Aerospace Sourcing
Orlando, FL

Aerospace CNC Machining for Orlando Defense Programs

Orlando's machining demand comes from two kinds of defense work: electro-optical sensors and targeting systems built by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, and the military training and simulation systems bought through the Team Orlando commands. Both run on controlled drawings, so plan for export control and CUI handling from the first email.

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Who buys machined parts in Orlando

Most Orlando aerospace machining goes into sensors, lasers and training systems, not airframes or launch vehicles.

BuyerWhat the public record says they do in the Orlando areaMachined parts that come up
Lockheed Martin, Sand Lake Road campusRuns both its Missiles and Fire Control and Rotary and Mission Systems businesses in Orlando. The company lists the F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), the IRST21 sensor, the Legion Pod, F-35 training systems and the eCASS automated test system among products built in Orlando, and shows the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod in its Orlando material.Sensor housings, gimbal and turret structure, optical mounts, pod internal brackets, test station fixtures
Northrop Grumman, ApopkaNorthrop Grumman describes its Apopka operation as producing military lasers and EO imaging sensors for ground, airborne, infrared countermeasure and space applications. Army laser designator rangefinder contracts have been performed there.Laser and sensor housings, optical bench plates, mounts that must hold alignment through temperature changes
Northrop Grumman, Central Florida Research ParkOpened an 88,000 square foot office at 2300 Discovery Drive in 2021 for its Defense Systems work, including immersive synthetic environments, C4I and satellite programs.Mostly engineering and integration, with lab fixtures, racks and prototype hardware
Team Orlando commands and their primesNAWCTSD (Navy), PEO STRI (Army), the Marine Corps Program Manager for Training Systems and the Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation, clustered in the research park beside UCF. Trainers reach them mostly through prime contractors.Crew station structure, control replicas, console frames, motion platform parts, instrumentation enclosures

Sensor programs want precision and stability; trainer programs want fit, finish and fast revisions. Say which one your part supports, because the inspection plan differs.

Sensor and laser hardware: stability matters as much as size

For electro-optical and laser hardware, a part that measures in tolerance on the bench can still fail if it moves after machining. Write the requirements that control that movement into the request.

  • Stress relief and machining sequence. Optical benches and mounting plates in aluminum or steel often need rough machining, a stress relief or stabilization step, then finish machining.
  • Flatness and parallelism on mounting faces. These features usually drive the inspection plan. Ask for the measurement method, not just a pass on the CMM report.
  • Matched thermal expansion. Mounts that hold optics through hot and cold cycles sometimes use controlled expansion alloys or titanium. See controlled expansion alloys and titanium alloys for what those materials do to cost and machining time.
  • Finish callouts. Black anodize, chemical film and specialty coatings on optical paths each have their own spec and approved source rules. Put the exact callout on the PO.

Fine features and small pockets on sensor parts are common. The micro and precision machining page covers which machines and inspection tools those parts need.

Have a part like this?Send it in under a minute. A person replies within 1 business day.

Trainer and simulator parts are a different buy

Training system hardware is low volume, high mix and changes often, so buyers value a shop that can turn a revision quickly over one that runs thousands of identical parts.

A crew station or console usually mixes processes in one assembly: machined control mounts and brackets, formed sheet metal panels, welded frames, harnesses and labels. Sending the whole kit as one request, with each part matched to the shop that suits it, avoids four sets of paperwork and four schedules. See sheet metal fabrication and wire harness assembly.

Two habits help on trainer work:

  • Control the configuration. Trainers track the real aircraft or vehicle, so drawings move through revisions. Put the revision on every line and ask the supplier to confirm it before cutting metal.
  • Check the data markings, even on simple parts. A replica panel or control mount can be cut from technical data that carries an export control or CUI marking because it describes a real weapon system. The marking, not the shape of the part, decides how the files move.

Assume controlled data on Orlando programs

Treat any Orlando defense drawing as controlled until the program says otherwise. Targeting pods, laser designators and replica trainers are typical ITAR or EAR territory, often with CUI markings.

That affects the job in three ways. First, only suppliers set up to receive the data can quote it, which narrows the pool. Second, a shop handling CUI faces CMMC requirements, so ask about its status early. Third, DoD work often brings specialty metals rules for titanium, steel and some nickel alloys; see DFARS specialty metals.

Our process keeps controlled data off the website. Send the non-controlled details first, such as material, envelope size, quantity, finish and need date. Every supplier signs a flow-down NDA before seeing customer files, controlled data moves by secure transfer to US persons only, and suppliers do not learn the end customer unless you approve. The details are on the controlled programs and confidentiality pages.

Freight, the Beachline and the Space Coast

Orlando sits inland, so most aerospace parts move by truck or through Orlando International Airport (MCO), and the Space Coast is close enough to share a supplier base.

  • Air freight. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority's cargo development lead said in January 2026 that integrators carry roughly 70 percent of MCO cargo and that cargo grew about 4 percent in 2025. For small, urgent parts, an integrator shipment out of MCO is the usual path.
  • Foreign Trade Zone 42. MCO is the grantee for FTZ 42, which covers all of Orange County. Zone rules do not change export control obligations.
  • The Beachline. State Road 528 runs about 53 miles from Interstate 4 in Orlando to the Port Canaveral area, passing the north entrance of MCO and meeting I-95 near Cocoa. A machining source in Brevard County is often a same-day truck run from Orlando, and the reverse. See Melbourne, where the defense electronics work is similar, and Cape Canaveral.
  • Weather. Central Florida is humid year round and the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Specify the finish or preservation for parts that will sit before assembly, and ask how a supplier protects work in process when a storm closes roads.

For packaging callouts on delicate sensor parts, see crating and packaging.

What an Orlando defense PO should name

A complete PO for Orlando sensor or trainer work names the configuration, the quality and inspection requirements, the material and finish specs and the export status.

  • Drawing number and revision, plus any engineering orders or deviations.
  • Quality system, usually AS9100, and the prime's own supplier quality clauses.
  • AS9102 first article inspection for new parts and changes. See AS9102 FAI for buyers.
  • Material spec, mill certs traceable to heat or lot, and DFARS specialty metals compliance where it applies.
  • Finish and special processes with approved sources, including any stabilization or stress relief step.
  • Export classification and CUI marking, and who may receive the data.
  • Packaging, preservation and the delivery point and receiving hours.

The RFQ checklist covers each item. Statewide context is on the Florida aerospace parts page, defense buying rules are on the defense contractors page, and the service overview is aerospace CNC machining.

Send an Orlando machining request

Aerospace Sourcing serves buyers anywhere in the United States, including Orlando programs. We match the job to qualified suppliers, flow down your quality, material and export requirements, check the paperwork and deliver with a certificate of conformance, plus other certs when your request calls for them. One quote, one lead time, one point of contact. A person replies within one business day.

If you have sensor, laser or trainer hardware to build, start a CNC request with the non-controlled details, and we will set up secure transfer for the drawings.

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Send the job. A person replies within 1 business day.

Part, quantity and date are enough to start. Drawings and the mutual NDA follow by reply, and controlled programs never send technical data through this site.

Export classification *

Need to attach drawings or sign the NDA first? Use the full request form.

Questions

Can you source machined parts for Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman programs in Orlando?

We source parts for buyers at primes and at their suppliers, matching each job to qualified shops and flowing down the prime's quality clauses, first article, material and finish requirements. We do not claim a relationship with any prime. Tell us which program requirements apply, such as AS9100, AS9102, approved special process sources or specialty metals rules, and we build the request around them.

How do I send ITAR or CUI drawings for an Orlando defense part?

Not through the website. Send the non-controlled details first: material, envelope size, quantity, finish and need date. Every supplier signs a flow-down NDA before seeing customer files, controlled data moves only by secure transfer to US persons, and suppliers do not learn the end customer unless you approve. Our controlled programs and confidentiality pages explain the steps.

Do training simulator parts really need export control handling?

Often they do. A trainer that replicates a fielded aircraft, vehicle or weapon system can be built from technical data that is ITAR or EAR controlled, or marked CUI, even when the part itself is a plain bracket or panel. Check the marking on the drawing, not the shape of the part. If the data is controlled, only suppliers set up to receive it can quote.

Can one order cover machined parts, sheet metal and harnesses for a trainer console?

Yes. Mixed kits are common on trainer and console work. We source the machined parts, formed and welded sheet metal and cable assemblies from the shops that suit each one, flow down the requirements that apply to each part, and return one quote, one lead time and one purchase order, with the paperwork collected in one package at delivery.

What should I specify for optical mounts and sensor housings?

Name the material spec, any stress relief or stabilization step and where it falls in the machining sequence, the flatness and parallelism on mounting faces and how they will be measured, the finish callout with approved sources, and any cleaning or bagging needed before the part reaches an optics area. Leaving these off is the most common reason sensor parts come back in tolerance but still unusable.

Is it worth using a Space Coast shop for an Orlando program?

Often, yes. State Road 528 connects Orlando to the Port Canaveral area in about 53 miles, so a Brevard County shop can usually deliver by truck the same day, and the Melbourne defense electronics cluster does similar precision work. For a special process that needs a specific approval, the right source may be out of state. We split jobs across shops under one purchase order when that fits best.

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