F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter - Aircraft Armament Equipment (AAE)

This is a request for information (RFI). This is not a request for quotes, request for proposal, or a solicitation of any kind, and does not constitute a commitment by the U.S. Government. Responses, in any form, are not and will not be considered offers. The U.S. Government is under no obligation to award any contracts following this RFI. Responses are strictly voluntary, and funds expended in preparing them will not be reimbursed. Place of Performance, currently listed as Arlington, Virginia, is a placeholder location and not the required Place of Performance

Introduction

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), Arlington, VA is conducting market research for the production and management of Aircraft Armament Equipment (AAE). The incumbent Prime Contractor for this scope of work is Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, TX.

The JPO requirement consists of the production and delivery of AAE hardware, including supply chain management and integration with the F-35 system (all variants). The Contractor will need to ensure the procured AAE interfaces with existing F-35 systems, including maintenance systems, and introduces no operational capability gap. The Contractor may be required to partner with Government entities and other Contractors during work performance. Provisioning and cataloguing data will be required deliverables under this contract. The list below represents a non-inclusive list of AAE components and would include any ancillary hardware or equipment required for operational use.

LAU-151 Rail Launcher

Air to Ground Pylon

Air to Air Pylon 

BRU Ejector Racks

Instructions

Responses to the following items are requested. These are intended as general market research: examples and descriptions of individual corporate experience or capability will be considered relevant only to the degree that it is indicative of the marketplace broadly. Responses that address some but not all of the items below are acceptable.

‘Support,’ when used below, refers to support of the requirements summarized in the introduction.

1. Please provide your: company name; address; CAGE code; DUNS number; authorized points of contact, with telephone numbers and email addresses; and webpage URL.
2. What is the value and benefit that your company can provide in relation to this RFI?
3. What data rights would be required to successfully complete the requirement? Please address any dependencies that affect your ability to fulfill the production of the AAE hardware provided.
4. What Government Furnished Property/Equipment would be required to successfully complete this requirement? Please address any dependencies that affect your answer. (This question should be interpreted broadly, to include tooling, support equipment, facilities, etc.)
5. In schedule terms, how far in advance of performance would a contract be required? Please describe all assumptions in your answer. If there is specific Government support or property on which the answer depends, please specify.
6. If performance of this work would require changes/integration to future or current AAE in the enterprise, please explain the necessary data or changes and any other dependencies you foresee with a seamless break-in and transition. This includes and potential integration or interoperability issues you see as risks to successfully integrate into the existing F-35 Air Vehicle.
7. With supply chain requirements and changing demand across the global F-35 fleet, how does your company execute a supply chain management plan? How would this benefit the US Government in terms of cost savings, while preventing escalating costs to the F-35 Joint Program Office?
8. Is your company able to support the manufacture of additional AAE hardware outside the scope of the list provided?
9. What is your company’s capacity to handle delivery of production hardware directly to the end user, including international shipments and necessary ITAR compliance?