The U.S. Navy has laid out a five-year contracting timeline to overhaul the F-35 Lightning II’s mission planning software, initiating a procurement process valued between $50 million and $100 million. The upcoming engineering support contract will target the ground-based architecture that pilots utilize to plot tactical routes, analyze regional threats, program weapon loads, and configure communications arrays before launching the stealth fighter.
According to acquisition documents released by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, California, the service intends to procure the project on an other-than-full-and-open-competition basis. The requirement serves as a direct follow-on to an existing deal held by Springfield, Virginia-based small business Computer Systems Center Inc., which is scheduled to conclude on June 10, 2027.
Procurement Timeline and Contract Structure
Federal procurement forecasts indicate that the Navy plans to release a final request for proposals around January 25, 2027. Officials expect to formally award the single-award contract by May 20, 2027, locking in performance terms that will run through May 2032.
The service structures the upcoming agreement as an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract utilizing cost-plus-fixed-fee labor arrangements. Acquisition planners estimate the scope will encompass roughly 278,800 labor hours, aligning closely with the 280,050 hours established under the incumbent contract. Due to the sensitive nature of the software systems involved, the requirement carries Top Secret security clearance mandates.
The sourcing notice issued on October 2 asks firms of all sizes to submit statements detailing their past performance, management approaches, and available staffing pools. These submissions will guide the service in determining whether to formally set the competition aside for small businesses. The current arrangement was awarded without a small business set-aside following a competitive electronic solicitation in February 2023 that drew only a single bid.
Inside the F-35 Mission Planning Environment
The targeted software operates within the F-35’s broader offboard mission support architecture—the suite of ground computers and tactical programs designed to service the aircraft outside the immediate cockpit environment. While Lockheed Martin serves as the primary manufacturer for the F-35 airframe as well as its core mission planning hardware and software, the Navy’s contract focuses squarely on government-side engineering oversight.
The designated program, known as Advanced Requirements Characterization, Engineering and Representation (ARCHER), tasks the winning contractor with assisting the program office in defining technical requirements, analyzing system architecture, and executing program management. The resulting digital packages generated by these tools are physically uploaded into the stealth fighters prior to flight operations, operating alongside parallel logistical systems like the Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN).
Industry responses to the recent sources sought notice are due by 5 p.m. Pacific time on October 17. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division has confirmed it does not plan to hold an industry day ahead of the final solicitation release.
