PSC AC23: National Defense R&D Services; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; Experimental Development

AC23 is the product and service code (PSC) federal agencies use for national defense r&d services; atomic energy defense activities; experimental development, in the r&d – missile & space sys group. Here are the contracts open under it now, the NAICS codes it pairs with, and who buys and wins this work.

Open contracts now
1
Spending, FY2026
$895.9 million
Share to small businesses
9%

Open contracts with PSC AC23, due soonest

Where AC23 sits in the PSC Manual

  • Category: Research and Development
  • Group AC: C – National Defense R&D Services
  • Group AC2: R&D – Missile & Space Sys
  • Code AC23: National Defense R&D Services; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; Experimental Development

NAICS codes used with PSC AC23

The NAICS code on a contract sets the size standard for who counts as small. These are the codes agencies pair with AC23 most often:

NAICSIndustrySpent, last 3 years
332993Ammunition (except Small Arms) Manufacturing$1.1 billion
541715Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)$1.1 billion
334220Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing$614.6 million
541712Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Except Biotechnology)$514 million
541330Engineering Services$318.3 million
541511Custom Computer Programming Services$178.2 million

Who buys under PSC AC23

Agencies with the most contract dollars under AC23 over the last three fiscal years, per USAspending.gov:

AgencyObligated
Department of the Air Force$2.3 billion
Missile Defense Agency$1.2 billion
Department of the Navy$273.9 million
Department of the Army$249.3 million
Defense Logistics Agency$12.9 million
Executive Office of the President$249,000
Food and Drug Administration$88,650
Defense Microelectronics Activity$72,943

Federal spending under PSC AC23 by year

Fiscal yearContract obligations
FY2024$1.8 billion
FY2025$1.4 billion
FY2026$895.9 million
FY2027 (so far)$0

Who wins PSC AC23 contracts

CompanyObligated, last 3 years
Raytheon Company$1.1 billion
Amentum Technology, Inc.$437.6 million
The Boeing Company$406 million
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC$395.9 million
Lockheed Martin Corporation$260.2 million
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation$209.3 million
Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory$178.2 million
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation$145 million
Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation$97.4 million
Lockheed Martin Corporation$82.4 million

Related PSC codes

  • AC21 National Defense R&D Services; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; Basic Research
  • AC22 National Defense R&D Services; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; Applied Research
  • AC24 National Defense R&D Services; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; R&D Administrative Expenses
  • AC25 National Defense R&D SVCS; Atomic Energy Defense Activities; R&D Facilities & Maj Equip
  • AC26 R&D – Defense System: Missile/Space Systems (Management/Support)
  • AC27 R&D – Defense System: Missile/Space Systems (Commercialized)

Frequently asked questions

What is PSC AC23?

AC23 is the research and development code in the federal Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual for national defense r&d services; atomic energy defense activities; experimental development, under AC (C – National Defense R&D Services) and AC2 (R&D – Missile & Space Sys). Agencies put a PSC on every contract to record what they bought.

What is the difference between a PSC and a NAICS code?

A PSC describes what the government is buying. A NAICS code describes the industry of the business doing the work, and it sets the SBA size standard for small business set-asides. Every contract notice has both.

Which NAICS code goes with PSC AC23?

Most federal contract dollars under PSC AC23 go with NAICS 332993 (Ammunition (except Small Arms) Manufacturing), according to USAspending.gov. The contracting officer picks the NAICS code for each solicitation, so check the notice.

How do I find contracts that use PSC AC23?

Contract opportunities are posted on SAM.gov with their PSC and NAICS codes. 1 open notices use PSC AC23 right now. FedReady can match new ones to your business and email you, free.

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