Description
The Department of the Air Force is seeking to purchase KC-135 Puma Deployable Aircrew Radio Terminal (DART) kits from Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to support the new 6th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) Special Operations Air Refueling (SOAR) mission. The Puma DART is a multi-channel, single-man-portable communications suite certified by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to meet the requirements for SOAR missions. It features Satellite Communications (SATCOM), Integrated Communications Systems (ICS), and Line of Sight (LOS) capabilities. The DART system delivers 50 watts of RF power, an integrated SATCOM diplexer/combiner, and Low Noise Amplifiers for weak receive signals.
• The Puma DART is the only device that meets the requirements for the SOAR mission.
• SNC is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the Puma DART.
• Market research was conducted and did not reveal any other companies capable of providing these items.
• The Government has established that only one source can currently fulfill this requirement.
• The contracting office is providing ample posting time to encourage future competition, broaden industry participation, and notify small business concerns of potential prime contracting and subcontracting opportunities.