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ANPC STRATFI Effort for RDTE of Expeditionary Transponder Landing System

AFWERX · AFWERX STRATFI · AFWERX

AI-Readiness Score
14/25
Pathway Speed
4/5
Timeline Realism
3/5
Problem Framing
4/5
AI / ML Fit
0/5
Award + Transition
3/5

Award

$4,338,975
Award ceiling
ADVANCED NAVIGATION & POSITIONING CORPORATION
Awardee
Posted September 30, 2025

Description

This effort advances Air National Precision Corporation’s (ANPC) Transponder Landing System (TLS) technology to meet Department of the Air Force (DAF) operational and certification requirements for global deployment. The project delivers two expeditionary TLS (eTLS) prototypes to Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) for test and evaluation (T&E) at major combat exercises in INDOPACOM and EUCOM. The primary technical objective is to complete the development, integration, and certification of a Mode 5-enabled TLS solution—enhancing interoperability, spectrum efficiency, and secure navigation capabilities—across all TLS variants, including expeditionary (eTLS), transportable (TTLS), and a new hybrid trailer-based configuration.The work includes advancing the Mode 5 Proof of Concept to a certified solution through system requirements definition, design maturation (SRR, PDR, CDR), transmitter modifications, hardware procurement, and rigorous flight, transportability, TEMPEST, and environmental testing to applicable FAA, AIMS, and DAF standards. The effort further expands system functionality by integrating Auto-Acquire (AAQ) with configurable approach wickets, secure Voice over Localizer (VOL), and uplinked TLS navigation/voice data over secure datalink, with potential TACAN functionality in GNSS-denied environments.Deliverables include fully supported prototypes, engineering documentation, certification artifacts, updated technical manuals, and training curricula, ensuring the TLS family is operationally validated, certifiable, and ready for broad deployment in contested and austere environments.

Score Rationale

The AFWERX STRATFI pathway earns a near-top score for acquisition speed, but the core problem is hardware-centric RF/avionics engineering — Mode 5 transponder certification, TEMPEST testing, and FAA/AIMS compliance — with zero AI or ML component anywhere in the description; 'AI' is not even mentioned, making this a 0 on AI/ML fit. The award ceiling of ~$4.3M lands just under the $5M threshold for a top transition score, and while PACAF/USAFE T&E provides a credible operational pathway, no explicit production contract vehicle is named.

Source

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