From left, Irma Alvarez-Alexander, deputy director of the NAVAIR Headquarters Office of Small Business Programs, Richard Tarr with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Technology Transfer Office and Colin Wilkinson, NAVAIR’s Small Business Innovation Research technical lead, speak at the “NAVAIR Acquisition On‑Ramp: Small Business and Tech Transition Pathways” panel on Wednesday at Sea-Air-Space Exposition 2026. The panel discussed how NAVAIR is working with small businesses to drive innovation, strengthen its industrial base and deliver new capabilities to the fleet.