This Solicitation opportunity from Department Of Defense was posted on October 7, 2026. The submission period has ended. Browse the details below for market research, or find similar active opportunities.

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AOI 27-A001 Resilient Airborne Free-Space Optical Communications Turret

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27-A001Federal

Submission Closed10/16/2026, 03:59:00 AM UTC

Contract Overview

Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.

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NAICS: 541715

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Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division

POSTED

3 days ago

DEADLINE

in 29 days

AI Contract Overview

NIWC Atlantic, under the Department of Defense, is soliciting prototypes for a flight-certified, aero-optically resilient dual-turret optical communications and optical time-transfer system. This initiative, identified as AOI 27-A001, aims to mitigate risks associated with high-threat electronic warfare and GPS or RF-denied operational domains that threaten Department of Navy and Marine Corps fleet operations. The goal is to enable ultra-high-bandwidth communications and high-precision timing synchronization across multi-domain nodes, supporting tactical concepts like Distributed Maritime Operations and Joint All-Domain Command and Control without relying on vulnerable satellite navigation or RF spectra. The project is structured as a Commercial Solutions Opening divided into two primary lines of effort: the development of an airborne optical terminal and gimbal system, and the creation of an air-qualified optical transceiver telescope. Over a 16-month period, the selected provider will handle the design, fabrication, and flight testing of the system using NASA research assets. The resulting technology must overcome significant aero-optical and mechanical barriers, including boundary layer disruptions and base-motion jitter, while meeting strict airworthiness certifications and size, weight, power, and aerodynamic drag constraints.

General Info

NIWC Atlantic seeks prototypes for flight-certified optical communications and timing systems for Navy.

Agency

Department Of Defense → Niwc Atlantic

NAICS

541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)

Place of Performance

SC, 29410

Set-Aside

NONE

Documents

AOI 27-A001: Resilient Airborne Free-Space Optical Communications Turret

rfp

High

AI Contract Breakdown

Uniform Contract Format

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Timeline

PhaseClosed

PostedOct 7

Solicitation

Response DeadlineOct 16

Deadline has passed

Submission Closed

10/16/2026, 03:59:00 AM UTC

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Organization & Contact Information

AgencyDepartment Of Defense → Niwc Atlantic

Contacts1 person available

OfficeNORTH CHARLESTON, SC, 29419-9022, USA

Organization / AgencyDepartment Of Defense → Niwc Atlantic

Office AddressNORTH CHARLESTON, SC, 29419-9022, USA

Contacts

Jessie Rehwoldt

contact@example.gov

Full Description

The advent of high-threat Electronic Warfare (EW) and Global Positioning System (GPS) or Radio Frequency (RF)-denied operational domains poses an immediate risk to Department of Navy (DoN), Marine Corps, and joint aerial and maritime fleet operations. Modern tactical concepts—such as Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) and Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2)—demand ultra-high-bandwidth communications and high-precision timing synchronization across dynamic, multi-domain nodes without reliance on vulnerable RF spectra or satellite navigation. Precision optical clock synchronization and free-space optical communications (FSOC) offer timing holdover improvements and superior timing synchronization in GPS-denied environments, and high-speed low-probability-of-intercept/lowprobability-of-detection communication links.

However, transitioning optical time transfer and FSOC from benign ground laboratories to highdynamic flight environments presents severe aero-optical and mechanical barriers. Dynamic aircraft boundary layers, trans-sonic shock structures, aero-optical phase aberrations, basemotion jitter, and stringent airframe size, weight, power (SWaP), and aerodynamic drag constraints disrupt beam coherence and line-of-sight tracking. Furthermore, existing commercial optical gimbals lack the structural airworthiness certifications, thermal/pressure shock resilience, fine pointing, acquisition, and tracking/PAT (PAT) closed-loop rejection required for host aircraft integration. NIWC Atlantic seeks to prototype and demonstrate a flight-certified, aero-optically resilient dual-turret optical communications and optical time-transfer system operable across ground, littoral, and multi-altitude airborne regimes.