Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source | STAR XIII MCs
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- FA862526CB001
- Agency
-
AFLCMC Wright Patterson AFB
Lifecycle Management Center, Department of Defense
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 336413 Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing
- PSC
- 1510 Aircraft, Fixed Wing
- Place of performance
- Austin, Texas, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base has issued a Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source for the manufacture and delivery of Sanders Technology and Advanced Reduced Instruction Set (STAR) XIII Mission Computers. The contract will be awarded on a sole source, firm-fixed-price basis to BAE Systems, located in Austin, Texas. This special notice was posted on April 7, 2026, with a due date of April 22, 2026. The procurement falls under NAICS category 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing) and PSC category 1510 (Aircraft, Fixed Wing). The notice is intended to inform the public of the government's intent to proceed with a non-competitive award based on statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1).
The Air Force requires approximately 829 STAR XIII Mission Computers to support the C-130J fleet and address obsolescence issues with legacy STAR VII and STAR IX systems. BAE Systems is identified as the sole source capable of fulfilling this requirement, as the company is the original equipment manufacturer with proprietary ownership and control of the STAR XIII hardware, along with the only validated and operational production line. The government lacks the necessary technical data, intellectual property rights, and licensing agreements to pursue competitive procurement, and developing an alternative solution would require approximately 10 years and an estimated cost exceeding $325 million, creating critical capabilities gaps and potential aircraft groundings. No set-aside was used for this procurement. Contractors should note that the statutory authority for this sole source award is DFARS 205.205-71, and a Sources Sought Synopsis was previously posted to SAM.gov under Notice ID STARXIIIMC2025.
Notice text
NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, C-130J Program Branch (AFLCMC/WLNK), intends to award a sole source, Firm-Fixed-Price contract to BAE Systems, located in Austin, TX. This action will be for the manufacture and delivery of the Sanders Technology and Advanced Reduced Instruction Set (STAR) XIII Mission Computers (MCs) in support of the C-130J fleet.
The Government requires the procurement of approximately 829 STAR XIII Mission Computers to meet agency requirements and mitigate operational readiness risks associated with the obsolescence of the legacy STAR VII and STAR IX MCs. National Stock Number (NSN): 6610-01-723-6214. Part Number: 697960-13
BAE Systems is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the only known source with the requisite knowledge, experience, and technical data to produce the STAR XIII MCs. The STAR XIII MC hardware is a proprietary system owned and controlled by BAE Systems. The U.S. Government does not possess the technical data, intellectual property, or license rights necessary to support a competitive procurement. Awarding the contract to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency's requirements. It is estimated that developing a replacement would take approximately 10 years and cost upwards of $325M, creating a critical capabilities gap and leading to the grounding of C-130J aircraft. BAE Systems maintains the only validated and operational production line for the STAR XIII MCs and possesses an established supply chain, mitigating the risk of production delays.
The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), as implemented by RFO 6.103-1(b), which states that supplies or services may be procured from only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.
In accordance with DFARS 205.205-71, a Sources Sought Synopsis (Notice ID: STARXIIIMC2025) was posted to SAM.gov from August 18, 2025, to October 3, 2025. No responses indicating an ability to perform the requirement were received from any source other than BAE Systems.
This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Responses must be received within fifteen (15) calendar days of this notice's publication date. Any questions regarding this acquisition should be directed to the Contract Specialists, Tyran Knaff at e-mail: tyran.knaff@us.af.mil or Contracting Officer, Danielle Weeks at e-mail: danielle.weeks@us.af.mil.
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