SAIC books $928M Air Force tech prototyping job
Gettyimages.com / Sandipkumar Patel
By
Ross Wilkers
Air Force officials sought a technology integrator to work with an organization responsible for helping the military bring in solutions from the intelligence community.
Science Applications International Corp. has booked a potential five-year, $928 million task order for prototype development and other broad engineering services to aid the Air Force’s deployments of technology into missions.
Air Force officials set up this program to support the branch’s Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities organization, a congressionally-mandated rapid acquisition team charged with bringing tech solutions from the intelligence community into military environments.
The Hyper-Innovative Operational Prototype Engineering 2.0 contract covers work for AF TENCAP and its network of 65 agencies across the Defense Department and intelligence community, SAIC said Wednesday.
SAIC’s work will include research, development, testing and evaluation services with the goal of helping AF TENCAP create prototypes that are nearly ready to become programs of record.
HOPE 2.0’s main goal is to help the military reach more decision advantages in domains such as air, space and cyber.
“In a larger strategic sense, HOPE 2.0 shows the urgent need of a data-centric mission integration approach for the military, intelligence, and space communities,” Vincent DiFronzo, executive vice president of SAIC’s Air Force and combatant commands business group, said in a release. “TENCAP’s rapid development approach is fully aligned with DOD’s Software Acquisition Pathway and will be essential to contribute to national priorities such as deterrence in the Pacific and Golden Dome for America, keeping our military the best in the world.”
SAIC touts the task order’s key focus areas as including sensor and data fusion, command-and-control, new materials and manufacturing processes, the unique requirements of special operations forces, battlespace awareness, interoperability and cyberspace.
As the HOPE 2.0 prime contractor, SAIC also will work with close to a dozen “traditional and non-traditional defense companies” to develop and deliver the technologies.
HOPE 2.0 was awarded through ASTRO, a government-wide vehicle awarded in 2021 by the General Services Administration.