime contractor relationships.
• Moog Inc. Moog designs and manufactures precision motion control products and systems for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets, with direct overlap to Kaman in precision components, fuzing-related actuation, and high-reliability engineered subsystems.

Emerging players

• Hexcel Corporation: Hexcel is a leading manufacturer of advanced composite materials for commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial markets. The recent appointment of Kaman's former CEO to Hexcel's board underscores direct comparability of composite aerostructures product lines.

Broad incumbents

• TransDigm Group: TransDigm is the leading acquirer and operator of proprietary, sole-source aerospace components with a similar business model of embedding precision parts into long-cycle commercial and defense platforms, much like Kaman's bearing, seal, and engineered product lines.
• Curtiss-Wright Corporation: Curtiss-Wright manufactures highly engineered, mission-critical components and systems for defense, commercial aerospace, and industrial markets, with comparable product breadth in precision motion control, sensors, and defense electronics across similar long-cycle customer programs.

Regional players

• AAR Corp: AAR provides aviation aftermarket services and parts distribution to commercial and government customers globally, with comparable aerospace aftermarket parts distribution and MRO parts supply overlap with Kaman's EXTEX engineered products business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kaman
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaman-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A25 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Kaman