Department of DefenseIssuing agency·South Carolina·via the SAM.gov Get Opportunities APIThe advent of high-threat Electronic Warfare (EW) and Global Positioning System (GPS) or Radio Frequency (RF)-denied operational domains poses an immediate risk to Department of Navy (DoN), Marine Corps, and joint aerial and maritime fleet operations. Modern tactical concepts—such as Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) and Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2)—demand ultra-high-bandwidth communications and high-precision timing synchronization across dynamic, multi-domain nodes without reliance on vulnerable RF spectra or satellite navigation. Precision optical clock synchronization and free-space optical communications (FSOC) offer timing holdover improvements and superior timing synchronization in GPS-denied environments, and high-speed low-probability-of-intercept/lowprobability-of-detection communication links.
However, transitioning optical time transfer and FSOC from benign ground laboratories to highdynamic flight environments presents severe aero-optical and mechanical barriers. Dynamic aircraft boundary layers, trans-sonic shock structures, aero-optical phase aberrations, basemotion jitter, and stringent airframe size, weight, power (SWaP), and aerodynamic drag constraints disrupt beam coherence and line-of-sight tracking. Furthermore, existing commercial optical gimbals lack the structural airworthiness certifications, thermal/pressure shock resilience, fine pointing, acquisition, and tracking/PAT (PAT) closed-loop rejection required for host aircraft integration. NIWC Atlantic seeks to prototype and demonstrate a flight-certified, aero-optically resilient dual-turret optical communications and optical time-transfer system operable across ground, littoral, and multi-altitude airborne regimes.
The contractor will prototype and demonstrate a dual-turret optical communications and optical time-transfer system. Line of Effort 1 requires design, fabrication, and assembly of a flight-worthy optical turret gimbal for NASA GRC's Pilatus PC-12; high-bandwidth PAT control and jitter suppression; aero-optical modeling and wind tunnel testing; structural airworthiness certification meeting NASA ARB standards; ground, littoral, and multi-altitude flight validation; and adaptive optics development. Line of Effort 2 requires a monostatic optical transceiver telescope (C-band, 5W max transit power, single-mode fiber, 80-125mm aperture) with multi-axis fast steering mirror (1kHz threshold, 10kHz objective bandwidth), integrated into the Line of Effort 1 turret, with MIL-STD certifications where applicable. The project includes iterative sprints covering aerodynamic design/CFD, dual-hardware fabrication, structural FEA, environmental testing, multi-altitude flight demonstrations aboard NASA research assets, and FAA airworthiness certification.
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"29419-9022""NORTH CHARLESTON""SC""USA""CHARLESTON PO BOX 190022""AOI 27-A001.pdf"148444"file"".pdf""1""2026-10-07T15:42:32.491+00:00""dca36679945047f287faab900f65fefc""public""0""public""c6a02550394d42d987002b5d87418de2""0"1"0""https://vulcan-sof.com/login/ng2/call/8c5320d9-b5e0-4897-a9d4-b3162f89309f/about""Vulcan Link"0"link""1""2026-10-07T15:42:32.491+00:00""b072528634a842db81600c02be6dfe5e""public""0""Vulcan Link""public""48ded6cf0bb64ef8b1d796b0679daca5""0"1"0"Most South Carolina work asks for the two below, and the solicitation documents are where it’s stated. One prequalification covers both — on this bid and the next.
A surety’s written statement that it expects to bond you up to a stated amount, subject to final underwriting. It’s what an agency asks to see before they take your bid seriously.
Source: SAM.gov (notice f3f71c39fe5a4d8bb8d6edf5a99e0440), retrieved via the SAM.gov Get Opportunities API. View the official posting, and always confirm requirements and deadlines with the issuing agency.