United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Long Range/Long Endurance (LR|LE) Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Event – 2027-1 (sLE27-1)

1. General: This Request for Information (RFI) is not a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, quotations, or obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services, but for planning purposes only. This RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and to explore industry capabilities. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission to this announcement or the Government use of such information. The information provided may be used by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in development of its acquisition strategy, statement of work/statement of objectives, and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marked proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this request for information or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI.

2. Purpose:

a. The USSOCOM, Special Operations Forces-Acquisition Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L), Program Executive Office-Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS), Program Management Office-Remote Capabilities (PMO-RC), small Uncrewed Multidomain Systems-Air (sUMS-Air) seeks information on specific technology areas to gain knowledge of, explore, and identify potential methodologies and available capabilities in the examination of Long Range/Long Endurance (LR|LE) Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS).

b. LR/LE UAS Traits:

(1) Basic Traits: Should be a Group 2 UAS capable of performing multiple configurable mission sets at ranges of 20 kilometers and beyond for six (6) hours and beyond, while simultaneously carrying and operating a minimum of two (2) payloads/sensors with a combined weight of five (5) pounds or more. The UAS should be able to launch and recover from a 100m x 100m land surface with a slope of 5° or less during day and night operations in standard and adverse weather conditions, including up to 1/8" of rain per hour. UAS should be able to take off and be recovered in wind conditions up to and exceeding 20 knots. In flight, it must operate in sustained winds of 20 knots and gusts of 30 knots. UAS should be able to operate in RF congested and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) contested environments. UAS should include modular components, allowing a trained SOF operator to set up the system from a transport case to a ready-to-launch status in no more than 60 minutes. Propulsion system should be electric, or hybrid based. UAS should be able to maintain or exceed a cruise speed of 25 Knots Indicated Airspeed (KIAS) and dash at 35 KIAS. The system must follow a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to host government-developed collaborative autonomy plugins to plan and execute missions independently or collaboratively with operators in the loop (OITL) or on the loop (ONTL); this includes sufficient data storage and an accessible Graphics Processing Unit that has 16 gigabytes of memory, a minimum of 1024 cores and 32 tensor cores. All components must comply with the American Security Drone Act of 2023.

(2) Desired Traits: A UAS capable of providing continuous coverage for 12 hours or more, with an operational range of 100 km or more, and a payload capacity of 15 lbs or more will be viewed favorably. The ability to take off/launch and land/recover from multiple environments is highly desired, including from an area defined by a 5m diameter and 100-foot height. This also includes the ability to launch from and recover to a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) / 16ft boat and to land in the water and remain afloat for up to two (2) hours. The UAS should also be able to launch and recover in wind conditions of 39 knots and operate in sustained winds of 39 knots with gusts up to 47 knots. A cruise speed of 60 KIAS or more and a dash speed of 80 KIAS or more is also desired. Integration into the SOF Tactical Android Kit environment and novel capabilities that reduce acoustic, visual, infrared, RF, and other signatures are highly desired.

c. All hardware/equipment submitted for the evaluation shall be production models and capable of performing specific core mission sets conducted by Special Operations Forces (SOF) UAS operators in an operational environment.

d. While un-released commercial devices that meet most of the capabilities are allowed, the expectation is that all devices will be final product versions and meet the capabilities detailed in the scenarios that align with approved mission profiles and establish statistical confidence in the results.

e. Mission profile evaluation may consist of two independently conducted events:

(1) Technical Evaluation (TE), commonly referred to as Developmental Testing (DT), to confirm the quality and accuracy of device performance and output;

(2) Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) to evaluate training, determine usability and suitability for SOF operators in a realistic environment.  

f. Responses to this RFI may be used by USSOCOM, SOF AT&L, PEO-TIS, PM-RC and sUMS-Air and other Department of Defense entities to identify potential hardware and equipment solutions for participation in the further evaluation of market information and/or ascertain potential market capacity to provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice.

3. Timeline: The sLE-27-1 is scheduled from June 2026 thru February 2027 in the greater Tampa, Florida area. The preliminary schedule of events (subject to change) is as follows:

a. NLT 5 June 2026 – RFI Response. Interested Manufacturers/Vendors respond to this RFI. Responses should be submitted directly through the USSOCOM Vulcan platform at: https://vulcan-sof.com/login/ng2/submission?collectionUuid=b0bbdde1-b8ba-42d9-a27c-257ab01157bf and must include a detailed three (3) to five (5) page UNCLASSIFIED capability paper of the proposed current capabilities as described at Section 2.Title of submission should be sLE 27-1_<Manufacturers/Vendor name>. Additionally, identification of the offeror’s primary point(s) of contact with phone and electronic mail information shall also be included. Files shall be submitted to the Government in .docx, .pdf, .xlsx or .pptx format. Please review the instructions carefully within the Vulcan platform call. If you still have additional questions about this Vulcan platform, you may send your queries to the Engage SOF team: eSOF@socom.mil. All other documents provided by the offeror shall be retained by the Government but not reviewed. Subject to change based upon agency need.

b. 15 thru 16 July 2026 – Vendor Presentations. Manufacturers/Vendors present their proposed white papers, equipment and demonstrate the equipment’s capabilities of interest.  eSOF presentations will be conducted at 1925 East 2nd Avenue, Suite 102, Tampa, Florida 33605. Specific coordination information will be provided by eSOF when briefing dates and times are scheduled. Proceeding to the next portion is based solely upon best agency need and requirements. Subject to change based upon agency need.

c. 30 July 2026 – Technical Evaluation Invitations. Invitations will be sent to select Manufacturers/Vendors to participate in the Technical Evaluation event. While sUMS-Air Program will provide feedback to all Manufacturers/Vendors who participated in the eSOF presentations, only those devices that sUMS-Air Program judges to have the best potential to meet the mission profile evaluation will be invited to participate in the Technical Evaluation event. All Manufacturers/Vendors will be provided a Vendor Loan Agreement (VLA) as sUMS-Air Program will request a minimum of five (5) complete systems for the duration of the events with a designated device delivery date. Subject to change based upon agency need. 

d. 6 August 2026 - Manufacturers/Vendors Accept Invitations. Deadline for Manufacturers/Vendors to notify sUMS-Air Program of their intent to participate in the Technical Evaluation and return the completed VLA for their devices and any associated items. Subject to change based upon agency need.

e. 31 August 2026 – Device Delivery. Manufacturers/Vendors deliver (on-loan) fully functional devices and associated items for technical assessment at a location to be determined later. Manufacturers/Vendors also provide necessary technical information to support USSOCOM’s safety review process. Subject to change based upon agency need.

f. 7 thru 11 September 2026 – TE Training. Manufacturers/Vendors train Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), sUMS-Air evaluators and USSOCOM testers to support use of and technical evaluation of their device(s) at a location to be determined later. Training must include proper use of the device and troubleshooting. Manufacturers/Vendors will be expected to train the USSOCOM SMEs, evaluators and testers to the point where they can confirm expected levels of performance. Manufacturers/Vendors will be offered the opportunity to conduct the same training for operators participating in the Operational Test and Evaluation portion of LR/LE UAS Event - 2024. Subject to change based upon agency need.

g. 12 September thru 16 October 2026 – TE. USSOCOM SMEs, evaluators, and testers will conduct a TE of the Manufacturers/Vendors devices to ensure they perform to the standards and levels as presented. Manufacturers/Vendors may be asked to provide reach back support during TEs. Proceeding to the next portion is based solely upon best agency need and requirements. Subject to change based upon agency need.

h. 11 January thru 1 February 2027 – OT&E. USSOCOM evaluators, and testers conduct the OT&E with the participation of SOF operational personnel at a location to be determined later. Manufacturers/Vendors will be asked to conduct training of their devices during the first week but will not participate in the actual operator driven events conducted jointly by USSOCOM and the Joint Interoperability Test Command. Subject to change based upon agency need.

i. NLT 15 February 2027 – Device Return. All Manufacturers/Vendors equipment returned. Subject to change based upon agency need.

4. Disclaimers: THERE IS NO SOLICITATION PLANNED AT THIS TIME. This request for information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market research is purely voluntary; the Government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred; and the Government will not provide responses to any questions. Any submitter’s attention is directed to the fact that Government Support Contractor personnel may review and provide support to Government personnel when reviewing submissions.

5. Points of Contact: Any questions under this RFI must be emailed to SOCOM.SOFATL.TIS.RC.SUMS.DL@socom.mil.