The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) released the final request for proposals (RFP) for the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system (UAS) tanker to four main competitors on Oct. 4, the Navy told Defense Daily.
The air systems engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) program solicitation details were issued to Boeing [BA], General Atomics, Lockheed Martin [LMT], and Northrop Grumman [NOC] based on laws allowing for limited competition when there are a limited set of responsible sources and others will not satisfy requirements.
The Stingray’s main role will be aerial refueling. According to the Navy’s website on the program, it will allow the Navy “to make better use of our combat strike fighters and extend the range of our aircraft carriers.”
NAVAIR commander Vice Adm. Mike Shomaker said in a Proceedings Magazine interview last month that the MQ-25 will extend the Navy’s air wing by probably 300 to 400 miles beyond where it typically goes now.
“We will be able to do that and sustain a nominal number of airplanes at that distance. That will extend the reach of the air wing, and when we combine that with additional weapons we are buying, we will get an impressive reach,” he added.
Shomaker also said they are trying to maximize fuel give as about 15,000 pounds for 500 nautical miles.
“The purpose of the EMD effort is to design, develop, deliver and test the air system, and to integrate it with the overall MQ-25 system,” Navy spokeswoman Jamis Cosgrove told Defense Daily in a statement.
The Navy previously announced in a FedBizOpps notice that it intended to release a solicitation to only the four companies (Defense Daily, May 31).
Earlier, the competitors received one-year contracts in the fall of 2016 to refine MQ-25 concepts.
NAVAIR also said it intends to release a solicitation for the accompanying contract for studies and analysis supporting the MQ-25 EMD program, also limited to the four competitors.
The final contract award is planned for late fiscal year 2018 with a Milestone B review scheduled for summer 2018.
A September Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said the Navy expects to invest nearly $2.5 billion in the MQ-25 program through FY2022. The Navy does not expect total development cost to go over $5 billion.
The GAO also noted the program’s acquisition strategy “reflects key aspects of an evolutionary, knowledge-based acquisition approach” and generally aligns with what the office has found to be product-development best practices.