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FA9451-24-S-0001
Response Deadline
Nov 22, 2028, 7:00 PM(MST)928 days
Eligibility
Contract Type
Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
***SEE ATTACHMENTS FOR FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT***
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)
FA9451-24-S-0001
Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate
ANNOUNCEMENT OVERVIEW
Initial
22 November 2023
NAICS CODE: The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541715 for Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees.
FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL/RD)
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: TACTICAL
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: This is the Initial Announcement of BAA FA9451-24-S-0001, BAA With Closed Calls
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: FA9451-24-S-0001
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER(S): Not Applicable (N/A). No assistance instrument or CFDA opportunities exist under this announcement.
BRIEF PROGRAM SUMMARY:
This is a five (5) year Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) describing the research areas of interest for the Directed Energy Directorate. This BAA approach allows for proposal submittals at a specified date and time, which will be posted through the issuance of Calls at various times against this BAA. This BAA will be reviewed no less frequently than annually and updates will be published in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://sam.gov). Any changes or cancellation of the BAA will be posted as amendments to this BAA. This annual review and subsequent amendment to the BAA shall meet the requirement of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.016 to publish the BAA no less frequently than annually. As technical requirements are identified, Calls may be issued in SAM.gov to request proposals for specific research efforts. These subsequent Calls will contain specific descriptions of the research effort to be addressed, anticipated period of performance, information peculiar to the specific research technical topic area, and the estimated funding profile for the Call.
PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: NO PROPOSALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AGAINST THIS OVERARCHING BAA. Proposal due dates and times will be specified in each Call announcement. Proposals received after the due date and time specified in the Call shall be governed by the provisions of the FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). It should be noted that this installation observes strict security procedures to enter the facility. These security procedures are NOT considered an interruption of normal Government processes, and proposals received after the due date and time specified in the Call because of security delays will be considered late”.
Furthermore, note that if offerors utilize commercial carriers in the delivery of proposals, they may not honor time-of-day delivery guarantees on military installations. Early proposal submission is encouraged.
GENERAL INFORMATION: This acquisition is unrestricted. This BAA is issued under the provisions of FAR 6.102(d)(2) that provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the results of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of PL 98-369, the Competition In Contracting Act of 1984. Offerors MUST monitor SAM in the event this announcement is amended, and for the posting of Calls.
ANNOUNCEMENT MODIFICATIONS: Due to the dynamically evolving nature of US warfighter directed energy needs, this announcement is potentially subject to include updates, revisions, or additional topic areas. Therefore, Offerors are highly encouraged to continually monitor SAM to ensure they receive latest guidance to this announcement.
TYPE OF CONTRACTS/INSTRUMENTS: The Air Force reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research proposed. Accordingly, the Government may award any appropriate contract type under the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
The Government anticipates that a mix of contract types will be used throughout the life of this BAA. Generally, awards under this announcement may be Cost-Plus-Fixed Fee (Completion and Term), Cost Contract, or Firm Fixed Price. There are no opportunities for Other Transactions, Grants, Cooperative Agreements, or other types of non-FAR instruments under this announcement.
Cost-type contracts will require successful Offerors to have an accounting system deemed adequate by Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) for tracking costs under a cost reimbursable contract (DFARS 242.75). If an Offeror does NOT have a DCAA approved accounting system, a cost-type contract cannot be awarded.
ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS: Potential offerors are notified that effective 01 Jan 2005 to be eligible for an award and in compliance with FAR 52.204-7 and DFARS 252.204-7007 Alternate A, they must submit Annual Representations and Certifications, via SAM.gov. Before submitting the electronic Annual Representations and Certifications, Contractors must be registered in the SAM Database. Online registration instructions can be accessed from the SAM at https://sam.gov. These FAR and DFAR level representations and certifications are required in addition to the representations and certifications that may be attached to each Call.
ESTIMATED PROGRAM COST: Anticipated funding for the program (not per Call, contract, or award):
FY24 FY25 FY26 FY27 FY28 TOTAL
$100M $100M $100M $100M $99M $499M
This funding profile is an estimate only and will not be a contractual obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability. All potential offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations, funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice.
ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: The Air Force anticipates awarding a minimum of one contract per specific Call. However, the Air Force reserves the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to a Call. There is no limit on the number of contracts that may be awarded to an individual Offeror.
SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) REGISTRATION: Before the Government can award a contract, an Offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). It is in the Offeror’s interest to visit SAM and ensure that all the Offeror’s data is up to date from SAM and other databases to avoid delay in award. SAM allows firms interested in conducting business with the federal government to provide basic information on business capabilities and financial information. To register, visit https://www.sam.gov.
POINT OF CONTACT:
a) Administrative, technical, or contractual questions should be sent via e-mail to afrl.rdlb.tacticalbaa@us.af.mil. All requests must include a name, e-mail address, and phone number of an organizational point of contact.
b) Each Call will include specific contracting points of contact.
Amendment 1 – FY24 Request for Executive Summaries for Topic Area Group Inclusion (15 December 2023)
Under the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) TACTICAL Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), FA945124S0001, posted on SAM.gov on 22 November 2023, AFRL is issuing this Call for Executive Summaries for inclusion into Topic Area Groups (TAGs). The Government is interested in Executive Summaries as directed in Section VII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summaries shall be tailored to one specific Topic Area. Any offeror wishing to be considered for inclusion to multiple TAGs shall submit an Executive Summary for each TAG desired. Topic Areas are listed in Section I Paragraph 5 of the BAA announcement. Submission instructions are included in Section VII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summary Review and Evaluation Procedures are listed in Section VIII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summaries will be accepted from 1 January 2024 through 1600 MST on 31 January 2024. AFRL intends to announce TAG members by 15 March 2024.
TACTICAL Organizational Mailbox: afrl.rdlb.tacticalbaa@us.af.mil
Offerors shall use the following naming convention for the Subject Line of the email submission:
“Topic Area X: Company Name, (CAGE: XXXXX)”
***DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES – If it is necessary to submit a classified Executive Summary, first send an unclassified request to the TACTICAL Org Mailbox for specific submission instructions***
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 2 – Revision to FY24 Topic Area Group Inclusion (13 February 2024)
AFRL has revised the date it intends to announce TAG members. AFRL now intends to announce TAG members by 29 March 2024.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 3 –FY24 Topic Area Group Members (28 March 2024)
AFRL is pleased to announce the establishment of the TACTICAL Topic Area Groups (TAG).
NOTE: There is no appeal process for any Executive Summary (ES) submission evaluated as “Selected” or “Not Selected”. The only feedback that will be provided is captured under the Executive Summary Review Forms provided as a response to Offeror Executive Summaries.
For any Offerors not included in the TAG list below, AFRL welcomes Offerors to submit an ES for inclusion in topic areas in response to any future TACTICAL Request for Executive Summary announcements on this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). However, executive Summaries will only be accepted during the time periods specified in TACTICAL Requests for Executive Summary announcements posted to this announcement.
The Selected/Technically Qualified TACTICAL Topic Area Group (TAG) Members as of 28 March 2024 are as follows:
Topic Area 1: Laser Sources
Topic Area 2: Aero-Effects & Beam Control
Topic Area 3: Laser System Technologies, Integration and Demonstration
Topic Area 4: Laser System Modeling & Simulation
Topic Area 5: Laser Interaction Testing
Topic Area 6: Laser Interaction Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
Topic Area 7: Laser Vulnerability Assessments
Topic Area 8: Satellite Custody and Characterization (SCC)
Topic Area 9: Identification (ID) and Characterization Using Alternate Electro-Optics (EO)
Phenomenologies
Topic Area 10: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomy for Space Domain Awareness (SDA)
Topic Area 11: High Power Electromagnetics (HPEM) Modeling and Effects
Topic Area 12: HPEM Sources and Components
Topic Area 13: HPEM Applications
Topic Area 14: Wargaming
The TAG members listed above will be included in any future Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for White Paper (RFWP) for Topic Area Groups.
Inclusion in a Topic Area Group does not directly result in a specific contract award. Any future contracts under Topic Area Groups will be awarded based on evaluation of proposals or white papers solicited directly from established groups Topic Area Group members.
Please note, regardless of Topic Area Group membership, at any time the Government may issue Standard Calls for any Topic Area under this TACTICAL BAA announcement.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 4 – Revision to TACTICAL Science & Technology (S&T) Program Protection language (29 March 2024)
The purpose of this amendment is to revise the TACTICAL Science & Technology (S&T) Program Protection language included in Section I paragraph 8 of the TACTICAL full text announcement included in the attachments. The revised paragraph is as follows:
e. Science & Technology (S&T) Program Protection: Offerors notified that subsequent Call Announcements shall include a requirement for submission of: 1.) A completed Standard Form (SF 424), Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form (See Attachments) for all Senior/Key Personnel proposed; and 2.) A Completed Security Program Questionnaire (See Attachments). Offerors may be asked to provide a mitigation plan for any identified S&T Protection risks.
The Government reserves the right to determine an Offeror unawardable on the grounds of unacceptable S&T Protection risk based on its review of the SF 424 and Security Program Questionnaire. During the security review process, if it is determined that personnel listed to perform work are identified as potentially having a conflict of interest/commitment, the Government will not award the contract at this time.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 5 – Virtual Industry Day
AFRL Directed Energy will be hosting a Virtual Industry Day.
REGISTRATION LINK: https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/h8zZpZdnhT
Registration closes Wednesday, 30 Oct 24 at 1700 MT. After the registration form is submitted, AFRL will verify the status of the DD Form 2345 and will send a confirmation email that the registration is complete. A subsequent email will be sent no later than 4 Nov 2024 with the links to the Q&A session.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 6 – Revision to TACTICAL Science & Technology (S&T) Program Protection language and GFP Clause List (21 November 2024)
The purpose of this amendment is to revise the TACTICAL Science & Technology (S&T) Program Protection language included in Section I paragraph 9 (formerly included in Section I paragraph 8) of the TACTICAL full text announcement included in the attachments. The revised paragraph is as follows:
9) Science & Technology (S&T) Program Protection: Offerors are notified that subsequent Call Announcements shall include a requirement for submission of the documents identified below. Offerors may be asked to provide a mitigation plan for any identified S&T Protection risks.
The Government reserves the right to determine an Offeror unawardable on the grounds of unacceptable S&T Protection risk based on its review of the SF 424 and Security Program Questionnaire. During the security review process, if it is determined that personnel listed to perform work are identified as potentially having a conflict of interest/commitment, the Government will not award the contract.
a) Security Risk Review. Each proposal submission will be subject to a Security Risk Review prior to selection for award. The Security Risk Review is applied to federally funded research designed to help protect Department of the Air Force Science and Technology (S&T) by identifying possible vectors of undue foreign influence. AFRL will follow all policy and procedures outlined in Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Instruction AFRLI 61-113, Science and Technology Protection for the Air Force Research Laboratory and Department of the Air Force Instruction DAFI 63-101/20-101, Integrated Lifecycle Management.
b) Security risk review for these subject proposals will be developed for all proposed Senior/Key personnel and “Covered Individuals”. These risk reviews will be based on information disclosed in a Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile and Security Questionnaire. In addition, any accompanying or referenced documents, publicly available information, and information contained in internal U.S. Government databases will be utilized in risk reviews. Nationality or citizenship is not a factor in the security risk reviews.
c) When considering all external engagements, AFRL incorporates a holistic decision-making process that encompasses technical and security factors. The security review method implemented by AFRL measures risk factors to identify the appropriate Risk Acceptance Level (RAL) within the organization. The objective analysis of the security risk factors is conducted to empower AFRL’s S&T leaders to make risk-informed decisions. The review process generally looks at five factors, or risk areas, but with authority for expanded review as noted in OSD R&E Memorandum dated 6 Jun 2023 t. The potential security risk factors are set forth below:
Potential security risk factors:
(see TACTICAL BAA Announcement_20241112 update in Attachments for image)
Actions Required by Applicants at proposal or white paper submission:
a. In accordance with AFRLI 61-113, S&T Protection, Applicants/Recipients are required to submit the following documentation with their proposal:
(i) Standard Form 424, “Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile (Expanded) AND
(ii) Security Program Questionnaire AND
(iii) “Privacy Act Statement” consent form for each Covered Individual that is also signed by the Applicant as that Individual’s Sponsor.
In the event a security risk is identified, and the Government has determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold, the Applicant/Recipient will be notified and informed of the termination/decline of award. The Government will only provide a general statement of the reasoning due to Government OPSEC measures.
By submission of the Research and Related Senior Key Person Profile and Security Program Questionnaire, the Applicant agrees to comply with the following:
a. To certify that each covered individual who is listed on the application has been made aware: (1) of all relevant disclosure requirements, including the requirements of 42 U.S.C. § 6605; and (2) that false representations may be subject to prosecution and liability pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C. §§287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 and 3802. See National Science and Technology Council Guidance for Implementing National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) on National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development (January 2022).
b. To establish and maintain an internal process or procedure to address foreign talent programs, conflicts of commitment, conflicts of interest, and research integrity.
c. To exercise due diligence to identify Foreign Components or participation by Senior/Key Personnel in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs and agree to share such information with the Government upon request.
Actions Required by Covered Individuals:
a. Covered Individual. An individual who contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award from a Federal research agency; and is designated as a covered individual by the Federal research agency concerned. See 42 U.S.C. § 6605, Definitions. (For purposes of this BAA, “covered individuals” are all Senior/Key Personnel.)
b. Federal law requires that all current and pending research support, as defined by 42 U.S.C. §6605, must be disclosed at the time of proposal submission, for all covered individuals. The Government may require an updated disclosure during the performance of any research project selected for funding. The Government will require an updated disclosure whenever covered individuals are added or identified as performing under the funded project.
c. Covered Individuals are also required to sign the “Privacy Act Statement” and provide such signed statement to the applicant for submission with the proposal.
d. Any decision to accept a proposal for funding under this announcement will include full reliance on the individual’s statements. Failure to report fully and completely all sources of project support and outside positions and affiliations may be considered a material statement within the meaning of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729, and constitute a violation of Federal law.
Actions required by Performers during period of performance:
a. Applicant/Recipient will be required to re-submit the Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile as an annual requirement. In addition, whenever a new covered individual(s) is to be added or identified as performing under the funded project, a new Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile will be required prior to continued performance.
b. If, at any time, during performance of this award, the Applicant/Recipient learns that its Senior/Key Research Personnel (including any sub awardee personnel who receive this designation) are or are believed to be participants in a Foreign Government Talent Program or have Foreign Components with a strategic competitor or country with a history of targeting U.S. technology for unauthorized transfer, the Applicant/recipient will notify the Contracting/Grants Officer within 5 business days of awareness.
c. This disclosure must include specific information as to the personnel involved and the nature of the situation and relationship. The Government will review this information and conduct any necessary fact-finding or discussion with the Applicant/Recipient. The Government’s determination on disclosure may include acceptance, mitigation, or termination of the award.
d. Failure of the Applicant/Recipient to reasonably exercise due diligence to discover or ensure that neither it nor any of its Senior/Key Research Personnel involved in the subject award are participating in a Foreign Government Talent Program or have a Foreign Component with a strategic competitor or country with a history of targeting U.S. technology for unauthorized transfer may result in the Government exercising remedies in accordance with federal law and regulation.
e. The provisions concerning this disclosure will be included in each award.
f. The Applicant/Recipient will be required to flow down this provision to all sub awardees who have personnel designated as Senior/Key Research Personnel as a result of their involvement in the performance of the research.
Additionally, the purpose of this amendment is to revise the TACTICAL Government Furnished Property Clause list in Section I paragraph 10 (formerly Section I paragraph 9) of the TACTICAL full text announcement included in the attachments. The revised paragraph is as follows:
a) Government Furnished Property (GFP): To be determined for each award. In accordance with FAR 45.201(b), the contractor is responsible for all costs related to making the property available for use, such as payment of all transportation, installation, or rehabilitation costs. If GFP is requested in a proposal, the following clauses/provisions apply:
(i) FAR 52.245-1 Government Property or FAR 52.245-1, Alt II if the resulting contract is with a nonprofit organization or applied research at nonprofit organizations (SEP 2021)
(ii) FAR 52.245-9 Use and Charges (APR 2012)
(iii) DFARS 252.245-7003, Contractor Property Management System Administration (APR 2012)
(iii) DFARS 252.245-7005, Management and Reporting of Government Property (JAN 2024)
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 7 – FY25 Request for Executive Summaries for Topic Area Group Inclusion (13 December 2024)
Under the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) TACTICAL Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), FA945124S0001, posted on SAM.gov on 22 November 2023, AFRL is issuing this Call for Executive Summaries for inclusion into Topic Area Groups (TAGs). The Government is interested in Executive Summaries as directed in Section VII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summaries shall be tailored to one specific Topic Area. Any offeror wishing to be considered for inclusion to multiple TAGs shall submit an Executive Summary for each TAG desired. Topic Areas are listed in Section I Paragraph 5 of the BAA announcement. Submission instructions are included in Section VII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summary Review and Evaluation Procedures are listed in Section VIII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summaries will be accepted from 1 January 2025 through 1600 MST on 31 January 2025. AFRL intends to announce TAG members by 14 March 2025.
NOTE: This request for Executive Summaries is only for entities not already included in a specific TAG. Entities already included in TAGs as posted in Amendment 3 to this BAA on 28 March 2024 are not required to re-apply for TAG inclusion by submitting an Executive Summary under this call unless they have previously been removed from a TAG. However, any entity that previously applied for a specific TAG but was NOT selected, or any entity that was removed from a specific TAG, may reapply for inclusion under this call.
TACTICAL Organizational Mailbox: afrl.rdlb.tacticalbaa@us.af.mil
Offerors shall use the following naming convention for the Subject Line of the email submission:
“Topic Area X: Company Name, (CAGE: XXXXX)”
***DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES – If it is necessary to submit a classified Executive Summary, first send an unclassified request to the TACTICAL Org Mailbox for specific submission instructions***
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 8 – Revision to FY25 Topic Area Group Inclusion (18 March 2025)
AFRL has revised the date it intends to announce the FY25 update to TAG members. AFRL now intends to announce updated TAG members by 28 March 2025.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 9 – FY25 Topic Area Group Members (26 March 2025)
AFRL is pleased to announce the selection of the FY25 TACTICAL Topic Area Groups (TAG).
NOTE: There is no appeal process for any Executive Summary (ES) submission evaluated as “Selected” or “Not Selected”. The only feedback that will be provided is captured under the Executive Summary Review Forms provided as a response to Offeror Executive Summaries.
For any Offerors not included in the TAG list below, AFRL welcomes Offerors to submit an ES for inclusion in topic areas in response to any future TACTICAL Request for Executive Summary announcements on this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). However, executive Summaries will only be accepted during the time periods specified in TACTICAL Requests for Executive Summary announcements posted to this announcement.
The Selected/Technically Qualified TACTICAL Topic Area Group (TAG) Members as of 26 March 2025 are as follows:
Topic Area 1: Laser Sources
Topic Area 2: Aero-Effects & Beam Control
Topic Area 3: Laser System Technologies, Integration and Demonstration
Topic Area 4: Laser System Modeling & Simulation
Topic Area 5: Laser Interaction Testing
Topic Area 6: Laser Interaction Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
Topic Area 7: Laser Vulnerability Assessments
Topic Area 8: Satellite Custody and Characterization (SCC)
Topic Area 9: Identification (ID) and Characterization Using Alternate Electro-Optics (EO)
Phenomenologies
Topic Area 10: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomy for Space Domain Awareness (SDA)
Topic Area 11: High Power Electromagnetics (HPEM) Modeling and Effects
Topic Area 12: HPEM Sources and Components
Topic Area 13: HPEM Applications
Topic Area 14: Wargaming
The TAG members listed above will be included in any future Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for White Paper (RFWP) for Topic Area Groups.
Inclusion in a Topic Area Group does not directly result in a specific contract award. Any future contracts under Topic Area Groups will be awarded based on evaluation of proposals or white papers solicited directly from established groups Topic Area Group members.
Please note, regardless of Topic Area Group membership, at any time the Government may issue Standard Calls for any Topic Area under this TACTICAL BAA announcement.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 10 – Revision to TACTICAL Full Announcement to comply with Class Deviation 2025-O0003 (28 March 2025)
The purpose of this amendment is to revise the TACTICAL Full Announcement to comply with Class Deviation 2025-O0003 Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity in Federal Contracts. The revised paragraph is as follows:
6. Pre-Award Clearance: RESERVED.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 11 – FY26 Request for Executive Summaries for Topic Area Group Inclusion (12 Dec 2025)
Under the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) TACTICAL Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), FA945124S0001, posted on SAM.gov on 22 November 2023, AFRL is issuing this Call for Executive Summaries for inclusion into Topic Area Groups (TAGs). The Government is interested in Executive Summaries as directed in Section VII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summaries shall be tailored to one specific Topic Area. Any offeror wishing to be considered for inclusion to multiple TAGs shall submit an Executive Summary for each TAG desired. Topic Areas are listed in Section I Paragraph 5 of the BAA announcement. Submission instructions are included in Section VII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summary Review and Evaluation Procedures are listed in Section VIII of the BAA announcement. Executive Summaries will be accepted from 1 January 2026 through 1600 MST on 02 February 2026. AFRL intends to announce TAG members by 16 March 2026.
NOTE: This request for Executive Summaries is only for entities not already included in a specific TAG. Entities already included in TAGs as posted in Amendment 9 to this BAA on 26 March 2025 are not required to re-apply for TAG inclusion by submitting an Executive Summary under this call unless they have previously been removed from a TAG. However, any entity that previously applied for a specific TAG but was NOT selected, or any entity that was removed from a specific TAG, may reapply for inclusion under this call.
TACTICAL Organizational Mailbox: afrl.rdlb.tacticalbaa@us.af.mil
Offerors shall use the following naming convention for the Subject Line of the email submission:
“Topic Area X: Company Name, (CAGE: XXXXX)”
***DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES – If it is necessary to submit a classified Executive Summary, first send an unclassified request to the TACTICAL Org Mailbox for specific submission instructions***
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 12 – Revision to FY26 Topic Area Group Inclusion (17 March 2025)
AFRL has revised the date it intends to announce the FY26 update to TAG members. AFRL now intends to announce updated TAG members by 30 April 2026.
(End of Amendment)
Amendment 13 – FY25 Topic Area Group Members (08 May 2025)
AFRL is pleased to announce the selection of the FY26 TACTICAL Topic Area Groups (TAG).
NOTE: There is no appeal process for any Executive Summary (ES) submission evaluated as “Selected” or “Not Selected”. The only feedback that will be provided is captured under the Executive Summary Review Forms provided as a response to Offeror Executive Summaries.
For any Offerors not included in the TAG list below, AFRL welcomes Offerors to submit an ES for inclusion in topic areas in response to any future TACTICAL Request for Executive Summary announcements on this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). However, executive Summaries will only be accepted during the time periods specified in TACTICAL Requests for Executive Summary announcements posted to this announcement.
The Selected/Technically Qualified TACTICAL Topic Area Group (TAG) Members as of 08 May 2026 are as follows:
Topic Area 1: Laser Sources
Topic Area 2: Aero-Effects & Beam Control
Topic Area 3: Laser System Technologies, Integration and Demonstration
Topic Area 4: Laser System Modeling & Simulation
Topic Area 5: Laser Interaction Testing
Topic Area 6: Laser Interaction Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
Topic Area 7: Laser Vulnerability Assessments
Topic Area 8: Satellite Custody and Characterization (SCC)
Topic Area 9: Identification (ID) and Characterization Using Alternate Electro-Optics (EO) Phenomenologies
Topic Area 10: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomy for Space Domain Awareness (SDA)
Topic Area 11: High Power Electromagnetics (HPEM) Modeling and Effects
Topic Area 12: HPEM Sources and Components
Topic Area 13: HPEM Applications
Topic Area 14: Wargaming
The TAG members listed above will be included in any future Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for White Paper (RFWP) for Topic Area Groups.
Inclusion in a Topic Area Group does not directly result in a specific contract award. Any future contracts under Topic Area Groups will be awarded based on evaluation of proposals or white papers solicited directly from established groups Topic Area Group members.
Please note, regardless of Topic Area Group membership, at any time the Government may issue Standard Calls for any Topic Area under this TACTICAL BAA announcement.
(End of Amendment)
Rachel Gonzales
Daniel Jones
DEPT OF DEFENSE
DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE
AIR FORCE MATERIEL COMMAND
AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY
FA9451 AFRL RDK
FA9451 AFRL RDK
ADMINISTRATIVE ONLY NO REQUISITIONS
3550 ABERDEEN AVE SE
KIRTLAND AFB, NM, 87117
NAICS
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
PSC
NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; DEFENSE-RELATED ACTIVITIES; APPLIED RESEARCH