RFI Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Vehicle Platform

The U.S. Department of Defense is seeking solutions for a vehicle-mountable Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) management platform designed to autonomously operate a fleet of 12 to 18 drones in a “drone-in-a-box” configuration. The system must fully automate the entire drone lifecycle—including launching, recovering, recharging, and redeploying—without requiring manual intervention for battery swaps or aircraft handling. It must be deployable in under 10 minutes, weigh approximately 400 pounds, and be capable of continuous, untethered surveillance operations. The platform must be platform-agnostic, integrating seamlessly with multiple drones currently on the Blue UAS Cleared List such as the Teal 2, Teal Black Widow, and Skydio X10D, ensuring no vendor lock-in and enabling operational flexibility across existing drone inventories. This procurement is part of a Proof-of-Concept effort requiring the full suite of hardware, software, integration engineering, operator training, and ongoing maintenance support. The requirement is strictly defined to meet mission-critical needs that cannot be fulfilled by existing market alternatives. The solicitation, identified as A065462, was posted on July 9, 2026, with responses due by July 16, 2026. It falls under NAICS code 336411 and is managed by the 773 ESS unit headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Proposals must align with the stated autonomous, multi-drone, and expeditionary logistics demands, with technical evaluations focused on the system’s ability to meet these non-negotiable operational thresholds. Primary point of contact for inquiries is Homer Rios, with Azaria Nave as secondary contact.