When Applied Aerospace & Defense Inc. (NYSE:AADX) rang the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, it marked the public debut of a company with roots stretching back to 1900, a time when the word “aerospace” did not yet exist. 

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Applied Aerospace & Defense was technically born in December 2025, stitched together from two privately held manufacturers by private equity firm Greenbriar Equity Group. 

But the bones of the company are far older. PCX Aerosystems, one half of the merger, was founded in 1900, predating powered flight itself. 

The other half, Applied Aerospace, has its own 70-year heritage dating to 1954, just years after the sound barrier was broken.

All-Star Customer List

Longevity could be considered the backbone of a customer list that reads like a who’s-who of the defense and space economy: Boeing Co.