Alaska Defense®
Alaska Defense® is a vertically integrated U.S. manufacturer of expeditionary military shelter systems, ECUs, and base camp infrastructure, selling direct to U.S. and allied defense customers from its Las Cruces, New Mexico facility since 1975.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersLas Cruces, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Alaska Defense® does
Alaska Defense® is a vertically integrated U.S. manufacturer of expeditionary military shelter systems and supporting infrastructure, operating since 1975 from a 375,000+ sq ft facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with 350+ employees. The company is the military division of AKS Industries, Inc. (formerly Alaska Structures®), following a 2022 corporate restructuring that separated defense, commercial, and medical (BLU-MED®) operations. Alaska Defense holds the only USAF-approved Small Shelter System and the official USAF Medium Shelter System designation, supported by 100% Berry Amendment compliance and ISO 9001:2015, CSA, MET, and ISPM 15 certifications.
The core product portfolio centers on tensioned-fabric, powder-coated aluminum-frame shelter systems (Alaska Small Shelter System®, Alaska XP® in 16'/20'/24' widths, the 30' AK30 and 40' AK40 wide-span shelters, plus the Arctic, High Altitude, TUAV, and SkyDome™ specialized variants). These integrate with a complementary ecosystem of Alaska ECU® environmental control units (2.5-10 ton, 12,000-120,000 BTU, 25,000+ deployed), power generation and distribution (15-320 kW), containerized hygiene facilities (shower, latrine, laundry, kitchen/DFAC), tactical light towers, military trailers (AKXterra®, heavy-duty), and accessories (ENERLAYER® insulation, Solar Fly®, CORADEX® flooring, TRACS™ multispectral camouflage). Turnkey base camp solutions scale from 50 to 10,000 personnel.
Alaska Defense sells exclusively direct-to-government through quote-based, multi-year procurement contracts with U.S. military branches (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, USSOCOM), allied foreign militaries (NATO, Montenegro, AFRICOM-aligned nations), and DHS/ICE/CBP. GTM combines government procurement channels, trade shows (AUSA, Air Space & Cyber), facility tours, live demonstrations, and a gated "Build Your Own" portal for .mil/.gov users. A pre-positioned Berry-Compliant stockpile in Gdańsk, Poland supports accelerated European delivery. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company offers a 10-year shelter and ECU warranty, the longest in the military shelter industry.
Alaska Defense® firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alaska Defense®
- Legal name
- AKS Industries, Inc.
- Website
- https://alaskadefense.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Alaska Defense® is a vertically integrated U.S. manufacturer of expeditionary military shelter systems, ECUs, and base camp infrastructure, selling direct to U.S. and allied defense customers from its Las Cruces, New Mexico facility since 1975.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Alaska Defense® is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Las Cruces
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Alaska Defense® business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Military Shelter Systems Sales: Direct sales of expeditionary shelter systems including Alaska XP, Small, Medium, 30', and 40' wide shelter systems. Pricing is quote-based and varies by configuration and quantity. Products sold directly to U.S. military and foreign governments.
- Environmental Control Units (ECUs/ACUs): Sales of military HVAC units ranging from 2.5-ton to 10-ton capacity, including custom ACU and ECU manufacturing services. Integrated with shelter systems or sold separately.
- Turnkey Base Camp Solutions: Complete integrated solutions for military base camps supporting 50 to 10,000 personnel. Includes shelters, hygiene facilities, kitchens, medical facilities, power systems, and life-support infrastructure as bundled packages.
- Support Systems and Accessories: Sales of support equipment including light towers, generators, power distribution systems, trailers, reusable containers, bedding, flooring, and insulation systems. Standalone or bundled with shelter purchases.
- Professional Services: Subject-matter experts provided for training, installation, and on-site support. Field installation team with experience in extreme environments available for customer deployments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based system for government/military buyers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Alaska Defense® product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alaska Defense® designs, engineers, and manufactures expeditionary military shelter systems and integrated base camp infrastructure for the U.S. Department of Defense, allied foreign militaries, and federal agencies. Core products include rapidly deployable soft-wall shelters (Alaska Small Shelter System®, Alaska XP® in 16'/20'/24' widths, Medium Shelter System, AK30 and AK40 large-span), supported by Alaska ECU® military HVAC units, tactical generators and power distribution, containerized hygiene facilities, tactical trailers, and turnkey base camp solutions for 50 to 10,000 personnel.
Product overview
Alaska Defense® is a vertically integrated manufacturer of military shelter systems and expeditionary infrastructure. The product portfolio centers on deployable soft-wall military shelters (Alaska Small Shelter System®, Alaska XP® Shelter System in 16'/20'/24' widths, Medium Shelter System, AK30, and AK40 up to 40' wide) augmented by specialized variants (Arctic Shelter System™ for extreme cold, High Altitude Shelter System for mountainous terrain, TUAV Shelters for drone operations). These shelters integrate with a comprehensive ecosystem of support products including Alaska ECU® HVAC units (2.5 to 10 ton), power generation and distribution systems (15kW to 320kW generators), containerized hygiene facilities (shower/latrine/laundry combinations), tactical light towers (1kW and 3kW), tactical trailers, and camouflage systems (TRACS™). Alaska Defense® also delivers integrated turnkey base camps (50 to 10,000 personnel), medical facilities (field hospitals, negative pressure isolation, BLU-MED® civilian systems), tactical operations centers, and detention facilities. The company offers proprietary accessories including ENERLAYER® insulation, Solar Fly® solar shades, CORADEX Flooring System™, and reusable containers. All products are manufactured in the USA under ISO 9001:2015 and are Berry Amendment compliant, with a 10-year warranty—the longest in the industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Alaska Small Shelter System®: The only USAF-approved Small Shelter System; most widely used military shelter system in history with over 20,000 units deployed worldwide.
- Alaska XP® Shelter System
- Alaska Medium Shelter System®
- Alaska ECU®
- AKXTERRA®
- Alaska SkyDome™
- Alaska TRACS™
- Alaska Arctic Shelter System™
- Alaska Medical Shelter System™
- BLU-MED®
Products and services
- Alaska Small Shelter System®
- Alaska XP® Shelter System
- Alaska Medium Shelter System®
- Alaska 30' Shelter System™ (AK30)
- Alaska 40' Shelter System™ (AK40)
- Alaska Arctic Shelter System™
- High Altitude Shelter System™
- TUAV Shelters
- SkyDome™ Radar Enclosures
- Tactical Operations Centers (TOCs)
- Expeditionary Shower & Latrine Facilities
- Negative Pressure Isolation Facilities™
- Alaska Medical Shelter System™
- Alaska XP® Medical Shelter System
- BLU-MED® Civilian Medical Facilities
- Containerized Combo Hygiene Facilities
- Containerized Shower Facilities
- Alaska ECU® (Environmental Control Units)
- Alaska Xterra® Trailer System
- Turnkey Base Camps
- Portable Detainee Facilities
- Tactical Generators
- Professional Installation and Training Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% reduction in power consumption when using EnerLayer insulation system with Solar Fly
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Alaska Defense®
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Alaska Defense® technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature10 records
Alaska Defense® partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA)coreAlaska Defense maintains membership and active participation in the Association of the United States Army, a nonprofit educational and professional development association serving America's Army and supporters of national defense. Alaska exhibited at the AUSA 2023 Annual Meeting and Exposition.
- National Guard Association of the United States (NGUS)coreAlaska Defense maintains membership in the National Guard Association of the United States, which serves as the Guard's primary advocate in Washington, educating Congress on the roles, capabilities and requirements of the nation's first military force.
- National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)coreAlaska Defense maintains membership in the National Defense Industrial Association, which drives strategic dialogue in national security by identifying key issues and leveraging knowledge and experience of military, government, industry, and academic members.
- Hotes FoundationminorApproximately 25% of Alaska Defense employees have participated in volunteer programs with the Hotes Foundation, traveling to poverty-stricken areas to provide humanitarian assistance. This represents corporate social responsibility rather than business partnership.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Alaska Defense® competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HDT Global: HDT Global designs and manufactures integrated expeditionary systems including deployable shelters, environmental control units, power, and water purification for U.S. and allied militaries. It competes directly with Alaska Defense in soft-wall shelters, ECUs, and turnkey base camp solutions, and has historically supplied DoD programs in adjacent categories.
- Gichner Shelter Systems (Curtiss-Wright): Gichner Shelter Systems, part of Curtiss-Wright's Engineered Materials business, manufactures hard-wall and soft-wall military shelters, expandable containers, and command/medical systems for U.S. DoD. It competes with Alaska Defense in the same expeditionary and containerized product categories, particularly for U.S. Army and SOCOM contracts.
- Weatherhaven Global Solutions: Weatherhaven is a Canadian provider of deployable shelter systems, base camps, and turnkey expeditionary solutions for military, humanitarian, and disaster response customers. It directly competes with Alaska Defense in modular soft-wall shelters, integrated base camps, and mobile medical facilities, with comparable global deployment footprints.
- Zeppelin Mobile Systeme: Zeppelin Mobile Systeme (ZMS), part of the Zeppelin Group, is a German provider of rapidly deployable military shelters, hangars, and integrated base camp solutions for the Bundeswehr and allied forces. It directly competes with Alaska Defense in NATO expeditionary infrastructure tenders and shares comparable combat-proven certifications.
- CAMSS Shelters: CAMSS Shelters is a U.S. manufacturer of military and tactical shelter systems — including deployable soft-wall shelters, ECU/HVAC units, and base camp packages — directly competing with Alaska Defense across U.S. Army, Air Force, and federal agency procurements. Both companies serve expeditionary, billeting, command, and medical use cases with rapid-deploy fabric-on-frame structures.
- Marshall Land Systems: Marshall Land Systems is a UK-based manufacturer of containerized and shelter-based military infrastructure, including deployable command, medical, and accommodation systems for the British MoD and NATO. It directly overlaps Alaska Defense's containerized hygiene, command, and expeditionary medical product lines.
- Röder HTS Höcker: Röder HTS is a German manufacturer of military and disaster relief tent systems, including deployable hangars, base camp shelters, and medical facilities. It is the leading European direct competitor to Alaska Defense in NATO expeditionary infrastructure and competes for the same foreign military tenders, including European and UN mission contracts.
- Utilis SAS: Utilis is a French manufacturer of deployable military shelters, inflatable structures, and containerized field solutions for French Armed Forces, NATO, and UN missions. It is a direct competitor to Alaska Defense in soft-wall expeditionary shelters and integrated base camp packages for European and African theater operations.
Broad incumbents
- KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root): KBR is a large government services contractor providing base operations support, turnkey base camps, and expeditionary logistics to U.S. and allied militaries. While KBR primarily delivers services rather than manufactured shelter systems, it competes with Alaska Defense for integrated turnkey base camp contracts by bundling shelters from third parties with its logistics footprint.
Emerging players
- Litefighter Systems: Litefighter Systems is a smaller U.S. manufacturer of tactical and combat shelters primarily focused on special operations forces, with overlap on Alaska Defense's expeditionary and SOF shelter product lines. It is an emerging competitor in the SOF/lighter-weight shelter segment where Alaska Defense also fields the Alaska XP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Alaska Defense® social profiles
Digital presenceAlaska Defense® compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Alaska Defense® financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alaska Defense® leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Alaska Defense® subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Alaska Defense® funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alaska Defense® M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alaska Defense®
What does Alaska Defense® do?
Alaska Defense® designs, engineers, and manufactures expeditionary military shelter systems and integrated base camp infrastructure for the U.S. Department of Defense, allied foreign militaries, and federal agencies. Core products include rapidly deployable soft-wall shelters (Alaska Small Shelter System®, Alaska XP® in 16'/20'/24' widths, Medium Shelter System, AK30 and AK40 large-span), supported by Alaska ECU® military HVAC units, tactical generators and power distribution, containerized hygiene facilities, tactical trailers, and turnkey base camp solutions for 50 to 10,000 personnel.
Is Alaska Defense® a public or private company?
Alaska Defense® is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Alaska Defense® founded?
Alaska Defense® was founded in 1975. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Alaska Defense® based?
Alaska Defense® is headquartered in Las Cruces, United States, in the North America region.
How does Alaska Defense® make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Military Shelter Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are environmental Control Units (ECUs/ACUs), turnkey Base Camp Solutions, support Systems and Accessories and professional Services.
Who are Alaska Defense®'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HDT Global, Gichner Shelter Systems (Curtiss-Wright), Weatherhaven Global Solutions, Zeppelin Mobile Systeme, CAMSS Shelters, Marshall Land Systems, Röder HTS Höcker and Utilis SAS. KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root) is listed as a broad incumbent. Litefighter Systems is listed as an emerging player.
Does Alaska Defense® have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alaska Defense®.