Defense Systems Super 75
We present the first annual Defense Systems Super 75, which recognizes the most innovative and agile companies operating in the net-centric battlespace.
It’s a simple task to rank the nation’s top suppliers of armored vehicles or helicopters, for example, by listing them based on orders or deliveries. It’s another matter to prepare a ranking of defense contractors in the net-centric battlespace, which includes everything from networks and radios to sensors and satellite bandwidth.
Not one to resist a challenge, though, it’s our pleasure to present the first annual Defense Systems Super 75, which recognizes the most innovative and agile companies operating in the net-centric battlespace. The list is based primarily on hard financials gleaned from the Federal Procurement Data System’s Product and Service Codes manual, with the numbers crunched for us by a well-known provider of enterprise software and information solutions.
The rankings, however, are also based on our subjective knowledge of the marketplace: which companies have a successful record of delivery products on time and within budget, which companies have shown a commitment to quality improvement and responsiveness, which companies have made it a priority to respond to the urgent needs of combatant commanders and which companies lead their defense sectors in innovation.
So no surprise that the top five companies on the list—Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and L-3 Communications—are the most diversified within the net-centric marketplace, with market-leading products across multiple sectors.
The middle section of the list include a variety of companies that dominate their markets, and are the go-to companies that the military relies on for specific defense solutions. That includes General Atomics and AeroVironment for unmanned aerial vehicles; FLIR and Boeing for sensors; Intelsat, Inmarsat, Iridium, Artel ViaSat, XTAR and TeleCommunication Systems for satellite communications; and Harris, ITT Exelis and Rockwell Collins for radios.
The bottom third of the list is where it really gets interesting because it’s populated with companies that are specialists in their fields, and provide key systems found few other places. That includes QinetiQ and Mantech, two organizations that have thrived on their advanced research and development, as well as companies like Vion, CDW and Getac that take to heart Moore’s law when it comes to developing new generations of computing hardware.
Defense Systems Super 75
- Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Raytheon Company
- Northrop Grumman Corporation
- General Dynamics Corporation
- L-3 Communications Corporation
- Harris Corporation
- General Atomics Technologies Corporation
- Boeing Company
- FLIR Systems Inc.
- Artel Inc.
- DRS Technologies Inc.
- ITT Exelis
- CACI International Inc.
- URS Corporation
- Aerovironment Inc.
- CGI Group Inc.
- Rockwell Collins Inc.
- Computer Sciences Corporation
- AT&T Inc.
- Intelsat Ltd.
- TeleCommunication Systems Inc.
- BAE Systems plc
- Textron Inc.
- Inmsarsat plc
- ViaSat Inc.
- Unisys Corporation
- VMware Inc.
- Sierra Nevada Corporation
- Serco Group plc
- IBM Corporation
- Paradigm Services/Astrium
- Globecomm Systems Inc.
- Science Applications Interanational Corporation
- Scientific Research Corporation
- Iridium Satellite LLC
- STG Inc.
- SRA International Inc.
- XTAR LLC
- iRobot Inc.
- Vion Corporation
- Verizon Communications Inc.
- Telos Corporation
- CDW Corporation
- ManTech International Corporation
- Ultra Electronics Holdings plc
- Motorola Solutions Inc.
- GeoEye Inc.
- Cubic Corporation
- ARINC Inc.
- QinetiQ Group plc
- Sotera Defense Solutions Inc.
- Immix Group Inc.
- Microsoft Corporation
- Cobham Defence Communications Ltd.
- Thales Group
- EADS NV
- Sprint Nextel Corporation
- DigitalGlobe Inc.
- Blackbird Technologies Inc.
- Dell Inc.
- CenturyLink plc
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- Advanced C4 Solutions Inc.
- Six3 Systems Inc.
- EOIR Technologies Inc.
- Mercury Computer Systems Inc.
- Accenture plc
- Carahsoft Technology Corporation
- GTSI Corporation
- Avaya Federal Solutions Inc.
- Dynamic Systems Inc.
- GETAC Inc.
- Redcom Laboratories Inc.
- GovConnection Inc.
- iDirect Government Technologies Inc.