C-130H Formation Position System Draft RFP

The Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Lifecycle Management Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base issued this special notice regarding C-130H Formation Position System Engineering and Manufacturing Development and Production and Deployment support, with attached draft documentation available for industry review and feedback.

This is a market research notice, not a formal solicitation. The purpose is to solicit contractor questions, comments, and feedback on program requirements to inform future RFP development. The government will update the notice based on continued industry engagement. No contract will be awarded from this notice, and the government will not reimburse costs associated with response.

The program modifies up to 54 C-130H aircraft and up to 7 flight training devices to replace existing Formation Positioning System equipment, addressing Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and 5G frequency interference in the 3450–3550 MHz band. The contractor must deliver design, integration, qualification, ground and flight testing, production of three trial kits during EMD, and production of up to 51 kits during P&D, along with Technical Data Packages, Technical Orders, training, certification documentation, spares, and tooling. The replacement system must integrate with C-130H3 avionics, achieve interoperability with the concurrent C-130J FPS solution, support at least four simultaneous formations with up to 35 aircraft tracked within 20 nautical miles, and meet performance accuracy of 40 feet slant range and 2 degrees bearing.

Eligible offerors are U.S. companies or approved foreign-owned subsidiaries. Large business contractors must submit and obtain approval of a Small Business Subcontracting Plan committing at least 8 percent of Production CLINs to small businesses. The draft RFP specifies a base three-year period with four one-year options, best-value source selection emphasizing Technical Excellence and Past Performance significantly over Price, and submission via DoD SAFE.