The agency is gauging market interest. No bid is being requested yet — submitting a capabilities statement may put you on the radar for the eventual solicitation.
The Department of Defense needs a small business to provide a Group 1 Unmanned Aerial System for tactical reconnaissance.
Key Details
- What exactly do they need?
The Department of Defense needs a Group 1 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for tactical reconnaissance in contested, GPS-denied, and zero-light environments. The system must possess the following capabilities:
- Blue UAS Certification: The platform must currently reside on the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) / DCMA Blue UAS Cleared List with an active Authority to Operate (ATO).
- Zero-Light Autonomy: The system must be capable of fully autonomous flight and 360-degree obstacle avoidance in complete darkness (zero-light environments) utilizing active illumination and specialized sensors (without reliance on external ambient light).
- GPS-Denied Navigation (VIO): The system must utilize Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) or similar onboard optical compute to hold position, execute missions, and autonomously navigate/return to base in fully GPS-denied or heavily spoofed environments without drifting or requiring manual pilot intervention.
- Thermal Sensitivity: The system must integrate a radiometric thermal sensor with a thermal sensitivity of <30mK to penetrate obscurants (smoke, fog, vegetation).
- Dynamic Frequency Management: The system must possess a multiband radio capable of dynamic channel switching to maintain command and control (C2) in congested or contested Electronic Warfare (EW) environments.
- What's the contract structure and timeline?
This is a Sources Sought Notice / Request for Information (RFI) only. The Government anticipates a requirement for the Skydio X10D (Brand Name) or an equal platform that meets all the salient characteristics listed above.
- How will they pick the winner?
The notice doesn't say.
- When and how do you bid?
Submit a capability statement via email to austin.parks.8@us.af.mil no later than 3:00PM EDT on 26 June 2026.
Who can apply
- Any certified small business may apply.
If you're interested, do this first
- Check that your small business is registered in SAM.gov.
- Write a 1-page summary of similar work you've done before.
- Email the contracting officer to RSVP for the site visit.