LMTF - Advanced Radiation Environment Simulator (ARES)

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) is conducting market research to identify qualified offerors capable of providing comprehensive engineering services for the design, construction, integration, and testing of an Advanced Radiation Environment Simulator (ARES)—a Blumlein Flash X-Ray machine to be located at Hill Air Force Base's Little Mountain Test Facility (LMTF) in Ogden, Utah. This system will support nuclear hardness and reliability testing of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) weapon systems, including the Sentinel program and Minuteman III sustainment. Prospective contractors must be approved under NAICS 334517 (Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing) and demonstrate specialized experience with Blumlein simulator technology, high-voltage spark gap trigger design, radiation shielding, and delivery of comparable systems achieving Technical Readiness Level 6. The evaluation will assess company qualifications, baseline ARES design experience, and proposed program plans submitted as white papers. Responses to this Sources Sought (RFI) must be submitted by February 27, 2026 at 4:00 PM Mountain Standard Time to designated AFNWC program managers.

This pre-solicitation notice contains no set-aside designation, and no incumbent contractor is referenced in the available documentation. The anticipated contract will operate over a 7-year ordering period with incremental phasing, with work beginning prior to Milestone B and extending through Full Operational Capability anticipated in late 2034 (allowing approximately two years for final ARES assembly, integration, and testing following facility completion in late 2032). Key performance requirements include an exposure area of 5.6-7 centimeters radius, peak endpoint energy of 5 megaelectron volts, a repetition rate of 2-4 shots per hour, and operational availability exceeding 80-90 percent. The contractor will be responsible for all engineering, design, manufacturing, installation, and qualification testing services, with deliverables including technical data packages compliant with MIL-STD-31000B, systems requirements documentation, preliminary and critical design reviews, and comprehensive cost and software data reporting. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in this pre-solicitation notice.