The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is making awards to multiple companies under a $400 million contract for the Advanced Aerospace Systems Technology Research program.
“The primary objective of the program is to conduct research toward the development, demonstration, integration, and transition of new aerospace vehicle technologies, designs, and integrated systems that will provide advanced capabilities to the Department of the Air Force,” DoD said. “Work will be performed at each contractor facility, unless otherwise indicated in each task order, and is expected to be complete by April 4, 2030.”
This week, AFRL made program awards to General Atomics‘ [GD] aeronautical systems subsidiary in Poway, Calif.; Lockheed Martin‘s [LMT] aeronautics unit in Fort Worth, Texas; Northrop Grumman‘s [NOC] aeronautics systems sector in El Segundo, Calif.; Raytheon Technologies‘ [RTX] Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn.; Boeing‘s [BA] Phantom Works in St. Louis; Boeing’s Aurora Flight Sciences in Manassas, Va; and Kratos‘ [KTOS] unmanned systems division in Sacramento, Calif.
The $400 million contract for Advanced Aerospace Systems Technology Research “is intended as a rapid contract vehicle for future tasks,” AFRL said in an Apr. 6 email. “The contract is written to include work in aerospace vehicles, control sciences, high speed systems, turbine engines and systems integration and flight test. So, it should provide a flexible contract vehicle for many [AFRL] Aerospace Systems Directorate core competencies.”
