Sources Sought
RFI - UMTE X Band Transmitter
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force · Sol. FA8210-26-RFI-UMTE
Due in 12 days
AI summary Beta
Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The Air Force (AFLCMC at Hill Air Force Base, Utah) is asking industry for information, not offers, on replacing old vacuum-tube radar threat emitter transmitters (magnetrons and klystrons) with a modern solid-state transmitter. This is a market research RFI (Sources Sought) for the Unmanned Threat Emitter (UMTE). Any later work could run about 5 years and 6 months and might be done through an Other Transaction Agreement instead of a normal contract.
Watch out for
- Key drawings are restricted. The transmitter drawings, the blower drawing and the legacy transmitter parameters are controlled and must be requested on SAM.gov, so a small business cannot see the full fit and interface limits until approved.
The drawings are CUI and require approval for access to unclassified military technical data.
- Demanding RF hardware development. One 250 W solid-state transmitter would replace legacy transmitters of up to hundreds of kilowatts across a wide frequency range, which is a heavy engineering and cost burden for a small firm.
The ERP takes priority, however providing any information regarding what you
- Possible OTA with follow-on without competition. The Government may use an Other Transaction Agreement instead of a standard FAR contract, and a successful prototype can lead to a follow-on production deal without competition, so the first award matters a lot.
may transition to a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures
- Possible cost-share or teaming expectation. Traditional defense contractors are told to partner with non-traditional firms or offer a one-third cost-share, which suggests teaming pressure on larger primes and room for small firms.
traditional defense contractors partnering with NDCs or offering a minimum one-third cost-share
- RFI only, not a purchase. Responding costs the company time and money with no payment, and the Government makes no promise to issue a solicitation.
the United States Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI
- Documents changed between versions. The October 2026 RFI differs from the May 2026 version (for example, the first asks for non-recurring integration costs, the older one for non-recurring engineering; the older one wants one transmitter to consolidate the legacy ones, the new one a modular refresh), so use the 1 October 2026 version.
UPDATE: Revised RFI Attachment dated 1 October 2026, Please Review.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. 3 not read in full.
- UMTE Transmitter Project RFI (Revised 01 Oct 2026).docx
- UMTE RFI Q and A.pdf
- UTME X Band Transmitter RFI.pdf
- Centrifugal Fan SC4140-0021_K.pdf: controlled: request access on SAM.gov
- UMTE Drawing.pdf: controlled: request access on SAM.gov
- X band legacy Transmitters.pdf: controlled: request access on SAM.gov
Full brief
What they want
- A white paper or capability statement (10 pages or less) on a common modular solid-state transmitter to replace legacy UMTE transmitters
- Technical approach: architecture (e.g., TWT, GaN or other solid-state), frequency coverage, waveforms, output power, modulation
- Key targets: 6.5 to 15.5 GHz, 250 W amplifier output, ERP threshold 85 dBm (objective over 88 dBm), pulse width 0.3 to 100 microseconds, PRI minimum 2.0 microseconds
- Must be compatible with the existing 20 kW nominal power source and fit existing shelter size, weight, power and cooling limits
- Integration plan with existing pedestal/servo systems, RECU, baseband equipment, cryptographic devices and legacy antennas (a new wide-band antenna and waveguide may be needed)
- Technology readiness level (TRL) and a roadmap to TRL 8/9
- Plan to handle future parts shortages over a 15-year lifecycle
- Rough order of magnitude cost for 23-25 units, integration costs, installation costs and a notional schedule
- Contract type
- Not decided. The Government is evaluating an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) for prototype or research work. The earlier May 2026 RFI said it expected a mix of firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee.
- Period of performance
- Anticipated: 1 twelve-month base ordering period + 4 one-year optional ordering periods, plus an optional 6-month extension (FAR 52.217-8), up to 5 years and 6 months total. Start targeted for first quarter FY2027 (October 2026).
- Place of performance
- Hill Air Force Base, UT, USA
- Offers due
- 21 October 2026, 1700 MST (SAM.gov lists 2026-10-21 17:00 -06:00)
- How to submit
- Email to Contracting Officer Heather Ball, heather.ball@us.af.mil
- Page limits
- 10 pages or less (cover page not counted)
What to include when you submit
- Submit as a PDF, with 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12 font
- Response must be UNCLASSIFIED; clearly mark any proprietary data and keep it separate where possible
- Include company name, address, point of contact, CAGE code, phone, email, web page, SAM UEI, U.S. or foreign-owned, and NAICS code, for the company and any teaming or joint venture partners
- Answer the listed questions: relevant experience with contract numbers and points of contact, how government furnished property would be tracked (FIAR), teaming agreements, data needed, top five risks, similar government and commercial work from the past three years, time needed to submit a proposal
- Identify any possible organizational conflict of interest (FAR 9.5) to the Contracting Officer
You must have
- Must be registered in SAM.gov to be eligible for any future award
All interested contractors must be registered in SAM to be eligible for award of Government contracts.
- No set-aside is used now, but the Government may set the later work aside for small businesses based on RFI responses
The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent action.
- Non-traditional defense contractors, small businesses, or traditional contractors teaming with them or offering a one-third cost-share are encouraged to respond (for a possible OTA)
the Government encourages responses from Non-Traditional Defense Contractors (NDCs)
- Drawings are Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and need approval to access unclassified military technical data
The drawings are CUI and require approval for access to unclassified military technical data.
Not in the notice text
- Contract type and final acquisition approach (OTA or standard contract) are not decided
- Estimated dollar value is not stated; only a request for ROM pricing on 23-25 units
- Evaluation method and factors are not stated because this is a market research RFI
- Details in the controlled attachments (Centrifugal Fan SC4140-0021_K.pdf, UMTE Drawing.pdf, X band legacy Transmitters.pdf) were not provided
- Which existing companies make or support the legacy transmitters is not stated
- Whether a small business set-aside will be used later is not decided
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 21, 2026, 11:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 1, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Solicitation
- FA8210-26-RFI-UMTE
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force
- Office
- FA8210 AFLCMC WNRK Hill
- Set-aside
- No Set aside used
- NAICS
- 334511
- Product/service code
- 5840
- Business type
- Electrical & electronic components
- Place of performance
- Hill Air Force Base, UT, 84056
- Contracting contact
- Heather Ballheather.ball@us.af.mil8017779438
- Versions
- 4 (amended since first posted)
Full notice text from SAM.gov
UPDATE: Revised RFI Attachment dated 1 October 2026, Please Review. Unmanned Threat Emitter (UMTE) X Band Transmitter The Government is conducting market research to identify potential industry sources capable of providing solutions to consolidate and replace obsolete, single-function transmitter systems. Currently, the Government relies on multiple ground-based threat emitter platforms (designated TK-1, TK-2 and TK-4) which utilize legacy transmitters. See attached RFI document for more information. The drawings are CUI and require approval for access to unclassified military technical data. UPDATE 6/24/2026: Questions from Industry and Government Answers and Blower Drawing are included in the attachments.
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