Next-gen aircraft protection technologies sought by U.S. Air Force
NewsDecember 03, 2025
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Massachusetts. The U.S. Air Force is seeking industry proposals for research and development of a modular, upgradable next-generation aircraft protection system built on open architecture standards, the Air Force announced in a SAM.gov notice.
The special notice, issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Electronic Warfare Branch, outlines a two-step commercial solutions opening for basic research and development in general science and technology. The effort focuses on closing capability gaps in electronic warfare through system requirements development, prototyping, studies, and demonstrations, the statement reads.
According to the Air Force, the envisioned aircraft protection system is organized into four areas of interest: system architecture, modeling and simulation; a detect layer centered on sensing; a decide layer focused on processing; and a defeat layer that encompasses countermeasures and effectors. Desired technologies include advanced sensor systems such as radio frequency (RF) sensing, optical and infrared warning, and acoustic sensing, alongside hardware, software, and algorithm development for signal processing, the service says.
The notice also calls for kinetic and non-kinetic countermeasures, including radar and communications electronic attack, electro-optical countermeasures, and emerging approaches such as high-power microwave and other directed-energy techniques, with solutions expected to align with the Agile Mission Suite Government Reference Architecture, according to the statement.
