USAF F-16 Next-Generation Mission Compute (NGMC) Upgrade for Combat Capabilities for F-16, Blocks 40/42/50/52

SOURCES SOUGHT / CAPABILITIES REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (CRFI) Name/Subject: USAF F-16 Next-Generation Mission Compute (NGMC) Upgrade for Combat Capabilities for F-16, Blocks 40/42/50/52 Notice ID, Unique identifier: FA8615-26-RFI-F16UPGRADE Contract Opportunity Type/Notice Type: Sources Sought NAICS Code: 334511 Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing Product Service Code (PSC): 1680 Miscellaneous Accessories and Components Place of Performance: Hill AFB, UT, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and/or Contractor Facilities. Response Date: 30 days from publication Point of Contact (POC): Contracting Officer: Jason Brown, jason.brown.148@us.af.mil Contract Specialist: Zaria Gray-Goodnight, zaria.gray-goodnight@us.af.mil 1.0 INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE This is a Request for Information (RFI) / Sources Sought notice issued by the Department of War, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Fighters and Advanced Aircraft (WA), F-16 Program Office (DEPT OF WAR / DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE / AFMC / AFLCMC / WAM (F-16 Division). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this CRFI is to conduct market research to identify potential sources (including small businesses, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, and WOSB) with the capabilities and manufacturing maturity to design, develop, manufacture, and integrate a Next-Generation Mission Compute (NGMC) upgrade for combat capabilities for USAF F-16 Blocks 40/42/50/52. The NGMC program aims to align with the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) warfighting approach and deliver a significant increase in reliability and processing performance while maintaining compatibility with the existing F-16 infrastructure. This upgrade is critical for addressing current capability gaps and enabling future modernization efforts. With regards to a potential future solicitation, the Government may consider either a FAR-based contract or an Other Transaction (OT) agreement. For market research purposes, the Government is also posting an RFI for this requirement through a SOSSEC Consortium Other Transaction Agreement. If you are interested in becoming a member of the SOSSEC Consortium, please contact them at outreach@sossecinc.com. 2.0 BACKGROUND / REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION 2.1 Program Overview: The USAF F-16 NGMC subsystem is intended to be a replacement for the F-16 Post-Block Modular Mission Computer (MMC) for both USAF and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Partners. The NGMC will support the current F-16 functional requirements, rehost, and execute the legacy MMC Operational Flight Program (OFP). The NGMC must be a form, fit, and function (FFF) replacement for the legacy MMC, utilizing the same physical space and existing aircraft wiring where possible. The solution must be designed for efficient, cost-effective installation and a two-level maintenance concept. The NGMC will be a strategic pivot from the current, monolithic avionics architecture to a modern, software-defined architecture and provide an efficient path for increased reliability and performance far beyond the current F-16 MMC. It must provide flexibility to accommodate significant growth by quickly integrating new and updated Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) compliant hardware modules. The NGMC will be a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) based solution. HW will conform to DoD-mandated SOSA standards. This modular HW approach will allow flexibility to best fit both USAF and an exportable configuration for FMS Partners with the expectation that the chassis, power system, Input/Output (I/O), and safety critical processing modules would be common. The Agile Mission Suite (AMS) Government Reference Architecture (GRA) will be used for the software (SW) framework where applicable. This architecture, coupled with a robust DevSecOps pipeline, will enable the continuous delivery of SW-defined capabilities, ensuring the platform is positioned to rapidly adapt and win for years to come. A key enabler of the new MOSA architecture is to break vendor lock for HW upgrades. The intent of the Government is to have maximum flexibility and agility to upgrade with modular open standards based HW from a large and robust industrial base. To best support this mindset and approach the Government prefers COTS or modified COTS over custom HW modules/cards. In cases where modified COTS or custom modules are proposed, vendors should be prepared to present the technical and business case justifying the choice. The degree to which the system is open and the ease it can be adapted to future needs will be a key part of the grading criteria. A primary goal of this effort is to establish physical separation of the safety-critical (real-time DAL C) and mission-critical (non-real-time DAL E) compute resources. Any deviation from physical separation must be rigorously justified based on a trade-off analysis that includes the full lifecycle cost of certifying and maintaining a mixed-criticality system. Part of the solution will be an Open Missions Systems (OMS) isolator service (gateway or boundary protection) between the safety-critical and mission-critical that exposes an AMS GRA compliant interface. Another goal of the effort is to establish a common, automated development ecosystem. The Government plans to continue working with the 309 Software Engineering Group (SWEG) as the main SW provider for USAF F-16. The Government will also want the flexibility to use other SW providers with unique skills and/or products, or simply to increase manpower in order to deliver more capability in less time. A continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline will be needed along with an extensible digital ecosystem that includes all participants. The FMS OFP is currently developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and in some cases allows for indigenous development. This will likely be a different SW/HW configuration to meet FMS Partner needs; however, a CI/CD pipeline and extensible digital ecosystem will be required. Ideally, the solution will provide a single digital ecosystem supporting both FMS and USAF configurations and deliverables. 2.2 High-Level System Requirements Requirement information regarding physical and mechanical, performance and processing, software and functionality, cybersecurity and supportability of the NGMC are contained in Attachment 2 Requirement Description. This is a controlled attachment that contains Export Control, Controlled Unlcassified Information (CUI), Controlled Technical Data. To access this document, you must have an approved DD Form 2345 on file with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). In order to access, click the attachment title and provide justification for access. Provide the Cage Code for the request. The Cage Code must match the Cage Code on the approved DD Form 2345. 3.0 REQUESTED INFORMATION (CAPABILITY STATEMENT) Interested parties are requested to submit a Capability Statement addressing the following areas. Responses should be concise and directly address the requirements. 3.1 Company Information Requirement - Description Basic Data - Company Name, Address, CAGE Code, and Unique Entity ID (UEI). Business Size - Indication of business size and socioeconomic status under the specified NAICS code. Security & Clearances - Current Facility Clearance Level (FCL) and ability to safeguard Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Points of Contact - Full Name, Position/Role held with company, Phone Number, Email 3.2 Technical & Manufacturing Capabilities Respondents must explicitly address their approach to and Technical Maturity in the following: Technical Approach: Describe your technical approach to meeting the processing, thermal, and SWaP-C constraints of the F-16 platform. Describe if this is a current system that can meet the requirements, a current system that would be updated to meet the requirements, or if the technical approach is to create a new system. Open Systems: Detail your experience and specific methodologies for ensuring true MOSA/SOSA compliance. Describe your approach to upgrading and expanding the resources (general purpose processing, storage, GPU, AI/ML, etc.) so that the chassis will be able to support the F-16 for many years to come. Explain any experience you have with the AMS GRA and integrating applications or skills from various 3rd party SW providers seamlessly. Detail any experience and your approach to rehosting a legacy OFP in partnership with the 309 SWEG. Fixed-wing Aircraft (AC): Describe relevant experience working with fixed-wing AC as it pertains to fighter aircraft avionics, modular mission computers, and similar military aerospace integrations. Manufacturing Readiness: Describe your current manufacturing capacity. Specifically explain how your facilities support the successful transition from Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) to Full-Rate Production (FRP)…