Can you hear me? Hanscom opens market for data links

  • Published
  • By Benjamin Newell

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Hanscom opened a $496 million marketplace in January for nine vendors to provide datalink devices to all military services under a contract vehicle lasting up to 10 years.

Vendors are eligible to compete in fast-tracked prototyping competitions for devices designed to improve communications for ground troops, aircraft, naval and space systems using existing or emerging technology. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract award expands the competition pool for the military’s data-link enterprise, while reducing the amount of backend work required to shuttle money between services.

The program office here determined, following a six month assessment period after a June 2017 request for proposals, that the following vendors are eligible to compete within this contract vehicle: BAE, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cubic, L3, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins.