The United States Air Force (USAF) has led several missions encompassing aerospace defense, technological advancement, and homeland security missions on land, sea, and cyber spaces. Behind many of these efforts is the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
This scientific research and development (R&D) division leads and develops various research initiatives and products for warfighters and the air and space forces. AFRL’s mission success is influenced by federal contracts from the USAF and other federal government agencies.
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Top 6 Government Contracts Won by Air Force Research Lab
Outlined below are the top government contracts won by Air Force Research Lab and awarded to trusted government contractors.
Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory Won a Contract for Space-related Tech Development and Mission Support
- Contract awardee: Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory
- Value: $1 Billion
- Contract type: Indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
- Contract date: November 15, 2021
The Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University (USU/SDL) achieved a significant milestone on November 15, 2021, as it was chosen to fulfill one of the Air Force Research Lab’s largest contracts. Under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract worth $1 billion, USU/SDL was tasked to develop space and nuclear-advanced prototypes, conduct space-related research and technology efforts, and provide mission support to the AFRL and its partners.
Additionally, the contract award solidifies AFRL’s alliance with USU/SDL, with the partnership accelerating crucial space science and technology projects. Some areas to be tackled under the IDIQ agreement are space sensors, space cybersecurity, space environmental research, advanced satellite navigation, and many more.
AFRL Awarded Agile Cyber Technology 3 Contract to Five Small Businesses
- Contract awardee/s: Assured Information Security, CNF Technologies, Global InfoTek, Invictus International Consulting, and Radiance Technologies
- Value: $950 Million
- Contract type: Multi-award IDIQ
- Contract date: June 13, 2022
On June 13, 2022, five small businesses made significant turning points in their government contracting operations as the Air Force Research Lab awarded them the third iteration of the Agile Cyber Technology contract. With a contract value of $950 million, the contract awardees were assigned to support rapid research phases, develop and prototype cyber capabilities, and deliver innovative technology to the US warfighters.
The previous Agile Cyber Technology contracts had a combined value of $1.4 billion and entailed the development and delivery of cyber technology capabilities to different agencies under the Department of Defense. Agile Cyber Technology 3 is a combination of the first two contracts as the evolving cyber domain requires a compatible pace and an increasing demand signal from operation units to executive rapid development, enhancement, and deployment of cyber capabilities.
Assured Information Security, CNF Technologies, Global InfoTek, Invictus International Consulting, and Radiance Technologies, the contract awardees, are expected to complete Agile Cyber Technology 3 by 2032.
PAR Government Systems Won a Contract for the Development of Anti-drone Technology
- Contract awardee: PAR Government Systems Corp.
- Value: $490 million
- Contract type: Single-award IDIQ
- Contract date: September 24, 2021
On September 24, 2021, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded PAR Government Systems the IDIQ contract–with cost-plus-fixed-fee completion and firm-fixed-price type orders– for providing software, hardware, and technical documentation of the Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) technologies.
Under the agreement worth $490 million, PAR Government Systems implemented research, designing, prototyping, testing, evaluation, integration, transition, and technical installation of C-sUAS machinery and equipment.
Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems are designed to detect, track, disrupt, and destroy uncrewed airborne vehicles such as drones. The development of C-sUAS tech bolsters the military’s efforts to face evolving threats from commercial uncrewed aircraft that can potentially carry explosives and can be networked with swarms of drones.
PAR Government Systems received fiscal 2021 research and development funds worth $5.7 million at the time of awarding and will continue developing and testing anti-drone technology until August 31, 2029.
AFRL Awarded Howard University Contract to Establish University Research Consortium
- Contract awardee: Howard University
- Value: $90 Million
- Contract type: Indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
- Contract date: January 19, 2023
The academic domain achieved a significant milestone through Howard University’s landing of the Air Force Research Lab’s contract for its Tactical Autonomy R&D project. With a contract value of $90 million, the IDIQ tasked Howard University, a private research university based in Washington, DC, to establish a center to employ research projects for identifying and aiding the transition of practical applications of autonomous technology.
Howard University received fiscal 2023 funds of nearly $3 million to complete the contract’s first task order. The research university is expected to complete the research consortium by January 31, 2028.
Northrop Grumman Landed Contract to Establish Communication with Military Platforms via Commercial Space Internet Service
- Contract awardee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.
- Value: $80.3 Million
- Contract type: Cost-plus-fixed-fee
- Contract date: June 2, 2023
Northrop Grumman Systems, a distinguished government contractor in the aerospace and defense realms, secured a contract from the Air Force Research Lab for the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet Advanced Research Announcement program.
Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, the Virginia-based defense company was awarded $80.3 million to develop and demonstrate the ability to communicate with military platforms through commercial space internet constellations in various orbital dominions. The contract also entails Northrop Grumman testing these space technologies with common user terminal and hardware elements.
A total of $31 million in fiscal R&D funds have been awarded to Northrop Grumman to complete some of the agreement’s task orders. AFRL’s Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet Advanced Research Announcement contract is scheduled to conclude on February 25, 2027.
Concurrent Technologies Corporation Secured AFRL Contracts to Improve Microgrid Resiliency and USAF Efficiency
- Contract awardee: Concurrent Technologies Corp.
- Value: $9.4 Million (combined)
- Contract date: June 2023
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) achieved significant milestones when it secured two contracts from the Air Force Research Lab to improve microgrid resiliency and provide support to the USAF in June 2023.
The first contract, which has a value of $4.8 million, tasked CTC to build direct current (DC) microgrid technology to bolster energy resilience at the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. CTC’s improvement of microgrid solutions will help save energy when connected to the utility grid and provide resilient power during power loss. Added to that, the resilient microgrids reduce the air base’s reliance on DC/AC inverters, which are common failure points for traditional inverters.
The other deal, valued at $4.6 million, entailed overhauling diesel-powered generators for fighter aircraft used during the Vietnam War. Due to CTC’s previously successful battery hybrid generator prototypes, AFRL tapped into the company to design, develop, and test a second version of Next Generation Powerhead Systems to support the US Air Force’s missions.
AFRL Awarded KBR Contract for xGEO Space Situational Awareness
- Contract awardee: KBR Inc.
- Value: $25 million
- Contract date: July 31, 2023
KBR Inc., a trusted government contractor for the Department of Defense and NASA, received a task order contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to study and analyze non-traditional orbits within the xGEO domain, or the orbit out of the Earth that goes beyond out to the Moon. With contract funds worth $24.9 million, KBR was tasked to implement research on space situational awareness.
KBR cover areas on N-body problems, predicting the individual movement of a group of celestial matter interacting with each other gravitationally. It will also work on developing robust solutions for data association, maneuver detection, initial orbit determination, and analyzing and predicting orbital motion and is expected to complete the task orders by 2028.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Air Force Research Lab?
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the research and development division of the US Air Force, spearheading the delivery, discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies tailored for the air, space, and cyberspace forces.
For over a century, AFRL has revolutionized the aerospace industry by employing cutting-edge research methods, modernizing old technology, and tailoring solutions and services to suit the needs of its academia, private business, and government customers.
What are AFRL’s products and services?
The Air Force Research Laboratory offers its full-spectrum laboratory and a broad range of services and solutions to the US Air Force and Space Force, the US Department of Defense, and other enterprises focused on space-based technologies.
AFRL’s roster of capabilities includes munitions, sensors, space vehicles, aerospace systems, directed energy, artificial intelligence, integrated capabilities, cross-domain solutions, and healthcare crisis response.
Where is AFRL’s headquarters located?
Air Force Research Laboratory is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, the home of the Wright Brothers and where aviation originated. Within AFRL’s headquarters is the Center for Rapid Innovation, an agency that handles urgent operational requests from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Mobility Command, and other USAF division commanders.
AFRL Government Contracts: Leading Industries to Greater Heights
As a distinguished research and development agency, the Air Force Research Laboratory has maintained over 100 years of expertise in aviation, aerospace, and cyberspace to deliver innovative solutions to customers and partners in the private sector and federal government.
Over the years, AFRL has partnered with companies to deploy government missions effectively. Its federal contracts have revolutionized space-based technologies and propelled various industries to greater heights.