Air Force continues awards on $400M aerospace research program
Gettyimages.com / Jonathan Knowles
By
Ross Wilkers
The roster of companies involved in this program now stands at seven with more award announcements to come.
The Air Force has moved ahead with its finalization of awards on a potential seven-year, $400 million contract vehicle to help research and develop new aerospace technologies.
Group one of awards went to an initial set of three companies ahead of the most recent Easter weekend.
The Air Force has since chosen four additional firms for the Advanced Aerospace Systems Technology Research program with multiple awards to follow at different dates, the Defense Department said in its Friday awards digest. The branch received 15 bids for the program.
Boeing, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Raytheon Technologies and Aurora Flight Sciences will also work with the Air Force on new designs and demonstrations of the technologies. Aurora is a subsidiary of Boeing.
They join prior awardees in General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Control sciences, turbine engines and global persistent awareness are among the Air Force's areas of interest for this program. The branch also has tasked the companies to help in the integrations and transitions of technologies.