Hypersonic Test Facility Reactivation

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE HYPERSONIC TEST FACILITY REACTIVATION EGLIN AFB, FL

PURPOSE: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes only. The Air Force Test Center (AFTC), Specialized Contracting Branch (PZZC) at Eglin AFB is currently conducting market research pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 and seeking capabilities statements from potential sources, including small businesses (SB), 8(a), HUBZone, Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned (EDWOSB), Woman-Owned (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOSB) small business that are capable of supporting the requirement listed below.

The NAICS Code assigned to this acquisition is 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), with a size standard of 1,000 employees.

BACKGROUND: The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to the development of scramjet technologies in support of hypersonic flight vehicles and technology maturation efforts. Today, the main operational hypersonic propulsion and aerothermal ground test facilities are the 8-ft High Temperature Tunnel (HTT) at the NASA Langley Research Center and the Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) at AEDC. Both of these facilities use in-stream combustion to heat air to the temperatures required to duplicate hypersonic flight conditions.Test media containing the products of combustion, commonly referred to as “vitiated air”, have 
different gas properties than atmospheric air and can affect the ability to set facility ground test conditions. Ultimately these undesired consequences of using vitiated test media prevent accurate determination of the performance and operability of the system under test. To overcome these limitations and ensure the success of critical DoD programs, a high-enthalpy, clean-air 
(non-vitiated) ground test capability is paramount.

The Hypersonic Test Facility (HTF), located at the NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility (a component of the NASA Glenn Research Center) in Sandusky, Ohio, is a mothballed blow-down, clean-air (non-vitiated) wind tunnel. It is designed to simulate true-enthalpy hypersonic flight conditions from Mach 5 to Mach 7. To achieve this, the HTF utilizes a non-combustion heating process, which is critical for producing a test medium free of combustion byproducts. In this process, pure nitrogen gas is heated to extreme temperatures by passing it through a 3 MW graphite core storage heater. This ultra-heated nitrogen is then precisely mixed with controlled flows of ambient-temperature oxygen and nitrogen. This method creates a synthetic air test medium that 
chemically and thermodynamically mimics the composition of atmospheric air (78% N₂, 21% O₂, 1% Ar) at the target stagnation temperature. The facility has been in a mothballed status since 2007, and its reactivation presents a unique opportunity to fill a critical national testing capability gap. Inventory and inspection conducted of the HTF components held at ATF and provided an assessment that the facility is viable for reactivation. This is a coordinated effort and will be integrated into ongoing efforts and therefore serve to complete a portion of the total work required.

OBJECTIVE: The Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) seeks to reactivate the Hypersonic Test Facility (HTF). The reactivation process is expected to require 18-24-months and will be executed in two phases.

•  Phase 1 Reactivation. This phase encompasses the reconditioning and procurement of obsolete and non serviceable components and the reassembly of sub systems of the HTF. Facility improvements to throughput and/or capability enhancements are not part of the reactivation phase. The Reactivation phase level of effort is focused along four lines of effort:
  • Heater/Hot Train
  • Controls
  • Process controls
  • Power Distribution
• Phase 2 Demonstration. This phase will address the system activation demonstrations and verification of test capability and Concept of Operations and will be executed under a separate effort.

The primary objective of the execution of Phase 1: Reactivation of the Hypersonic Test Facility (HTF). The definitive goal of this phase is to restore the HTF to a safe, documented, and fully functional state, verified through subsystem checkout and ready to proceed to Phase 2 system-level demonstrations. This encompasses program management, engineering, labor, materials, procurement, and documentation required to achieve this end state. The reactivation effort shall be managed and executed along four primary lines of effort (LOE):

• LOE 1 - Heater/Hot Train: The refurbishment and re-certification of the 3 MW graphite heater, high-temperature piping, structural supports, refractory systems, and heat exchangers that constitute the hot gas path.
• LOE 2 - Controls: The modernization and recommissioning of the facility's operational control systems, including replacement of obsolete control hardware, software updates, and human-machine interface (HMI) verification.
• LOE 3 - Process Controls: The restoration, calibration, and functional checkout of instrumentation, sensors (pressure, temperature, flow), valves, and actuators that manage the flow of gases and fluids throughout the facility.
• LOE 4 - Power Distribution: The inspection, testing, repair, and certification of high-voltage (e.g., heater supply) and low-voltage electrical systems, including switchgear, transformers, and distribution panels that support facility operations.”

SCOPE OF WORK AND SPECIFIC TASKS:

• Program Management: The contractor shall develop, deliver, and maintain a Program Management Plan (PMP).
• Systems Engineering and Integration: The contractor shall conduct reassembly and integration activities in accordance with the Government-Furnished Information (GFI), including existing engineering drawings and technical manuals.
• Subsystem Refurbishment and Reassembly: The contractor shall execute tasks required to refurbish, repair, or replace components across the four Lines of Effort. Thisincludes procurement of obsolete parts, management of subcontractors, and execution of hands-on labor to restore the subsystems to their original, operational condition.
• NASA Interface, Safety, and Environmental Compliance: The contractor shall act as the primary interface with NASA Armstrong Test Facility operational and safety personnel. The contractor shall prepare and submit documentation required by NASA for system safety reviews, operational readiness reviews, and environmental permits. The contractor shall ensure on-site work is performed in strict compliance with all applicable NASA and site-specific safety and environmental regulations.

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE; THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. It is published for informational and planning purposes only; therefore, no solicitation document exists for this requirement. Proposals are not being requested or accepted at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.101(c)(2), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

CAPABILITIES STATEMENT: All interested vendors shall submit a capabilities statement that explicitly demonstrates their capability to provide/perform the requirement stated in this notice. The capabilities statement should be brief and concise, yet clearly demonstrate an ability to meet the stated requirement. The response must not exceed 50 pages.

Respondents should indicate their size in relation to this size standard and indicate socio-economic status (i.e. SB, 8(a), HUBZone, EDWOSB, WOSB, or SDVOSB). Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a Foreign-owned/Foreign-controlled firm and any contemplated use of foreign national employees in this effort. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent action. All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract. No set-aside decision has been made. Note that a key factor in determining an acquisition to be a Small Business Set Aside is that small business prime contractors must perform 
at least 50% of the effort, as defined in FAR Clause 52.219-14. Small businesses with only partial capabilities of this requirement are encouraged to submit their capabilities statement demonstrating the portion of the requirement they are capable of providing/performing. This information will allow the Government to identify areas of possible breakout or possible subcontracting opportunities.

All responsible sources may submit information that shall be considered by the agency. If late information is received, it may be considered, depending on agency time constraints. All routine communications regarding the announcement should be directed at the contractual point of contact listed in this posting. The Government may or may not use any responses to this sources sought as a basis for a subsequent project/requirement. Any project/requirement developed from the sources sought responses may be the subject of a subsequent acquisition; any such subsequent acquisition will be posted in SAM.gov separately. Responses to this sources sought will not be returned.

The Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received, or provide feedback to the respondents with respect to any of the information submitted under this sources sought. No requests for a bid package or solicitation will be accepted; a bid package or solicitation does not exist at this time. In order to protect the integrity of any possible future acquisition, no additional information will be provided and no appointments for presentations will be made in reference to this sources sought.
Only government employees will review submitted responses to this sources sought. Respondents are advised that employees of commercial firms under contract with the Government may be used to administratively process submissions and perform other administrative duties requiring access to other contractor’s proprietary information. These administrative support contractors include nondisclosure agreements prohibiting their contractor employees from disclosing any information submitted by other contractors or using such information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished.

Any information submitted by respondents to this sources sought is voluntary. This sources sought notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. Respondents will not be individually notified of the results of any government assessments. The Government’s assessment of the capability statements received will factor into whether any forthcoming solicitation will be conducted as a full and open competition or as aset-aside for small business, or any particular small business program.

RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 19 March 2026 by 1:00 PM (CST). Direct all questions concerning this requirement to David Thomas, Contract Specialist at david_duane.thomas@us.af.mil. Alternative POC is Mrs. Amanda L. Jardine, Contracting Officer at amanda.jardine.1@us.af.mil.