SAM #RFI-AFLCMC-KC46-SIL-OS-2026

RFI for KC-46 Systems Integration Laboratory Operations and Software Integration Support

The U.S. Air Force is gathering industry input on support for the KC-46A Systems Integration Laboratory at Tinker Air Force Base. - Government buyer: United States Air Force, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), WLC KC-46A Program Office. - Requested services: - Operate and sustain the KC-46 Systems Integration Laboratory (K-SIL), including software maintenance, patching, integration, lifecycle support, hardware maintenance, lab infrastructure, configuration and database management, and cybersecurity. - Provide KC-46 Software Integration Sustainment & Support (K-SWISS), including software development, integration, testing, certification, and management of supplier relationships and sustainment efforts. - Support hardware-in-the-loop testing, simulation, avionics integration, and software verification and validation against applicable FAA and military certification standards. Technical areas include ARINC and MIL-STD-1553B avionics buses and ARINC 653 software partitioning. - Notable considerations: The RFI seeks input on whether K-SWISS and K-SIL operations and sustainment should be combined or handled separately. It also requests information about contractor capabilities, staffing, teaming, data rights, technical approaches, and transition to organic sustainment and a Public-Private Partnership environment. - OEMs and vendors: No OEMs or commercial vendors are named in the provided materials. - Products and quantities: No priced products, part numbers, or quantities are requested. This is market research, not a request for proposals or a commitment to award a contract.

Description

The USAF KC-46A Program Office is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to identify sources capable of providing comprehensive Operations and Sustainment (O&S) for the KC-46A Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL), a high-fidelity testing center for the aircraft's software, avionics, and hardware.

The government is seeking a contractor to act as a system integrator to provide integrated software sustainment and development for the KC-46 SIL, operating within a government facility at Tinker AFB, OK.

Core services will include, but are not limited to:

System integration for software maintenance, patching, integration, and lifecycle support. Operation and sustainment of complex Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) lab topologies and simulation environments. Management of federated multi-bus avionics integration (ARINC, MIL-STD-1553B), software partitioning (ARINC 653), and cybersecurity configurations. Execution of software verification and validation under FAA (DO-178B/C, DO-254) and military certification standards. Collaboration with government personnel in a Public-Private Partnership (P3) environment.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) for market research and planning purposes ONLY. This does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government will not award a contract on the basis of this RFI.

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