AOI 27-A001 Resilient Airborne Free-Space Optical Communications Turret

The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command seeks to prototype and demonstrate a flight-certified, aero-optically resilient dual-turret optical communications and optical time-transfer system for airborne operations in GPS/RF-denied environments, with solution briefs due October 15, 2026. This is a Commercial Solutions Opening presolicitation structured as a 16-month single-phase prototype effort under a potential other-transaction agreement.

Place of performance is Hanahan, SC. Interested entities may submit solutions to one or both of two Lines of Effort. Line of Effort 1 addresses an FAA-certified, rughedized airborne optical terminal and gimbal system tailored to NASA's Pilatus PC-12 research aircraft, including dual-turret fabrication, high-bandwidth pointing/acquisition/tracking control with jitter suppression, aero-optical modeling and CFD analysis validated via wind tunnel testing, structural finite element analysis and airworthiness certification to NASA standards, and adaptive optics for multi-spectral propagation. Line of Effort 2 addresses an air-qualified monostatic optical transceiver telescope operating in the C-Band with 5W maximum transmit power, single-mode fiber interface, multi-axis fast steering mirror with 1kHz threshold and 10kHz objective bandwidth, MIL-STD shock/vibration/thermal certifications, and 80–125mm clear aperture supporting demonstration distances to 30km. Solution briefs (maximum 15 slides or 5 pages) must be submitted via Vulcan-sof.com by 2359 EDT October 15. Selected briefs advance to Phase 2 virtual pitches tentatively scheduled October 29–30, focusing on solution overview, technical demonstration with real-time telemetry processing and line-of-sight stabilization, and execution roadmap to flight demonstration. Preference is given to entities demonstrating mature optical tracking, gimbal control, and aero-optical mitigation technologies at TRL 6/7 with prior airborne instrumentation design, finite element flight load analysis, high-speed optical beam steering, outdoor laser range testing, wind tunnel verification to transonic speeds, and NASA/DoD flight integration and airworthiness experience. Contractors must be capable of handling Controlled Unclassified Information with no facility clearance requirement. Any awarded prototype other transaction agreement may result in direct award of a follow-on production agreement without competitive procedures. NAICS 541715; PSC AC13.