ETI Starwin Troop Seat IP Secures Strategic Multi-Year LTA for C-5 Modernization

ETI Starwin has captured a critical multi-year Long-Term Agreement (LTA) contract to supply proprietary troop seats for the U.S. Air Force’s C-5 Galaxy modernization program. This award expands the company’s footprint in strategic mobility, reinforcing its role as a key supplier to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the U.S. Air Force’s global fleet sustainment mission.
C-5 Modernization: The Global Reach Backbone
The C-5 Galaxy is unique among U.S. Air Force assets in its ability to carry massive and outsized payloads — including armored vehicles, helicopters, and complete mission systems — across continents. No other single aircraft in the U.S. inventory can match its combination of internal payload volume, range, and strategic lift.

The dual modernization path — the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) and the Reliability Enhancement & Re-engining Program (RERP) — has extended the C-5’s service life well into the 2040’s, delivering greater reliability, shorter takeoff rolls, improved fuel efficiency, and enhanced mission capability. With these upgrades complete across the fleet, the C-5M Super Galaxy remains without rival as America’s strategic global mover.
Recent missions highlight the C-5’s pivotal role in U.S. global posture:
- Transporting armored vehicles, helicopters, and heavy systems into contested theaters.
- Surge deployments to reinforce NATO allies in Eastern Europe.
- Humanitarian relief missions delivering large-scale aid to disaster zones.
- Strategic rebalancing operations to preposition logistics in support of contingency plans.
Troop Seats – A Strategic Component with Proprietary IP
This award tasks ETI Starwin with providing troop seating assemblies — a critical subsystem for aircrews and personnel — for which the company holds the intellectual property (IP). By owning this IP, ETI Starwin ensures sustainment flexibility, design control, and long-term reliability management for the Air Force, eliminating dependence on outside licensors.

Contract Scope & Projected Value Opportunity
The award establishes a 4-year period of performance with a ceiling value of $45 million dollars. This provides the Department of Defense with the flexibility to issue recurring task orders for production, sustainment, and potential upgrades throughout the program’s lifecycle. The structure represents a significant growth opportunity for ETI Starwin as follow-on orders accumulate.
“The C-5 Galaxy is America’s unmatched global mover, and nothing else in the world compares,” said Mike Davis, Director of Business Development. “Securing this 4-year award with a $45 million ceiling underscores our role as a critical partner in strategic mobility. With proprietary IP on troop seats, ETI Starwin is uniquely positioned to keep the C-5 and its supporting fleet mission-ready — giving U.S. forces the reach, agility, and confidence to respond to any threat.”

About ETI Starwin
ETI Starwin is a mission-critical supplier to U.S. defense aviation programs, specializing in high-precision machining, welding, subsystems, assemblies, and sustainment solutions.
With more than 50 years of experience supporting platforms such as the F-35, F-16, Apache, Black Hawk, and now the C-5 Galaxy, ETI Starwin continues to deliver reliability, innovation, and agility to America’s warfighters.