Air Force to sole-source early SBIRS follow-on work to Lockheed, Northrop

By Courtney Albon  / May 4, 2018

The Air Force announced Friday it plans to award sole-source contracts to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to produce the initial satellites in its new Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrastructure architecture.

The service aims to launch the first of those satellites, which are part of its plan to replace the Space-Based Infrared System constellation, by 2023.

The Air Force has said it plans to cut four years off its schedule for the SBIRS Follow-On effort, and according to the May 4 release, at least some of that time will be saved by limiting initial competition. Lockheed's contract will be to define requirements, create initial designs and source the flight hardware for a geosynchronous orbit satellite. Northrop, under its contract, will help define polar system requirements.

The press release doesn't state when the contracts will be awarded or what their value will be. Lockheed builds the current SBIRS satellites.

Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper has said the accelerated program is meant to be a pacesetter for the service as it works to move faster across its acquisition portfolio. He told reporters last month during a briefing at the Pentagon he wants programs to be more aggressive in setting their schedule targets.

"This is an important system for the nation, and to 'go for the gold' by targeting five years instead of nine years allows us to pick up the pace to defend the nation," Roper said in the May 4 press release.