Greenbriar Equity Group, L.P. is announcing the formation of Applied Aerospace & Defense (AA&D), an enduring platform focused on empowering mission success for leading space and defense technology companies by rapidly developing and providing highly engineered hardware that performs when it matters most. An innovative leader in design and materials engineering, Applied Aerospace & Defense brings decades of advanced manufacturing excellence to the delivery of complex, mission-critical hardware and systems for aircraft, rotorcraft, satellites, launch vehicles, and missile-defense applications. AA&D was created through the transformational combination of Applied Aerospace and PCX Aerosystems, two well-established suppliers with a nationwide network of highly specialized, purpose-built facilities. AA&D supports a balanced mix of next-generation technology and platform development, large scale production programs, and aftermarket sustainment for long-life platforms with massive installed bases. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Applied Aerospace & Defense brings together over 120 years of mission-critical engineering and manufacturing expertise, a combined workforce of more than 1,300 professionals, and approximately 1.3 million square feet of engineering, advanced manufacturing, and integration facilities across nine U.S. locations. Operations span complementary capabilities in metallic, composite, and polymer manufacturing for critical systems that must reliably perform under the extremes of aviation, spaceflight, and maritime environments.

“We’re proud to be partnering with Applied Aerospace & Defense as it expands critical U.S. capabilities in support of priority defense and space programs,” said Noah Blitzer, Managing Director at Greenbriar. “This combination underscores Greenbriar’s focus on building market-leading, disruptive aerospace and defense platforms positioned for long-term growth, while strengthening supply-chain reliability and resilience across the domestic industrial base.”

“Greenbriar’s long-term commitment to aerospace and defense, and their experience building scaled, differentiated manufacturing platforms make them the ideal partner to bring Applied Aerospace and PCX together,” said Trip Ferguson, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Applied Aerospace & Defense. “With Greenbriar’s support, we are investing behind our people, facilities, and capabilities to provide even greater capacity, reliability, and value to our customers across critical defense, space and aviation programs.”

The formation of Applied Aerospace & Defense comes at a time of disruptive technology innovation and record demand for manufacturing excellence within the U.S. industrial base across aircraft, rotorcraft, unmanned systems, missile defense, and commercial space. By combining the capabilities and talent of both companies into a unified and cohesive platform, Applied Aerospace & Defense aims to provide its customers with access to a unique combination of qualified processes, advanced manufacturing capacity, expansive and proprietary subject matter and technology expertise, and a long-term approach to agile and responsive supply chain partnership.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel, Lincoln International served as financial advisor to Applied Aerospace, and Perella Weinberg Partners served as financial advisor to PCX Aerosystems.