RFI for Robust Communications (RoCo) for Sub-Sonic Targets
Closed Pre-Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- N00019-27-RFI-PMA208ROCO
- Agency
-
Naval Air Systems Command
Department of the Navy, Department of Defense
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Place of performance
- Patuxent River, Maryland 20670, United States
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), on behalf of Program Management Office Aerial Targets (PMA-208), is issuing a Request for Information to solicit industry capability for a robust, high-bandwidth, long-range communications solution for Subsonic Aerial Targets, with responses due by July 20, 2026. This is market research only; the government may use responses to inform a potential prototype project under Other Transaction Authority (10 U.S.C. 4022), but this RFI does not constitute a solicitation, commitment to award, or obligation to compensate respondents.
The RoCo (Robust Communications) solution must address critical gaps in the current Navy Command Data Link architecture: limited range (approximately 200 nautical miles), insufficient data rate (current 230.4 kbps maximum), signal loss from airframe masking, and incompatibility with Link-16 and operational platforms. The solution functions as the Command and Control transmitter/receiver layer, integrating with the existing System for Naval Targets Control (SNTC) and supporting BQM-177 and BQM-34 target aircraft.
Performance thresholds require 200 nautical mile range minimum (objective: global operations from CONUS), 1.0 Mbps data rate threshold (objective: 30 Mbps), transponder flight control system and downlink update rates of at least 10 Hz, and peak signal latency under 1.0 second. Airborne hardware must meet strict Size, Weight, and Power constraints: 3.5" H × 6.5" W × 7" D, 7.8 pounds maximum, 28 VDC at no more than 2 amperes.
Capability statements must address technical approach, cost and schedule estimates, and collaboration with OEMs—Kratos (BQM-177), Northrop Grumman (BQM-34), and Micro Systems, Inc. (SNTC). An industry briefing was held at the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium Membership Meeting on June 25, 2026. Estimated production quantities are 200–600 airborne components and 75–250 ground components. Award of an Other Transaction prototype agreement is estimated for Q2 FY2027. All information must be unclassified.
Notice text
3 versions
Update #3 · Latest ·
DISCLAIMER
THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. THE GOVERNMENT MAY USE THE INFORMATION RECEIVED TO INFORM A POTENTIAL PROTOTYPE PROJECT UNDER OTHER TRANSACTION AUTHORITY (OTA), PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. § 4022. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI IS VOLUNTARY AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT COMPENSATE ANY RESPONDENT FOR ANY COST INCURRED IN DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL; YET IS A MARKET RESEARCH TOOL TO DETERMINE POTENTIAL FIRMS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THE SUPPLIES DESCRIBED HEREIN PRIOR TO AN ISSUANCE OF A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY FOR ANY INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM POTENTIAL SOURCES AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ANY KIND. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR NON-FAR BASED AGREEMENT (E.G. OTHER TRANSACTION) AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. FAILURE TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE WILL NOT PREVENT A COMPANY FROM PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE COMPETITION RELATED TO PMA208’S ROBUST COMMUNICATIONS FOR SUB-SONIC TARGETS. INFORMATION PROVIDED SHOULD BE UNCLASSIFIED. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED MAY BE REVIEWED AND USED ACROSS THE GOVERNMENT (INCLUDING WITH CONTRACTOR SUPPORT PERSONNEL).
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), on behalf of the PMA-208 Aerial Targets Program Office, is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to seek industry's capability to provide a robust, high-bandwidth, and long-range communications solution for its Subsonic Aerial Targets (SSAT) fleet.
PMA-208 provides threat-representative aerial targets for test, evaluation, and training. Current SSAT communication architectures are primarily based on Navy Command Data Link (NCDL) and other Line-of-Sight (LOS) radio systems. These systems have limitations that hinder the ability to simulate complex, long-range threats and collect comprehensive data.
For a detailed breakdown of the Government’s current technical assessment, capability gaps, system constraints, and performance objectives, respondents must thoroughly review Attachment 1: RoCo Technical Background and Capability Gaps.
NAVAIR is considering awarding one or more Other Transaction Agreements (OTA), pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022 “Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects,” for Robust Communications (RoCo) for Sub-Sonic Targets.
The Government reserves the right to pursue production of a successful prototype(s).
The Government is considering utilizing the Naval Air Systems Consortium to potentially award one or more OTAs pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022 “Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects”. This effort will be briefed by the Government at the NASC Membership Meeting on 25 June 2026. This forum is limited to the members of the NASC. For more information about membership as well as the Robust Communications briefing, please visit nascsolutions.org.
UPDATE (10 July 2026): The deadline for responses has been extended to 20 July 2026. Please continue to monitor this SAM.Gov for further updates.
UPDATE (13 July 2026): See updated RFI instructions and Attachment 3: Frequently Asked Questions. While the Government is not accepting meetings prior to the RFI deadline, the Government, at its sole discretion, may coordinate meetings/phone calls with vendors that have submitted an RFI response after the 20 July deadline to further conduct market research and get clarfications on RFI responses.
Update #2 ·
DISCLAIMER
THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. THE GOVERNMENT MAY USE THE INFORMATION RECEIVED TO INFORM A POTENTIAL PROTOTYPE PROJECT UNDER OTHER TRANSACTION AUTHORITY (OTA), PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. § 4022. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI IS VOLUNTARY AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT COMPENSATE ANY RESPONDENT FOR ANY COST INCURRED IN DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL; YET IS A MARKET RESEARCH TOOL TO DETERMINE POTENTIAL FIRMS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THE SUPPLIES DESCRIBED HEREIN PRIOR TO AN ISSUANCE OF A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY FOR ANY INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM POTENTIAL SOURCES AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ANY KIND. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR NON-FAR BASED AGREEMENT (E.G. OTHER TRANSACTION) AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. FAILURE TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE WILL NOT PREVENT A COMPANY FROM PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE COMPETITION RELATED TO PMA208’S ROBUST COMMUNICATIONS FOR SUB-SONIC TARGETS. INFORMATION PROVIDED SHOULD BE UNCLASSIFIED. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED MAY BE REVIEWED AND USED ACROSS THE GOVERNMENT (INCLUDING WITH CONTRACTOR SUPPORT PERSONNEL).
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), on behalf of the PMA-208 Aerial Targets Program Office, is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to seek industry's capability to provide a robust, high-bandwidth, and long-range communications solution for its Subsonic Aerial Targets (SSAT) fleet.
PMA-208 provides threat-representative aerial targets for test, evaluation, and training. Current SSAT communication architectures are primarily based on Navy Command Data Link (NCDL) and other Line-of-Sight (LOS) radio systems. These systems have limitations that hinder the ability to simulate complex, long-range threats and collect comprehensive data.
For a detailed breakdown of the Government’s current technical assessment, capability gaps, system constraints, and performance objectives, respondents must thoroughly review Attachment 1: RoCo Technical Background and Capability Gaps.
NAVAIR is considering awarding one or more Other Transaction Agreements (OTA), pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022 “Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects,” for Robust Communications (RoCo) for Sub-Sonic Targets.
The Government reserves the right to pursue production of a successful prototype(s).
The Government is considering utilizing the Naval Air Systems Consortium to potentially award one or more OTAs pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022 “Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects”. This effort will be briefed by the Government at the NASC Membership Meeting on 25 June 2026. This forum is limited to the members of the NASC. For more information about membership as well as the Robust Communications briefing, please visit nascsolutions.org.
UPDATE (10 July 2026): The deadline for responses has been extended to 20 July 2026. Please continue to monitor this SAM.Gov for further updates.
Update #1 ·
DISCLAIMER
THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. THE GOVERNMENT MAY USE THE INFORMATION RECEIVED TO INFORM A POTENTIAL PROTOTYPE PROJECT UNDER OTHER TRANSACTION AUTHORITY (OTA), PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. § 4022. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI IS VOLUNTARY AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT COMPENSATE ANY RESPONDENT FOR ANY COST INCURRED IN DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL; YET IS A MARKET RESEARCH TOOL TO DETERMINE POTENTIAL FIRMS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THE SUPPLIES DESCRIBED HEREIN PRIOR TO AN ISSUANCE OF A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY FOR ANY INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM POTENTIAL SOURCES AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ANY KIND. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR NON-FAR BASED AGREEMENT (E.G. OTHER TRANSACTION) AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. FAILURE TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE WILL NOT PREVENT A COMPANY FROM PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE COMPETITION RELATED TO PMA208’S ROBUST COMMUNICATIONS FOR SUB-SONIC TARGETS. INFORMATION PROVIDED SHOULD BE UNCLASSIFIED. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED MAY BE REVIEWED AND USED ACROSS THE GOVERNMENT (INCLUDING WITH CONTRACTOR SUPPORT PERSONNEL).
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), on behalf of the PMA-208 Aerial Targets Program Office, is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to seek industry's capability to provide a robust, high-bandwidth, and long-range communications solution for its Subsonic Aerial Targets (SSAT) fleet.
PMA-208 provides threat-representative aerial targets for test, evaluation, and training. Current SSAT communication architectures are primarily based on Navy Command Data Link (NCDL) and other Line-of-Sight (LOS) radio systems. These systems have limitations that hinder the ability to simulate complex, long-range threats and collect comprehensive data.
For a detailed breakdown of the Government’s current technical assessment, capability gaps, system constraints, and performance objectives, respondents must thoroughly review Attachment 1: RoCo Technical Background and Capability Gaps.
NAVAIR is considering awarding one or more Other Transaction Agreements (OTA), pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022 “Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects,” for Robust Communications (RoCo) for Sub-Sonic Targets.
The Government reserves the right to pursue production of a successful prototype(s).
The Government is considering utilizing the Naval Air Systems Consortium to potentially award one or more OTAs pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022 “Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects”. This effort will be briefed by the Government at the NASC Membership Meeting on 25 June 2026. This forum is limited to the members of the NASC. For more information about membership as well as the Robust Communications briefing, please visit nascsolutions.org.
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