Post-close · Aerospace & Defense

Aerospace & Defense Platform & Add-On Integration: An Independent Sponsor's Counsel

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors integrating aerospace and defense transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $15M to $200M EV EBITDA $3M to $30M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

Aerospace & Defense deals in the lower middle market run a specific playbook. Platform & Add-On Integration is where the structure either holds or starts to leak.

The typical aerospace and defense platform sits at $15M to $200M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $30M range. The thesis runs on tier-two or tier-three supplier consolidation with certifications as moat. Foreign LP capital can trigger CFIUS review on the cleanest of deals. Map the cap table early.

The moves

How Platform & Add-On Integration actually gets structured.

  1. Plan integration sequencing in the 100-day plan, with clear go-live dates.

  2. Map customer contracts, vendor relationships, and employee benefits for transfer.

  3. Update the platform's operating agreement to reflect new add-on equity and governance.

  4. Coordinate insurance program consolidation across platform and add-on entities.

  5. In aerospace and defense, layer in ITAR / EAR registration transferred or refiled before close as part of the Platform & Add-On Integration workstream.

The common mistake

Leaving the add-on as a parallel entity. The synergies live in the integration, not the addition.

Jason's take
"Integration is when the multiple actually expands. Plan it as a deal, not an aftermath."
Jason Powell · Platform & Add-On Integration
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

Most independent sponsors solve the closing capital and then run into the post-close capital problem alone. The capital markets relationships that matter at month 18 are part of this practice.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
WORK WITH JASON

Bring the aerospace and defense deal. Get Platform & Add-On Integration done right.

Direct counsel from a securities and M&A attorney with billions in structured transactions, the independent-sponsor-native playbook, and the capital markets network that opens up post-close.