U.S. Air Force seeks next-gen solutions for aircraft defense
The United States Department of the Air Force has issued a new special notice seeking industry participation in a multi-year effort to develop next-generation aircraft protection technologies, according to a contracting announcement published on November 24.
The opportunity is structured as a Two-Step Closed Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) and will remain active through December 2030.
According to the announcement, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Electronic Warfare Branch, AFLCMC/HNJW, is requesting innovative solutions for a modular, upgradable aircraft protection system built on open-architecture standards. The notice states that the CSO process will involve an initial white paper submission phase, followed by a full proposal if invited.
In a statement included in the notice, AFLCMC/HNJW wrote that it is seeking “unique solutions and innovative ideas to rapidly develop technologies of novel capabilities; and characterize new technologies and system concepts that provide evolutionary, revolutionary, and disruptive capabilities for the United States Air Force through systems requirements development, prototyping, studies, and demonstrations.”
The CSO identifies four Areas of Interest for the development of the Next Generation Aircraft Protection system. These include System Architecture, Modeling and Simulation; The Detect Layer (Sensing); The Decide Layer (Processing); and The Defeat Layer (Countermeasures and Effectors).
According to the notice, vendors with capabilities in advanced sensing technologies are encouraged to participate. The document specifies experience in radio-frequency sensing from HF through EHF, optical sensing across infrared, visible, and ultraviolet bands, laser warning receivers, and acoustic-based sensing. For processing technologies, the Air Force is seeking advanced hardware, software, and algorithms capable of supporting new system architectures.
The service stated that potential countermeasure concepts may include both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches. The notice highlights radar and communications countermeasures, electro-optical countermeasures, and emerging technologies such as high-power microwave and other directed-energy techniques. AFLCMC/HNJW said submissions must demonstrate compliance with the Agile Mission Suite Government Reference Architecture or include a technical roadmap describing a path toward compliance.
The special notice is not a solicitation for immediate contract awards, but it establishes the mechanism through which Calls will be issued over the next five years. Vendors responding to future Calls will need to follow the Two-Step process outlined in the announcement.
This initiative reflects the Air Force’s continuing effort to modernize aircraft survivability against emerging threats. The Five-Year CSO creates new pathways for industry participation in sensing, processing, and countermeasure technologies central to future operations.
