Selling PMAs to the U.S. Military

The most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Public Law 119–60 (DEC. 18, 2025) makes it easier for PMA manufacturers to sell parts to the U.S. military.

Section 832 of the NDAA is meant to enhance the defense supply chain resilience as well as enhancing the ability to qualify alternative sources.

Historically, the U.S. military has maintained conflicting policies about the reliance on the FAA’s approval.  That recent law clarifies the government’s position by explaining that the norm will be that FAA-approved parts (like PMA parts) will be accepted without “a separate review and approval process” except in exceptional cases.  Those exceptional cases will require command-level approval, as well as notification to the Congressional Defense Committees.

(b) ACCEPTANCE OF CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY CERTIFICATION.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may not conduct a separate review and approval process for aircraft parts and components and repair processes that have been approved by a civil aviation authority under a Parts Manufacturer Approval or Designated Engineering Representative spare or repair certification and approval processes unless—

(A) a written justification for such additional review and approval process is approved by the commander of a systems command of a military service; and
(B) the Secretary submits such justification to the congressional defense committees.

(2) UPDATE TO SOURCE APPROVAL REQUEST PROCESS.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall update the Defense Logistics Agency Source Approval Request process to establish a uniform evaluation and acceptance methodology, applicable across all military services, pursuant to which spares or repairs with civil aviation authority approval, as described in paragraph (1), shall be qualified for use on military aircraft that have a civil equivalent without requiring an additional, separate certification from the Department of Defense, regardless of whether such spares or repairs are determined to be safety critical items or mission critical items (as defined in section 865(l) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (as added by subsection (a))).

The second paragraph [b(2)] clarifies that this policy is expected to be ensconced in the Defense Logistics Agency’s Source Approval Request process by June 1.

PMA parts manufacturers who have tried to support out military, only to be told that the PMA part needed to be separately approved, should find that this new process makes it easier to sell PMA parts for commercial and commercial-derivative aircraft used by the U.S. military.  This is win for the United States, because it helps to ensure robust supply chains with parts that are approved under an FAA-approved designed standard, and are produced under the FAA’s production quality assurance system oversight.