- HawkEye 360 has been chosen for the National Reconnaissance Office’s Commercial Radio Frequency Capabilities Augmentation contract
- The company was chosen from a CRFC demonstration project where it showed the mission readiness of its RF systems
- The CRFCA effort is overseen by the NRO Commercial Systems Program Office
The National Reconnaissance Office announced Monday that it has selected HawkEye 360 to carry out the Commercial Radio Frequency Capabilities Augmentation contract, marking the latest move by the agency to bring privately built radio frequency technology into regular use across the intelligence community and the Department of War.
The deal comes just weeks after NRO handed out three separate Radar Commercial Augmentation contracts on August 5, underscoring a broader push at the agency to weave commercial sensing capabilities into its overhead architecture.
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How Was HawkEye 360 Selected for the Contract?
The new agreement grows out of a three-stage initiative NRO launched in September 2022 under a broad agency announcement focused on commercial radio frequency capabilities. Over the course of that effort, the agency put a range of commercial RF vendors through modeling, simulation and live on-orbit testing to gauge how well their systems could support real missions. Although the original BAA carried a statutory limit on contract value, HawkEye 360 demonstrated that its technology was ready for operational use. It cleared the way for the follow-on CRFCA award, a contract structure built for flexibility and designed to expand alongside mission needs without a value ceiling.
What Is the Commercial Radio Frequency Capabilities Augmentation Program?
The CRFCA effort, which is managed by the NRO Commercial Systems Program Office, is expected to deliver radio frequency collection in support of national security missions as well as civil and humanitarian efforts. According to the NRO, the approach draws on what it has learned from other commercial data programs, including its Electro-Optical Commercial Layer, as the agency continues looking for ways to bring innovative commercial offerings into its operations more quickly.
