By Outrider Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems and instruments. Examples of products made by these establishments are aircraft instruments (except engine), flight recorders, navigational instruments and systems, radar systems and equipment, and sonar systems and equipment.
FY2025 obligations
$18.6B
Contract actions
13,892
IDVs
854
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$17.9B
- Department of Transportation$326.0M
- Department of Homeland Security$158.3M
- Department of State$44.4M
- Department of Commerce$27.7M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 334511 moved $18.6 billion in FY2025. DoD is $17.9 billion, and the civilian remainder is more specific than usual: DOT at $326 million is FAA navigation and surveillance infrastructure, DHS at $158 million is border and maritime sensing, Commerce at $28 million is NOAA instrumentation. Those are three distinct buying communities with almost no overlap in evaluators.
What belongs here
Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems and instruments: radar, sonar, flight instruments, flight recorders, navigational systems. Adjacent codes carve out neighbors that look similar on a datasheet:
- Transmitting and receiving equipment, antennas, and GPS receivers sold as communications gear are 334220.
- Measuring and controlling devices outside the search and navigation family are 334519.
- Bare and loaded boards feeding these systems are 334412.
Competing in this code
The single largest PSC paired with 334511 is R425, engineering and technical support services, ahead of every hardware PSC. A large share of money obligated against this manufacturing code buys people, not units: systems engineering, integration, test, and lifecycle support around fielded sensors. If you hold sensor domain expertise but no production line, you are still a credible 334511 offeror on the services side, and that is a far shorter path to a first award than competing for a hardware production contract with 854 IDVs already in place.
Frequently Asked
NAICS 334511 questions, answered.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 334511?
SBA sets it at 1,350 employees, counted as a 24-month average headcount across your company and every affiliate, not revenue. At or under that number you are small on NAICS 334511 solicitations and eligible for the set-asides in this code.
Which agencies buy sensor and navigation systems under NAICS 334511?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($17.9 billion), DOT ($326 million), DHS ($158 million), State ($44 million), Commerce ($28 million). Outside DoD, the FAA at DOT and Coast Guard and CBP programs at DHS are the two civilian buying communities with recurring sensor requirements.
Can a services firm compete under NAICS 334511?
Yes, and many do. R425, professional engineering and technical support, is the highest-value PSC crosswalked to this code, ahead of every hardware PSC. Systems engineering, integration, test, and sustainment support for fielded radar and sonar systems get bought under 334511 routinely.
What is the difference between NAICS 334511 and 334220?
334511 covers systems that find, track, or navigate: radar, sonar, guidance sets, flight instruments. 334220 covers systems that transmit and receive: radios, antennas, GPS receivers, cellular and broadcast gear. Products that do both are classified by primary function, and the wrong pick routes your registration to a different evaluator pool.
Register Under NAICS 334511
Classify your business correctly to maximize visibility to federal buyers and access small business set-asides.
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