Sources Sought
Production and Installation of the Line-of-Sight (LOS) Link 16 system on MC-130J Platforms
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
AI summaryThis is a sources sought notice from the Air Force (AFLCMC WIUKA office) for a market survey on building and installing Line-of-Sight (LOS) Link 16 kits (a secure military data link) on MC-130J aircraft. The Air Force anticipates a sole source award to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), and other firms may send capability information by the response due date of November 5, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern. No award comes from this survey. More in the summary
Market research, not a bid. Replying is free and tells Department of the Air Force who could do this work. Send a short reply to the contracting contact; no price is needed. See the contact
AI summary Beta
This is a sources sought notice from the Air Force (AFLCMC WIUKA office) for a market survey on building and installing Line-of-Sight (LOS) Link 16 kits (a secure military data link) on MC-130J aircraft. The Air Force anticipates a sole source award to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), and other firms may send capability information by the response due date of November 5, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern. No award comes from this survey.
Who can bid
- Only Sierra Nevada Corporation can win this as planned: other firms may send a capability statement, and the agency decides whether that is enough to compete it.
- The work needs a secret-level security clearance, and the notice says no foreign participation is needed.
How to submit: Electronic response by email to the contacts named in the notice: Courtney Showers (courtney.showers@us.af.mil) and Phillip Russell (phillip.russell.9@us.af.mil). What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (6)
From the version posted Oct 22, 2026.
- Serious: Sole source to Sierra Nevada Corporation anticipated. The Air Force expects to award to one named company, SNC, which it calls the only known qualified source. Other firms may send capability information by the response due date, but this survey does not lead to an award.
- Serious: Secret clearance required. A small business needs a facility and staff cleared at the secret level, which takes time and sponsorship to obtain.
- Worth checking: Overseas work possible. Task orders may place installations outside the continental U.S., which can bring travel, shipping and host-country requirements. The documents do not describe them.
Show all 6Show fewer
- Worth checking: Needs deep Link 16 and MC-130J experience. The survey asks about experience with Link 16 systems, military interoperability testing under MIL-STD-6016, FAA temporary frequency assignments and MC-130J integration. A newcomer may struggle to answer.
- Minor: NAICS code in the survey differs from the SAM.gov code. SAM.gov lists NAICS 336411 (Aircraft Manufacturing), while the survey's business size question uses NAICS 541330 with a $41.5M size standard. Ask the contacts which code the Air Force plans to use.
- Minor: Market research only. Responding does not guarantee a place in later solicitations, and the Government pays nothing for responses.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- Link-16 IDIQ Sources Sought.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Build production kits and install, integrate and support the LOS Link 16 capability on MC-130J aircraft at multiple Government-designated locations, in the U.S. and overseas
- Do installation, integration, inspection, testing and documentation, following Government-approved engineering and technical data
- Check compatibility between Link 16 and the Airborne Mission Networking (AbMN) system and other MC-130J systems and software
- Task order work may include program management, kitting, engineering support, cyber support, travel, shipping, and spares such as system laptops, 1553 converters, YUBI keys, cooling fans and notch filters
- Furnish all material, support equipment, tools, test equipment and services
- Send a Contractor Capability Survey (Parts I and II) with documents that show your company's capability
- Contract type
- Indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ: a contract for an unspecified amount of work, ordered through task orders); the planned vehicle is described as the MC-130J Link 16 IDIQ requirement
- Period of performance
- Planned five-year contract (basic plus four option years), continuing through FY32
- Place of performance
- USA (notice field); work at multiple Government-designated locations, CONUS and OCONUS
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- Offers due
- November 5, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern
- How to submit
- Electronic response by email to the contacts named in the notice: Courtney Showers (courtney.showers@us.af.mil) and Phillip Russell (phillip.russell.9@us.af.mil)
- Page limits
- Attachments may not exceed 10 MB per email
What to include when you submit
- Complete the Contractor Capability Survey Part I (business information) and Part II (capability questions) for your company and any teaming or joint venture partners
- Part I asks for company name, address, contact, CAGE code (the ID code the government gives each company), phone, email, web page, business size and socioeconomic status, SAM registration, and whether the firm is domestically or foreign owned
- Include documentation that supports your capability; if you lack experience in an area, explain how you would make up for it (teaming, subcontracting)
- Name any areas of work that should be broken out exclusively for small business
- Part II past experience: give contract numbers, a brief description of the work, period of performance, agency supported, and a contact (Contracting Officer or Program Manager)
- Send data in a readable electronic format that can pass through a firewall
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. The notice anticipates a sole source award to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which it calls the only known qualified source.
Not in the notice text
- The estimated contract value and the minimum and maximum order amounts are not given.
- The specific installation locations, quantities of kits and aircraft, and schedules are not given; each task order will set them.
- Whether a solicitation will follow, and whether any part will be set aside for small business, is not stated.
- The Government-approved engineering and technical data are not described.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside. Any business can reply, and no bid is being taken yet, but the notice names requirements for the work:
- The notice mentions a security clearance. Check who needs one, and whether you must hold it by the time offers are due.
- To respond, send a short reply to the contracting contact near the top of this page. No price is needed.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 22, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Office
- FA8509 AFLCMC WIUKA, Robins AFB, GA
- Product/service code
- R425 · Support – Professional: Engineering/Technical
- Business type
- Aircraft, ship & vehicle parts (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 336411)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0002 (this version)Due Nov 5, 2026
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 5, 2026
- Oct 22, 2026 · Sources SoughtDue Nov 5, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
Terms on this notice: Sources sought notice
Full notice text from SAM.gov
This market survey is being conducted to identify potential sources that may be able to provide production kits and installation for the United States Air Force (USAF) MC-130J aircraft platform hereby referred to as MC-130J. This installation, integration, and support of a Line-of-Sight (LOS) Link 16 capability on MC-130J aircraft at multiple Government-designated locations. This support will provide the USAF MC-130J System Program Office (SPO) technical expertise, access to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) proprietary data including but not limited to structural/component data, drawings, qualification data, and analysis techniques as required to adequately maintain operational, safety, suitability, and effectiveness (OSS&E) for the MC-130J platform. Sole source to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is anticipated due to the lack of proprietary data and engineering expertise needed to perform this support effort. SNC is the only known sole qualified source for this requirement. The level of security clearance is secret and no foreign participation is needed for this requirement. The Contractor will be required to furnish all material, support equipment, tools, test equipment, and services. The Contractor will be responsible for providing, maintaining, and calibrating all support equipment required at their facility or a subcontractor’s facility. Contractor furnished material or parts used for replacement shall equal or exceed the quality of the original material or parts. Contractors/Institutions responding to this market research are placed on notice that participation in this survey does not ensure participation in future solicitations or contract awards. The Government will not reimburse participants for any expenses associated with their participation in this survey. In accordance with RFO 15.101: The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. This Request for Information is issued for the purpose of market research. Additional information and instruction can be found in the attachment below. All responses and inquiries shall be addressed to the Primaty and Secondary contacts listed below.
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