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

RFI for KC-46 Systems Integration Laboratory Operations, Sustainment, and Software Integration

The U.S. Air Force is conducting market research on support for the KC-46A Systems Integration Laboratory and related software integration work. - Government buyer: U.S. Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), WLC / KC-46A Program Office. - Scope: Operate and sustain the KC-46 Systems Integration Laboratory (K-SIL), including software maintenance, patching, integration and lifecycle support; lab infrastructure and hardware maintenance; cybersecurity; configuration and database management; and transition planning for organic sustainment and Public-Private Partnership support. - Technical work: Support Hardware-in-the-Loop testing and simulation, federated avionics integration across ARINC and MIL-STD-1553B buses, ARINC 653 software partitioning, and software verification and validation to FAA DO-178B/C, DO-254, and applicable military certification standards. - Related effort: The RFI also asks about KC-46 Software Integration Sustainment & Support (K-SWISS), including software development, integration, testing, certification, supplier relationships, and subcontracting. It seeks industry input on whether K-SWISS and K-SIL operations and sustainment should be combined or kept separate. - Industry information requested: Contractor capabilities, technical approach, staffing, teaming, data rights, and support for government collaboration and eventual organic sustainment. - OEMs and vendors: No OEMs, vendors, or resellers are identified by name in the materials. - Items and quantities: No priced products, part numbers, or quantities are requested. This is a market-research RFI, not a request for proposals or a commitment to award.

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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