Sourcing Obsolete Aerospace Parts Safely
When a part goes out of production, you can still buy it from authorized stock, from independent distributors with testing and traceability, or by building a new source from drawings, but each path carries a different counterfeit and qualification risk. Aerospace Sourcing searches those paths for you, flows down your traceability and testing requirements and delivers with a cert package.
What obsolete parts sourcing covers
It covers any part your program still needs after the original manufacturer stopped making it, stopped supporting the revision you qualified, or cut it to a minimum order you cannot use. On space and defense programs that list is long, because hardware stays in service for decades while commercial parts turn over in a few years.
Typical requests include:
- Electronic components: integrated circuits, discrete semiconductors, passives, connectors and relays
- Electromechanical items: switches, solenoids, motors, sensors and transducers
- Mechanical parts: fasteners, bearings, seals, fittings and valve components to legacy part numbers
- Assemblies and line replaceable units no longer built by the original supplier
- Raw material in a form, temper or specification revision that is no longer stocked
The work is part detective job and part quality job. Finding a part is only useful if you can prove it is genuine and conforms.
Start by confirming why the part is unavailable
Before buying anything, check whether the part has a discontinuance notice and whether the manufacturer named a replacement. That one step often turns a hard search into a simple form-fit-function swap.
The Government-Industry Data Exchange Program, GIDEP, is the place to look. DoD directed the services to use GIDEP as the central repository for discontinuance notices, and it also designated GIDEP as its centralized database for sharing Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) information. GIDEP also carries reports on nonconforming items and suspect counterfeit items. Membership is free to US and Canadian government agencies and their industry partners. Under FAR 52.246-26, contractors covered by the clause must screen GIDEP reports as part of their quality system to avoid using or delivering counterfeit items and items with major or critical nonconformances.
If the notice names a replacement, your engineering group still has to approve it, but that is usually faster than buying aging stock.
The sourcing paths, from lowest to highest risk
Buy from the original manufacturer or its authorized channel whenever you can. Move down the list only when you have to, and add verification as you go.
- Original component manufacturer or authorized distributor. Parts come with the manufacturer's certificate of conformance and an unbroken trail. Some manufacturers keep last-time-buy stock or license aftermarket production to an authorized aftermarket maker.
- Your own and your customers' excess inventory. Program surplus with original packaging and records is often the best source for older parts, if the storage history is documented.
- Independent distributors and brokers. They can find stock nobody else can, but traceability is often broken. Use only those operating to a recognized counterfeit avoidance standard, and plan for inspection and testing.
- New manufacture from drawings. For mechanical parts, a qualified shop can build to print if you own or can obtain the technical data and rights to use it.
- Reverse engineering, emulation or redesign. When no data exists, the part is measured, analyzed and recreated, or replaced with a new design. This carries the most engineering and qualification work.
Counterfeit avoidance standards and clauses to require
Require a recognized counterfeit avoidance system from anyone in the chain who is not the original manufacturer, and flow down the contract clauses that apply to you.
SAE's counterfeit standards split the work by role:
| Standard | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| AS5553 | Manufacturers and users of electronic parts |
| AS6174 | Users of materiel other than electronic parts |
| AS6081 | Independent distributors and brokers of electronic parts |
| AS6496 | Authorized and franchised distributors of electronic parts |
| AS6171 | Test laboratories performing counterfeit detection testing on electronic parts |
AS9120 is the quality management standard for aerospace distributors that stock and pass parts along without manufacturing them, and it puts heavy weight on preserving traceability from the original manufacturer to the customer.
On defense work, two DFARS clauses usually drive the requirements. DFARS 252.246-7007 sets the criteria for a contractor's counterfeit electronic part detection and avoidance system, including training, inspection and testing, traceability, reporting and quarantine. DFARS 252.246-7008 sets an order of preference for electronic parts: the original manufacturer or its authorized channel first, then contractor-approved suppliers when parts are no longer in production or in stock there, and other sources only with prompt written notice to the contracting officer and inspection, testing and authentication that the contractor is responsible for. If your contract carries either clause, put it in the request so it is flowed to every tier.
Our counterfeit parts avoidance guide goes deeper on the clauses, the standards and the inspection and test methods behind them.
Paperwork to expect with obsolete parts
The paperwork has to show where the part came from and what was done to prove it is genuine. Ask for:
- The original manufacturer's certificate of conformance, or as much of the chain of custody back to it as exists
- Manufacturer part number, date code and lot code, matched to the physical parts
- Storage and handling history for older stock, including moisture sensitive device handling for electronics
- Inspection and test reports when parts come from outside the authorized chain, identifying the test lab and methods
- For newly made mechanical parts, material certs, special process certs and an AS9102 first article report
- A certificate of conformance to your purchase order, which every order we deliver includes
Decide your acceptance rules before you buy. For example, whether you accept parts without manufacturer certs if testing passes, and whether any date code is too old for your use.
Substitutes and form-fit-function replacements
A replacement part that matches form, fit and function is often the cleanest answer, but only your engineering authority can approve it. The supplier's job is to find candidates and the data to judge them.
- Manufacturer named replacements. Discontinuance notices sometimes name a successor part. Compare the datasheets line by line, including temperature range, screening level, package and materials, because a successor is not always a drop-in.
- Other qualified sources. Some military and space parts are listed under specifications with more than one qualified manufacturer. Another approved source for the same specification may still be in production.
- Upscreened or uprated parts. Using a commercial or lower grade part with added screening is an engineering and reliability decision with its own risks. Treat it as a design change, not a purchasing shortcut.
When you send a request, say whether substitutes are welcome and who approves them. That one line keeps the search from stopping at the first exact match that is out of stock.
Old stock has its own risks
Even genuine parts can be unusable if they sat too long or were stored badly. Ask about age and storage before you accept a lot.
- Electronic parts can pick up moisture or develop solderability problems over time, so moisture sensitive devices need documented dry storage or baking, and older lots may need solderability testing.
- Elastomer seals and o-rings often carry cure dates and shelf life limits set by your specifications.
- Adhesives, sealants and other chemicals have expiration dates that cannot be extended without the manufacturer's or your engineering approval.
- Packaging matters. Parts out of original packaging, or mixed lots in one bag, should trigger extra inspection.
Rebuilding obsolete mechanical parts from drawings
For fittings, brackets, bushings and many valve components, building a new source is often more reliable than chasing old stock. The work then looks like any aerospace machining job, plus a qualification step.
- Technical data. You need a drawing at a known revision, or a sample and enough engineering to create one. Check who owns the data and whether you have the rights to use it with a new supplier.
- Material. Old drawings may call out specifications that have been superseded. Your engineers decide the equivalent, not the shop.
- Source approval. On many programs the design authority must approve a new source before parts can be installed.
- First article. Expect a full AS9102 first article on the first lot from the new source.
Our aerospace CNC machining page covers what to require from the shop that builds the replacement.
What drives lead time on obsolete parts
Search time is unpredictable, and verification time is not optional. The main drivers are:
- How many sources still hold the part, and whether any are authorized
- Whether the quantity you need exists in one lot or must be assembled from several
- Inspection and testing for parts from outside the authorized chain
- Engineering approval of a substitute or a new source
- For rebuilds, material, machining, outside processing and first article
We do not promise that a part can be found or how long it will take. A person replies within one business day with what we know so far, and rush requests are prioritized.
How to write an obsolete parts request
Give the searcher every identifier you have and your acceptance rules up front. Include:
- Manufacturer part number, original manufacturer name or CAGE code, and your internal part number
- Quantity needed now and over the remaining life of the program
- Next higher assembly and how the part is used, so substitutes can be judged
- Approved alternates, if any, and whether you will consider a form-fit-function replacement
- Date code limits, packaging requirements and storage needs
- Required paperwork and testing, and the DFARS or prime contract clauses that apply
- Need date, and whether a partial quantity helps
- Export control status of the part and any data you will share
Drawings for rebuilds follow the same rules as any controlled data. See our confidentiality page.
How Aerospace Sourcing handles obsolete parts
We search, qualify and coordinate. We do not run machines ourselves, and we do not hold an inventory of obsolete parts. When a request comes in, we look for the part through appropriate channels, line up inspection or testing where your rules require it, or match a rebuild to a qualified shop.
- One quote, one point of contact and one purchase order across the sources, test labs and shops involved
- Your traceability, testing and counterfeit avoidance requirements flowed down to each supplier
- Paperwork checked before shipment, with a certificate of conformance on every order
If we cannot find a source we are comfortable with, we tell you instead of shipping risk.
Defense programs carry the heaviest counterfeit and sustainment requirements, and our page for defense contractors covers how we support primes and subs that need obsolete parts alongside small business suppliers and build-to-print work.
Request an obsolete parts search
Send the part numbers through the obsolete parts request form. It is preset for obsolete parts so the form asks for date code limits, quantities and required paperwork, which are the details that decide whether a found part is usable. A person will reply within one business day.
Questions
Is buying from an independent distributor always risky?
It carries more risk than buying from the original manufacturer or an authorized distributor, because the chain of custody is often broken. That risk can be managed. Use distributors that operate to AS6081 for electronic parts, require inspection and testing appropriate to the part, and set acceptance rules before you buy. On defense contracts, DFARS 252.246-7008 sets added conditions when parts come from outside the authorized chain, so check your clauses first.
What is GIDEP and do I need to use it?
GIDEP, the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program, is a shared database of discontinuance notices, nonconforming item reports, suspect counterfeit reports and other technical data. DoD made it the central repository for discontinuance notices. Membership is free to US and Canadian government agencies and their industry partners. If your contract includes FAR 52.246-26, you must screen GIDEP reports as part of your quality system.
Can you have an obsolete part remade from a drawing?
Often, yes, for mechanical parts. A qualified shop can build to print if you have a drawing at a known revision and the right to use it with a new supplier. Your engineers decide material equivalents for superseded specs, the design authority may need to approve the new source, and the first lot normally gets a full AS9102 first article inspection.
What is the difference between AS5553 and AS6081?
They cover different roles in the supply chain. AS5553 is for organizations that design, build or use electronic parts and need a counterfeit avoidance and mitigation process. AS6081 is for independent distributors and brokers that buy and resell electronic parts. A buyer typically runs its own program under AS5553 or AS6174 and requires AS6081 from any independent distributor it uses.
What paperwork should come with obsolete electronic parts?
Ideally the original manufacturer's certificate of conformance and a complete chain of custody. When that is not available, require inspection and test reports from a qualified lab, part markings matched to the paperwork, date and lot codes, and storage history. Every order we deliver includes our certificate of conformance, and other documents are flowed down when your request requires them.
Do you guarantee you can find an obsolete part?
No. Some parts simply no longer exist in usable condition or traceable quantity. What we can do is search appropriate channels, tell you what we find and what risk comes with it, and suggest a rebuild or substitute path when stock is not a good option. A person replies within one business day so you know quickly where the search stands.
Related
Sources
- NASA OSMA: GIDEP overview
- GAO: Defense Inventory, Extent of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources Problems
- AcqNotes: Government-Industry Data Exchange Program
- Acquisition.gov: DFARS 252.246-7007
- DLA: DCMA perspective on counterfeit mitigation and DFARS 252.246-7008
- Acquisition.gov: DFARS 252.246-7008 Sources of Electronic Parts
- Lockheed Martin MFC: DFARS 252.246-7008 supplier requirements
- DLA: SAE counterfeit standards overview (AS5553, AS6174, AS6081, AS6496, AS6171)
- SAE: AS6174 Counterfeit Materiel
- TUV NORD: AS9120 quality management for aerospace distributors
Ready to
source it?
A person replies within 1 business day. NDA first.
Request a quote