Jane Edwards
The U.S. Air Force has begun to seek white papers from industry for a potential $24.9 million program to research, develop, integrate and test novel technology platforms and techniques that work to provide agile data transmission and networking capabilities to aerial platforms.
A FedBizOpps notice posted Tuesday says the solicitation for white papers is part of a broad agency announcement for the Multi-Domain Aerial Warfighting Network Capabilities program that aims to expand the global information grid in an effort to link air, terrestrial and space domains of warfare.
The program also aims to facilitate information delivery to warfighters across the service branch in support of command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions through the development of a transportable, beyond line-of-sight network designed to help troops communicate with any ground, space and aerial assets on the battlefield.
The BAA has four focus areas and those include agile aerial network architecture; information transport performance management; integration and interoperability with GIG; and multi-domain aerial networking.
The Air Force will accept white papers for fiscal year 2018 by Oct. 31 and plans to make multiple awards with a performance period of up to three years under the program.
The BAA will run through Sept. 30, 2022, according to the notice.
