Defense Systems Super 75

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

1. Lockheed Martin Corporation
2. Raytheon Company
3. Northrop Grumman Corporation
4. General Dynamics Corporation
5. L-3 Communications Corporation
6. Harris Corporation
7. General Atomics Technologies Corporation
8. Boeing Company
9. FLIR Systems Inc.
10. Artel Inc.
11. DRS Technologies Inc.
12. ITT Exelis
13. CACI International Inc.
14. URS Corporation
15. Aerovironment Inc.
16. CGI Group Inc.
17. Rockwell Collins Inc.
18. Computer Sciences Corporation
19. AT&T Inc.
20. Intelsat Ltd.
21. TeleCommunication Systems Inc.
22. BAE Systems plc
23. Textron Inc.
24. Inmsarsat plc
25. ViaSat Inc.
26. Unisys Corporation
27. VMware Inc.
28. Sierra Nevada Corporation
29. Serco Group plc
30. IBM Corporation
31. Paradigm Services/Astrium
32. Globecomm Systems Inc.
33. Science Applications Interanational Corporation
34. Scientific Research Corporation
35. Iridium Satellite LLC
36. STG Inc.
37. SRA International Inc.
38. XTAR LLC
39. iRobot Inc.
40. Vion Corporation
41. Verizon Communications Inc.
42. Telos Corporation
43. CDW Corporation
44. ManTech International Corporation
45. Ultra Electronics Holdings plc
46. Motorola Solutions Inc.
47. GeoEye Inc.
48. Cubic Corporation
49. ARINC Inc.
50. QinetiQ Group plc
51. Sotera Defense Solutions Inc.
52. Immix Group Inc.
53. Microsoft Corporation
54. Cobham Defence Communications Ltd.
55. Thales Group
56. EADS NV
57. Sprint Nextel Corporation
58. DigitalGlobe Inc.
59. Blackbird Technologies Inc.
60. Dell Inc.
61. CenturyLink plc 
62. Hewlett-Packard Company
63. Advanced C4 Solutions Inc.
64. Six3 Systems Inc.
65. EOIR Technologies Inc.
66. Mercury Computer Systems Inc.
67. Accenture plc
68. Carahsoft Technology Corporation
69. GTSI Corporation
70. Avaya Federal Solutions Inc.
71. Dynamic Systems Inc.
72. GETAC Inc.
73. Redcom Laboratories Inc.
74. GovConnection Inc.
75. iDirect Government Technologies Inc.