Sources Sought
F-22 CRR
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force · Sol. FA821326R3049
Due in 16 days
AI summary Beta
The U.S. Air Force (AFLCMC/EBHK at Hill AFB) is asking industry whether anyone can become a second source for the F-22 Canopy Remover Rocket (JM35), a life-critical emergency egress part that today comes from one manufacturer. This is a Sources Sought / Request for Information for market research, not a request for proposals. The Air Force projects about 245 units over five years (FY27 to FY31) after a second source is qualified.
Watch out for
- Submission deadline is unclear. SAM.gov says 10/25/2026 but the attached documents give 2 October 2026 and 15 July 2026, so confirm the real date with the contact before spending time.
Synopsis no later than 2:00PM MST 15-July-2026.
- Government has no technical data. You would have to reverse engineer or redesign the part from scratch with very little Government data, which is costly and risky.
The U.S. Government does not own the
- Explosives and flight-safety part. This is a rocket motor used to eject the canopy, so it needs energetics expertise, hazard classification and testing facilities that most small firms do not have.
Due to the critical flight safety nature and complex energetics of the F-22 Canopy Remover
- Information request only, no award. Responding does not win work and the Air Force will not pay for your response, so the real opportunity would come from a later solicitation.
contract award will be made on the basis of this RFI.
- Two documents describe different scopes. The RFI lists four paths (reverse engineer and manufacture, TDP only, or redesign options), while the older synopsis covers only reverse engineering, so it is unclear which version governs.
Reverse engineer and provide a producible Technical Data Package (TDP)
Read from the notice and 2 attachments.
- F-22 CRR RFI.pdf
- SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS F-22 CRR.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Show you can reverse engineer, redesign and qualify a replacement for the F-22 Canopy Remover Rocket (JM35), part number 12351100-4
- Or reverse engineer or redesign it and deliver a producible Technical Data Package (TDP)
- Describe how you would test it, including qualification testing (environmental, functional, aging) and First Article Testing
- Describe your work on explosive or propellant-actuated devices (CAD/PAD) over the last 5 years
- Give top-level risks, schedule, manpower, a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost, and ideas to cut unit cost
- Explain what it would cost to get or create the technical data, including drawings and government purpose rights
- Provide a company profile: employees, location, CAGE code, UEI and small business status
- Detail any teaming or joint-venture plans and who does what
- Period of performance
- Not stated. The Air Force projects about 245 units over the five years after an alternate source is qualified (FY27: 80, FY28: 65, FY29: 40, FY30: 30, FY31: 30).
- Place of performance
- USA (per the notice). Hill AFB, Utah is the buying office.
- Offers due
- SAM.gov shows 2026-10-25 2:00 PM (UTC-06:00, Mountain). The attachments conflict: the RFI says 2:00PM MST 02-October-2026 and the older synopsis says 15-July-2026.
- How to submit
- Not clearly stated. Questions go to Britney Eggett, 801-586-4479, Britney.Eggett@us.af.mil. Ask her where to send your response.
- Page limits
- 5 page max per item of interest (Section I: Requested Information)
What to include when you submit
- Respond with a Preface (company information) and Section I (requested information)
- Company profile: number of employees, office location, CAGE code, UEI and small business status claimed
- Show relevant engineering, manufacturing, inspection and test experience over the last 5 years
- Describe methods for reverse engineering energetic devices, including teardowns, metallurgical analysis, propellant characterization and radiographic imaging
- Describe qualification test experience and give a top-level schedule, risks and manpower breakdown
- Give a rough order of magnitude cost and suggestions to reduce unit cost
- If you teamed, separate the prime's work from the partner's work
- If you decide not to respond, the Air Force says feedback on why would be appreciated
You must have
- Small business status in NAICS 325920 (Explosives Manufacturing, size standard 750 employees). The Air Force is checking whether this can be a total small business set-aside.
has a corresponding size standard of 750. The Government is interested in all small businesses
- Engineering, testing and/or manufacturing expertise to reverse engineer or redesign explosive/energetic devices (CAD/PAD) and qualify them.
Describe your experience developing and executing qualification test
- A CAGE code and a Unique Entity ID (UEI) are asked for in the company profile.
Unique Entity Identifier Number (UEIN)
Current contractor
No name given. The RFI says the F-22 program relies on a single manufacturer for the Canopy Rocket Motor.
Not in the notice text
- How and where to send the response (no submission address or portal is stated)
- The real response deadline (SAM.gov and the two attachments disagree)
- Contract type and estimated dollar value
- Whether the future buy will be a total small business set-aside (the Air Force is still deciding)
- Which of the four approaches (reverse engineer and manufacture, TDP only, redesign and manufacture, redesign TDP only) the Air Force will pursue
- Name of the current sole-source manufacturer
- Period of performance and delivery schedule
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 25, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Sep 29, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Solicitation
- FA821326R3049
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force
- Office
- FA8213 AFLCMC Ebhk
- Set-aside
- No Set aside used
- NAICS
- 325920
- Product/service code
- 1377
- Business type
- Manufactured parts & equipment
- Contracting contact
- Britney Eggettbritney.eggett@us.af.mil
- Versions
- 3 (amended since first posted)
Full notice text from SAM.gov
See attached Sources Sought Document.
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