The Industry Challenge
Aerospace and Defense operators are under increasing pressure to sustain aging fleets amid supply chain disruptions, skilled labor shortages, regulatory complexity, and rising MRO demand. Regional supply constraints, long lead times, and limited engineering capacity often slow repairs, delay returns to service, and drive up lifecycle costs.
Why It Matters
Aftermarket performance directly impacts mission readiness, safety, and cost control. When repair engineering, service documentation, and fleet data are disconnected, organizations face longer downtimes, repeated failures, and missed opportunities to improve reliability. In mission-critical environments, sustainment is not just maintenance—it is a strategic capability.
Our Approach
QDSS applies an engineering-led, data-driven approach to aftermarket services. We integrate repair engineering, service engineering, fleet data analysis, and root cause corrective action into a unified sustainment model. Our teams work alongside OEMs, operators, and MROs to resolve in-service issues, improve product reliability, and extend asset life—while maintaining compliance and traceability.
We focus on standardization, simplification, and speed, enabling faster decisions, repeatable repairs, and continuous improvement across the fleet.
What We Deliver
- End-to-end repair engineering and disposition support
- Service engineering and maintenance documentation
- Product improvement initiatives driven by in-service data
- Fleet health monitoring and lifecycle analytics
- Root cause investigation and corrective action execution
- Certification-ready documentation and regulatory alignment
Customer Impact
- Reduced turnaround time and faster return to service
- Lower maintenance and lifecycle costs
- Improved fleet reliability and availability
- Fewer repeat failures through data-backed corrective actions
- Extended asset life across commercial and defense platforms
Our Disciplines
Repair Engineering
Engineering ownership of repair design, analysis, and readiness. We develop repair schemes, support deviation approvals, manage vendor qualification, and enable rapid disposition to return assets to service safely and efficiently.
Includes:
- Repair design and structural analysis
- Repair readiness level processes
- Tooling design and management
- Vendor management and qualification
- Deviation and disposition support
Product Improvement Initiatives
Turning in-service experience into measurable product improvement. We analyze operational data to identify reliability gaps, drive cost-reduction initiatives, and improve maintainability across the fleet.
Includes:
- Proactive and condition-based maintenance strategies
- Defect investigation and resolution
- Productivity and cost-reduction improvements
- Life-extension initiatives
- Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) support
Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA)
Structured problem-solving to prevent recurrence. We lead root cause investigations for in-service events, ensuring containment, corrective action, and verification are executed with rigor and traceability.
Includes:
- Team-oriented problem solving (TOPS8D)
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Containment and corrective action execution
- Verification and validation
- Quality escape management
Service Engineering
Sustaining products in operation through accurate, actionable service content. Our teams resolve field issues, manage service bulletins, and ensure maintenance documentation reflects real-world operating conditions.
Includes:
- Service bulletin development and execution
- Field issue investigation and resolution
- Maintenance publications and service documents
- Customer-fielded hardware management
- Data reduction and analysis
Product Fleet Data Management & Analysis
Data-driven insights that inform sustainment decisions. We consolidate fleet data to support health monitoring, maintenance planning, and lifecycle optimization.
Includes:
- Fleet health monitoring
- Maintenance planning and optimization
- Earned Value Management (EVM)
- System-level analysis and reporting
- Probabilistic life analysis
- Procedure documentation and validation
Chris Hardgrave joined Quest Defense in April 2024 as Vice President for Strategic Accounts. He is responsible for sales, growth, and development of strategic relationships for new business development efforts in the Aerospace and Defense sector. Chris works in the Washington, D.C. office.
As Chief Engineer for Quest Defense, Jon is responsible for ensuring that sound engineering processes are maintained and followed by our employees working in a diverse set of services and disciplines across all verticals. In this role he also leads Quest Defense’s efforts to develop new methods and technologies to help grow the business through innovation, as well as building and promoting the technical reputation of the company in the public sphere.
Jeff Fischer serves as a board member for Quest Defense Systems and Solutions business. Additionally Jeff is the Operations Leader for the Quest Global Aerospace and Defense Industry.
Steve Gerber is President and CEO of QuEST Defense Systems and Solutions business and is responsible for providing the leadership and growth of this venture.
Joe supports Special Missions across Quest Global to include key client contract negotiations, strategic business solutions, M&A, and culture endeavors.
Frank Kendall is an independent consultant to defense industry firms and non profit research organizations. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a member of th e Council on Foreign Relations. Among other industry positions, he is a member of the board of directors of Leidos Corporation and of Leonardo Electronics USA Inc. From 2012 to 2017, Mr. Kendall served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, T echnology and Logistics (AT& after serving as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary from 2010 2012. Mr. Kendall has over 45 years of experience in engineering, management, defense acquisition, and national security affairs in private industry, governmen t, and the military.
John Thackrah is the founding Principal of Sextant Solutions LLC, an aerospace, maritime and government acquisition consultant.
Page Hoeper is a private consultant, corporate director, and venture capitalist. Since leaving government service, Mr. Hoeper has focused on corporate governance and board service. He chairs the boards of OnPoint Technologies, Inc., 501c(3) venture capital fund established by Congress to focus on emerging commercial technologies of interest to the U.S. Army, and Quest Defense Systems & Solutions, a provider of engineering services to the U.S. defense industry.
As the President of Quest Global, Bob is responsible for establishing and maintaining senior customer relationships, catalysing new business development, and overseeing innovative and transformational deals. In this role, he also assists in building relationships with strategic acquisitions for the company.