RFI-RAP-26-01_ Dist A.pdf

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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Title: Novel Thermal and Power/Energy Management Architectures for Hypersonic Applications

Issuing Office: [AFRL/RAPT] Date of Issuance: July 15, 2026 Response Deadline: August 15, 2026

1.0 General Information

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue a RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued.

Submission of an abstract is voluntary. Respondents are advised that AFRL is under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted under this RFI.

Please do not submit any classified information. Information received in response to this RFI will be safeguarded adequately from unauthorized disclosure. To ensure this protection, it is the responsibility of the responding company to clearly mark and identify all proprietary information to prevent inadvertent disclosures.

This publication constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) as defined in Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) 15.101(c), RFIs may be used when the Government does not currently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

Controlled by: Department of the Air Force, AFRL/RAP

Distribution/Dissemination Control: Distribution A

PA#: AFRL-2026-2938

POC: Justin DelMar, 385-633-7383 justin.delmar.1@us.af.mil

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2.0 Background and Problem Statement

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting market research to identify and assess industry capabilities for onboard enthalpy management, including power generation, thermal management, and integrated thermal and power technologies for future reusable hypersonic aircraft systems.

Hypersonic flight regimes present significant challenges for power generation and thermal management. Onboard systems require power to operate from takeoff before acceleration to cruise and deceleration to landing, advanced avionics, sensor payloads, and flight control actuators, all while the vehicle experiences extreme external temperatures from aerodynamic heating.

The survivability and performance of these critical onboard sub-systems are directly dependent on a comprehensive thermal management system capable of managing immense heat loads, which may exceed the heat-sink capacity of traditional high fuel flowrate baselines. This system must maintain all mission-critical components within their strict temperature operating limits to ensure vehicle integrity and mission success, especially as the vehicle approaches and reaches its cruise condition.

This RFI seeks information on novel concepts, validated modeling approaches, and risk-reduction strategies for mid-term (defined in section 2.1) auxiliary power technologies, components, and systems which generate necessary mechanical and/or electrical power as an integrated alternative to discrete thermal battery architectures; thermal management technologies, components, and systems requiring innovative fuel technologies and/or fluid-based cooling solutions beyond onboard fuel; and integrated power & thermal subsystem technologies. The primary purpose of this effort is to inform near-term program needs and mid-term program development.

2.1 Delivery Period: Mid-term refers to achieving a system level TRL 5+ (completed integrated ground demonstration) by 2030-2035. Near-term (<2030) and Far-term (>2035) are not the focus of this RFI.

3.0 Key Technical Areas of Interest

• Onboard Power Systems for Hypersonic Vehicles

• Alternative Thermal Management Strategies

• Propulsion & Fuel System Integration

• Vehicle Systems Integration & Operability

• Actuation and Flight Control

• Modeling, Analysis, and Demonstration

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4.0 Response Guidelines

RFI Title: Novel Thermal and Power/Energy Management Architectures for Hypersonic Applications Notice ID: RFI-RAP-26-01 Issuing Office: AFRL/RAP

• One summary quad and a maximum of 20 charts per response

• The government anticipates having a Virtual Stakeholders’ Forum, in mid-

September 2026, to discuss this potential future research area. Each respondee to this RFI may request to present their response to this RFI verbally to a government-only audience, not to exceed 30 minutes.

• More details and technical requirements are available in the Distribution D RFI.

Please contact Contracting Officer, Kenya Martin to request a copy. This is restricted and only applies to contractors who are permitted to receive documents at this distribution level.

5.0 Points of Contact (POC)

The following are your government POCs for this acquisition. Please ensure that any correspondence to the government references the RFI Name and is addressed to the individuals listed below. The government requests that all inquiries be made by writing via e mail.

Verification of government receipt or questions of a technical nature can be directed to the cognizant technical points of contact (TPOCs):

Name Title Email Justin Delmar Primary TPOC Justin.delmar.1@us.af.mil Mitch Boisel Program Manager mitch.boisel@us.af.mil

Any requests for clarification must be received no later than seven (7) business days prior to the close of this RFI in order to receive a timely response.

Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant Contracting Officer, as specified below:

Name Title Email Kenya Martin Contracting Officer kenya.martin.1@us.af.mil

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6.0 Additional Information

Any questions submitted in response to this RFI may or may not be answered by the Government POCs and may or may not be published. Any answers published by the Government would only be intended to provide clarification on the information requested.

Thank you for your time and effort in responding to this RFI. Your input is a critical component in the development of our acquisition strategy.