RFI_v2_MPHC_Sources_Sought.pdf

Man-portable, Handheld, Counter-Unmanned System (MPHC) (C-UxS)

CAUTION:

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued by the AFLCMC/EBUW, Small Arms and Light Weapons Program Office, to conduct market research and identify sources capable of providing Man-portable, Handheld, Counter (MPHC)-Unmanned Systems (UmS) solution(s). The outcome is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of counter UmS technology, available solutions, and the capabilities of potential vendors in this field.

The increasing presence of UmS across all domains – air, ground, and maritime – are posing a growing threat to the security of Department of the Air Force (DAF) installations and personnel.

These UmS threats range from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions to one-way attack (OWA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and delivery of hazardous materials.

This multi-domain threat environment exposes a critical vulnerability in the Department of the Air Force’s (DAF) base security posture, jeopardizing the ability to conduct effective operations as required by the National Defense Strategy.

The requirement is for a Man-Portable C-UmS kinetic solution that seamlessly integrates with existing DAF small arms tactics, providing the ability to defeat UmS threats. The desired capability must enable effective engagement of both stationary and moving targets, while demonstrably increasing the probability of threat-ending hits. The desired system should enable the Airman or Guardian to prioritize and engage multiple UmS threats. The MPHC may incorporate one or more solution types to achieve the desired kinetic effect. The design will minimize impact on Airman or Guardian mobility. Compatibility with Joint or DAF owned existing equipment will ensure seamless transition and operational effectiveness across diverse environments. The system will adhere to strict military durability standards and be easily maintained to maximize operational availability. Furthermore, the MPHC will be engineered for interoperability with existing and future base defense systems, enhancing situational awareness and enabling coordinated responses to complex UmS threats. The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) level must be no lower than 7.

The Air Force has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. Contractors/Institutions responding to this market research are placed on notice that participation in this survey may not ensure participation in future solicitations or contract awards. The Government will not reimburse participants for any expenses associated with their participation in this survey. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Request For Information or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-18, Independent Research and Bid and Proposal Costs.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This Request for Information is issued for the purpose of market research in an effort to overcome barriers to competition.

Purpose

The purpose of the RFI is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the Man-portable, Handheld, Counter-UmS (MPHC) technology, available solutions, and the capabilities of potential vendors in this field and identify potential sources that have ready to deploy Counter-UmS capabilities to kinetically defeat hostile UmS threats. The outcome may be an Industry Day or Demonstration Day on a date to be determined.

The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.

Brief Description

The Small Arms and Light Weapons Program Office procures and sustains all small arms and light weapons for the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The proliferation of small, affordable, and highly capable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) poses a significant and growing threat to personnel, critical assets, and operations both domestically and abroad. These systems can be used for hostile intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and as weapon delivery platforms.

To effectively mitigate this threat, the DAF requires a robust, scalable, and layered Counter-UAS defense capability. Consistent with DAF requirements, a man-portable, handheld Counter- Unmanned System (C-UmS) (MPHC) capability is required to enable Security Forces to defeat UAS threats, directly enhancing their operational capabilities within a layered defense.

The primary goal of this Request for Information (RFI) is to identify and assess mature, field-ready, man-portable material solutions capable of providing a kinetic, hard-kill defeat of Group 1 and 2 UAS. In alignment with the SFRD, the desired capability must seamlessly integrate with existing Security Forces small arms tactics and enable effective engagement of both stationary and moving targets, demonstrably increasing the probability of mission-ending hits. This market research is exclusively focused on identifying integrated weapon systems, advanced ammunition, and fire control systems (FCS).

NOTE: This is a focused RFI for kinetic hard-kill capabilities. Solutions that provide defeat via non-kinetic means (e.g., Radio Frequency (RF) jamming, GNSS spoofing, or other electronic warfare effects) are not being sought under this notice and will be considered non-responsive.

Similarly, sensor-only or cueing-only systems (e.g., standalone fixed-site radars) that do not include an integrated kinetic effector are not being sought.

The desired system(s) must be a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) or Non-Developmental Item (NDI) at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 7 or higher, must adhere to a total system weight not to exceed 35 lbs, and must be compatible with existing DAF small arms tactics and employment.

The Government’s minimum acceptable threshold for lethality is a Probability of Defeat Given a Shot (P(d/s)) of ≥ 0.90 against Group 1 and Group 2 Unmanned Systems (UmS) at an effective range of 0 to 150 meters up to < 122 meters above ground level (AGL) (Daylight) and 0 to 100 meters (Night/Low-light).

Respondents MUST provide empirical, documented test data (e.g., live-fire range reports, statistical modeling derived from physical testing, or prior USG test certifications) that clearly demonstrates the proposed system meets or exceeds this ≥ 0.90 P(d/s) threshold against maneuvering aerial targets.

Submissions that provide only theoretical models, static penetration data (e.g., ballistic gelatin tests), or fail to provide empirical P(d/s) data against moving UmS targets will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated further for the purposes of this market research. The Government will not incur costs to test or validate vendor claims that are not substantiated by vendor-provided documentation in this RFI response.

Note: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide Man-portable, Handheld, Counter (MPHC)-Unmanned Systems (UmS) solution(s). The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The DAF has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Responses must be received no later than close of business 31 July 2026.

Please send responses to the following:

• Ricardo Jones ricardo.jones@us.af.mil

• Hayley Brown hayley.brown.2@us.af.mil

• Gerald Singletary gerald.singletary.2@us.af.mil mailto:hayley.brown.2@us.af.mil mailto:gerald.singletary.2@us.af.mil

CONTRACTOR CAPABILITY SURVEY

Lean Depot Management System (LDMS) Sustainment Support

Part I. Business Information

Please provide the following business information for your company/institution and for any teaming or joint venture partners:

• Company/Institute Name:

• Address:

• Point of Contact:

• CAGE Code:

• Phone Number:

• E-mail Address:

• Web Page URL:

• Government Proposed North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code:

332994

• Based on the Government proposed NAICS Code, state whether your company is:

• Small Business (Yes / No)

• Woman Owned Small Business (Yes / No)

• Small Disadvantaged Business (Yes / No)

• 8(a) Certified (Yes / No)

• HUBZone Certified (Yes / No)

• Veteran Owned Small Business (Yes / No)

• Service Disabled Veteran Small Business (Yes / No)

• System for Award Management (SAM) (Yes / No)

• A statement as to whether your company is domestically or foreign owned (if foreign, please indicate the country of ownership).

Responses to the Capability Survey Part I and Part II must be received no later than close of business 31 July 2026. Please ensure data is in a readable electronic format that can be received through a firewall. Attachments shall not exceed 10 MB per email. Multiple emails are acceptable. Responses must be sent via email to the following:

• Ricardo Jones ricardo.jones@us.af.mil

• Hayley Brown hayley.brown.2@us.af.mil

• Gerald Singletary gerald.singletary.2@us.af.mil

Questions relative to this RFI should be addressed to the PCO, Ricardo Jones, ricardo.jones@us.af.mil.

Part II. Capability Survey Questions

A. General Capability Questions:

mailto:hayley.brown.2@us.af.mil mailto:gerald.singletary.2@us.af.mil

1. Describe the nature of the Counter-UmS capabilities you provide.

2. Describe your company's past experience providing services similar in complexity to this requirement. Include contract numbers, a brief description of the work performed, period of performance, agency/organization supported, and individual point of contact (Contracting Officer or Program Manager).

3. Please provide details regarding the following areas of interest:

a. Kinetic Defeat: This RFI is exclusively focused on man-portable, projectile-based kinetic solutions. Please provide details on your proposed capabilities, which may include:

i. Integrated weapon systems (including newly developed, dedicated C-UAS small arms or launchers).

ii. Advanced Fire Control Systems (FCS) / "smart sights."

iii. Specialized ammunition (e.g., 12-Gauge, 5.56mm, 7.62mm, or proprietary calibers).

iv. Any other kinetic effectors or hard-kill mechanisms that meet the ≤ 35 lb system weight requirement.

b. Detection, Tracking, and Identification (DTI), if applicable:

i. Primary Sensors: Radar (e.g., 3D, Active Electronically Scanned Array - AESA), Radio Frequency (RF) detection/analysis

ii. Secondary Sensors: Electro-Optical (EO), Infrared (IR), and acoustic sensors for threat validation and identification.

c. System Attributes, as applicable:

i. Scalability & Modularity: Ability to tailor the system for different missions and environments.

ii. Interoperability: Open architecture design that allows for easy integration of third-party sensors and effectors.

iii. Environmental: Ability to operate in all weather conditions, day and night.

iv. Solution can be a single primary system or a combination of systems (i.e., ammunition, optic, weapon combinations).

4. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your proposed system and its key components

(Minimum TRL 7 required).

5. System Performance (Mandatory Data Submission): The Government’s minimum acceptable threshold for lethality is a Probability of Defeat (P(d/s)) of 0.90 or greater against maneuvering Group 1 and Group 2 Unmanned Systems (UmS) at an effective range of 0 to 150 meters (Daylight) and 0 to 100 meters (Night/Low-light), with a total engagement and neutralization timeline not to exceed 10 seconds from positive target identification.

Respondents MUST provide empirical, documented test data (e.g., live-fire range reports, statistical modeling derived from physical testing, or prior USG test certifications) that clearly demonstrates the proposed system meets or exceeds this threshold. Submissions that fail to provide this data will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated further for the purposes of this market research.

6. Describe the system's open architecture and its ability to integrate with other systems.

7. Deployment and Support:

1. Describe the typical deployment configurations (fixed, mobile, etc.).

2. Outline the training required for operators and maintainers.

3. Describe your company's logistics and lifecycle support capabilities. Specifically, provide engineering or test data demonstrating how the proposed system meets the threshold of an 85% probability of completing a standard 180-day operational deployment without experiencing a critical failure, and how a standard Security Forces defender can perform field-level repairs/component swap-outs in 1 hour or less.

4. What quality assurance standards / processes does your company employ? Provide a description of your quality program (ISO 9001, AS9100, etc.).

8. If providing information for an ammunition solution, vendors shall include as much known data as possible to support an ammunition package and enable a comprehensive technical, safety, logistics, and suitability assessment. Requested information includes item nomenclature; part number; manufacturer or prime contractor; vendor; national stock number (if assigned); associated weapon or gun system; next higher assembly; size and weight of the unpackaged item; explosive composition as listed on the Safety Data Sheet; net explosive weight; physical and functional descriptions; fuze safety features, if applicable; quantity requested; unit price; manufacturer procedures for storage, handling, demilitarization, and disposition; justification and intended statement of use; authorizing directive; copies of all drawings including packaging and container configuration data; details of all testing accomplished; and a detailed summary of specification changes relative to no‑fire, all‑fire, and resistance values. For small‑arms ammunition, submissions shall also include muzzle velocity, chamber pressure, primer and propellant types with composition and charge weights, projectile weight/type/size, and a manufacturer’s statement certifying compliance with Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) standards.

B. Commerciality Questions:

1. Are there established catalog or market prices for our requirement?

2. If you offer this product and/or service to both U.S. Government and commercial sources, is the same workforce used for both the U.S. Government and general public?

3. Is our requirement offered to both under similar terms and conditions? Briefly describe any differences.

C. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM): To assist the Government with long-term program planning and the development of a budgetary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), respondents are requested to provide a non-binding, planning-only Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for their proposed solution.

The ROM should be broken down into major cost categories (e.g., weapon unit cost, sight unit cost, and cost per round of ammunition). To ensure accurate and realistic cost modeling, vendors are requested to provide their ROM pricing based on the Anticipated 10-Year Procurement Profile listed below. Note: These figures are provided for estimation purposes only; final procurement quantities remain subject to Program Office force structure analysis.

Vendors should only provide pricing for the specific categories relevant to their proposed solution:

Category Quantity (For Planning Purposes)

Primary Systems (if proposing an Optic / Fire Control System)

707 Units

Primary Systems (if proposing a standalone Weapon / Launcher)

407 Units

Primary Systems (if proposing specialized Ammunition)

8,682 Rounds

Training Systems / Simulators 54 Units

Test Systems (for First Article / Safety Testing)

4 Units

War Reserve Materiel (WRM) / Attrition Stocks

35 Units

All ROM data submitted will be treated as proprietary market research and will not be used as a basis for contract award.