USSOCOM Seeks Air Loitering Munition for Use with Fixed Wing Aircraft

In a Sources Sought Notice issued recently to industry, Headquarters (HQ) USSOCOM Special Operations Forces (SOF), Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (AT&L), Program Executive Office-Fixed Wing (PEO-FW) is performing market research to understand Industry capability to deliver an Air Loitering Munition (ALM) Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM) with an extended range and capabilities beyond the current SOPGM portfolio. This capability was briefed by PEO-FW during SOF Week as it relates to the strike portfolio.

In particular they are seeking precision munitions which can be released from SOF fixed-wing air platforms (lugged munitions, Common Launch Tube (CLT) launched munitions or other release mechanism), preferably capable of employment from CLT.

Attributes:

Munition Weight: Not-to-exceed 95 lbs

System form factor:

For CLT form factor: 5.9 inch diameter, 42 inches max overall length.

For Lugged or other release mechanism: 14 inch lug spacing, 90 inches overall length (maximum), 9 inch diameter (maximum); release from either a BRU-71 or BRU-78

Seeker Assembly: Passive system (limited Radio Frequency emissions) with integrated Automatic Target Recognition (ATR)

Warhead/payload weight: maximize kinetic warhead in conjunction with munition NTE weight

Employment Environment: Contested and non-Contested with Intra Missile Communications

Minimum TRL 6

Range: min 75NM from launch point to loitering point – launch altitudes between 5000 to 30,000 feet MSL

Loitering Time: min 40min once reaching loitering point at altitudes between 500-3000 AGL

Speed: 50 -100 kts cruise and loitering, 100kts+ minimum dash speed on attack profile

C2 Integration: System shall support government-owned FANTOM Core collaborative mission autonomy to command and control the platform flight controller via a machine-to-machine (M2M) API and/or C2 integration via BMS (Battle Management System)

Logical/electrical Interface Capability: Identify compatibly, with substantiation, of 1553/UAI (via 1760) or BMS Generic CLT compatible  

Environmental Profile: Typical operational temperatures and dynamic forces associated with SOF aircraft

Mission Profile: Pre-planned routing with altitude changes and/or direct-to loiter point

Cost target: Best value at quantity points of 500, 1000, 3000 (ROM level costing sufficient)

Interested parties must submit a white paper by Jul 27, 2026 12:00 PM EDT.

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on Thursday, July 2nd, 2026 at 13:00 and is filed under Aviation, Munitions, SOF.
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