Description
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is issuing an Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) titled “Trusted and Elastic Military Platforms and Electronic Warfare (EW) System Technologies (TEMPEST)”. The effort seeks to develop and demonstrate cyber‑secure, agile, and open‑system technologies for avionics, sensors, and electronic warfare platforms across manned, unmanned, and autonomous vehicles. Work may include technology development, test‑bed creation, integration, modeling & simulation, RF synthetic battlespace generation, and operational demonstrations. Funding is substantial, with a total program ceiling of approximately $808.5 M and individual award sizes ranging from $1 M to $200 M (potentially higher with justification). The basic ARA is open now and will remain open for calls through March 31 2027; specific calls will later define concrete scope, deliverables, and deadlines. The solicitation is unrestricted, allowing businesses of any size (small‑business size standard ≤ 1,000 employees) to participate. Security clearance (typically Top‑Secret) and export‑control compliance will be required for most awards.