High Altitude Balloons for Long duration with integrated payloads

Source Sought (SS)

AFLCMC/WING

2640 Loop Road W

WPAFB, OH 45433

20260319

Subject: Request for Information

This Request for Information (RFI) is for information and planning purposes only and includes questions that the United States government may use to understand current Industry capabilities. This RFI seeks responses that detail the marketplace for stratospheric High Altitude Balloons (HABs).

This is NOT a request for quotations or proposals or a promise to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ) in the future and does not commit the USG to contract for the supplies/services contained herein. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), USG will not accept responses to this notice as offers to form a binding contract. USG will not reimburse costs incurred by Respondents in response to this RFI or for participating in an information exchange regarding details of the RFI. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on USG. Any information submitted in response to this RFI is voluntary. Respondents must clearly mark any proprietary information and trade secrets on all submitted materials. USG will not share vendor proprietary information with the public. USG hereby notifies Respondents that (a) USG may disclose submitted information to support Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) contractors supporting this program, (b) submission of information in response to this RFI constitutes consent to such handling and disclosure of submitted information to those parties, and (c) USG will handle such proprietary information in a manner consistent with applicable federal law. Please be advised that all submissions become USG property, and USG will not return submissions to Respondents. USG advises Respondents that USG is under no obligation to provide feedback to Respondents with respect to any information submitted.

USG may meet with Industry partners in a 1:1 setting during market research. USG may decide to hold 1:1 sessions with Industry partners based on responses to this RFI. Additional opportunities for Industry partners to request 1:1 sessions may be shared at a later date.

The U.S. Air Force may share any information submitted in response to this RFI with current and future contractor support personnel involved with this program. All USG and contractor personnel reviewing submitted responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described in 41 U.S. Code (USC) 423.

1. Introduction

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) & Special Operations Forces (SOF) Directorate (AFLCMC/WI), is conducting market research to identify potential contractors capable of manufacturing stratospheric HABs. This RFI is intended to gather information from qualified vendors regarding their capabilities and solutions in the HAB space. This RFI is for informational purposes only and is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Fair Opportunity Proposal Request. Responding to this RFI does not guarantee an invitation to participate in a future RFP/FOPR.

2. Purpose of this RFI

The purpose of this RFI is to:

• Identify potential contractors with experience manufacturing and operating HABs.
• Gather information on the capabilities and demonstrated duration both as a single balloon and in a minimum two-balloon constellation.
• Identify potential contractors with experience integrating payloads.
• Assess the Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) of your HAB.
• Assess the Command and Control (C2) platform used on your balloon and any communication links you have supported.
• Evaluate the altitude bands in which you can operate; both for transit and operational altitudes.
• Assess the ability of the contractor to handle classified information.

3. Background

(U) The High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) program is intended to field High Altitude Balloons (HABs) and develop/integrate the payloads with the platform. The HALE program is a rapid prototyping effort comprised of a ground architecture and airborne layer, which represents a complete HALE capability starting point to develop and field a future system.

4. Scope of Information Requested

The USG is seeking information in the following areas:

• Company Overview & Experience:
  • Provide a brief overview of your company, including its history, mission, and key personnel.
  • Describe your experience in providing stratospheric HABs and support.
  • Provide relevant case studies demonstrating your capabilities.
  • Describe your experience working with Department of Defense agencies to include any exercises in which your technology has been demonstrated.

• Technical Capabilities:
  • Provide product(s) overview and capabilities, to include size, weight, and power (SWaP), altitude bands, endurance/duration.
  • Provide current manufacturing capacity as well as what a surge production capability would look like by month and annual production.
  • Detail your experience integrating one or more payloads and risk reduction efforts onto your platform.
  • Describe your experience in operating HABs both as a single system and in a minimum two-HAB constellation.
  • Provide details about your Command and Control (C2) system, to include what communication links you have supported, any constraints to operator to HAB ratio, and C2 software limitations.
  • Detail your experience in supporting Communication Security (COMSEC) and encrypted payloads over extended durations.

• Classified and SAP Support Capabilities:
  • Describe your experience providing classified and Special Access Program (SAP) support.
  • Detail your facilities and personnel clearances.
  • Explain your processes for maintaining security compliance.
     
• Management & Staffing:
  • Provide an organizational chart for your proposed HAB team.
  • Describe the qualifications and experience of key personnel.
  • Outline your approach to managing a geographically distributed team
  • Identify potential teaming/subcontractor arrangements to perform this effort
  • Please provide a rough order of magnitude for Government Owned Contractor Operated development, deployment and support organizational structure for program costs

5. Response Format

Please provide your response in Microsoft Word. Please organize your response according to the sections outlined in Section 4. Please limit your response to 20 pages, excluding company brochures or marketing materials. A contractor’s decision not to respond to this Request for Information (RFI) shall be interpreted by the Government as an indication that the contractor is declining to receive or participate in any subsequent Fair Opportunity Proposal Request (FOPR). Accordingly, the Government will not issue the requirement’s Fair Opportunity Proposal Request (FOPR) to contractors who do not respond to this RFI.

6. Important Considerations

• All information submitted in response to this RFI will be treated as Controlled Unclassified Information until further notice. Respondents should mark their responses accordingly.
• AFLCMC/WING reserves the right to use the information for internal evaluation purposes.
• This RFI is not a commitment to purchase any products or services.
• AFLCMC/WING is not responsible for any costs incurred by respondents in preparing or submitting a response to this RFI.
• Responses containing classified information will not be accepted via unsecure means.

Responses:

SUBMITTAL: The Government invites industry to submit one capability paper (see attached Guidance) at the unclassified or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) (formerly “FOUO”) no later than 1600 EST, 27 March 2026. For CUI/proprietary or International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) documents, submit via the DoD SAFE (Secure Access File Exchange) https://safe.apps.mil/. Instructions are on the website. If you require a drop-off code, please contact collin.harris.1 @us.af.mil.    

Respondents should submit documents to the organization email addresses per the instructions below. Telephone inquiries will not be taken on this RFI. Please ensure the subject of the RFI submission reads as follows “HALE RFI Response”.

Instructions:

Submit 1 whitepaper submission form to:

1. Unclassified E-mail Address: Collin.harris.1@us.af.mil.
2. CUI/Proprietary: Use DoD SAFE: https://safe.apps.mil/ use Collin Harris, collin.harris.1@us.af.mil, and Daniel Paul, daniel.paul.8@us.af.mil as POCs.
3. Unclassified Mailing Address: AFLCM/WING, HALE HABs, 2640 Loop Road, Room 205, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, ATTN: Collin Harris and/or Daniel Paul