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Contracts · Combat aircraft

Two French Dassault Rafale’s fly in formation behind a KC-135 Stratotanker, from the 50th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 29, 2022.
Archive photograph · Two French Dassault Rafale’s fly in formation behind a KC-135 Stratotanker, from the 50th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 29, 2022. Staff Sgt. Ashley Sokolov / DVIDS Taken 2022-04-29. public-domain; reuse terms. The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

French air force chief says the Rafale successor will be a national program

Jérôme Bellanger told lawmakers the future fighter targets flying conventional missions in 2040, Defense News reported. The report gives no program budget or prime contractor.

France will develop its Rafale successor domestically, Defense News reported Thursday, after the joint project with Germany and Spain for a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) collapsed earlier this year.1 Air and Space Force Chief of Staff Jérôme Bellanger told the National Assembly's defense committee on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that France now conceives the aircraft, called ACF, as a national project. It targets flying conventional missions in 2040.1

France's air force chief says the Rafale successor must fly conventional missions in 2040

Need and target years Air and Space Force Chief of Staff Jérôme Bellanger gave the National Assembly's defense committee, Oct. 14, 2026

2035Rafale F5 standard needed, with the first components of the future combat aircraft (engine, sensors, Stratus RS missile)
2040Target for the ACF, the Rafale successor, to fly conventional missions
2050Successor will need to carry the ASN4G hypersonic nuclear cruise missile

Years are needs and targets as Bellanger stated them; the report gives no program budget or prime contractor.

Reported by Defense News, Oct. 15, 2026

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France and Germany agreed in June to scrap FCAS after years of wrangling over specifications and industrial control between Dassault and Airbus, according to Defense News. Defense News reported that the two companies had worked on the fighter pillar at the center of the system. Bellanger said the industrial teams' work on the fighter, stealth and the combat cloud "will allow us to continue at this stage on a national basis." Dassault CEO Éric Trappier has said his company and France, with engine partner Safran and electronics firm Thales, could develop a next-generation fighter for well under €50 billion, according to the report.1

Bellanger tied the schedule to nuclear deterrence, according to Defense News. The aircraft must carry the ASN4G hypersonic nuclear cruise missile in 2050, so it must fly in 2040 for conventional missions, he said.1

Bellanger said France remains open to possible cooperation with other countries, but "within different frameworks and which won't be structural to the birth of this aircraft," according to Defense News. He also said France must "absolutely continue" working with Germany and other countries on the combat cloud.1

The ACF's first components would go into the Rafale itself. Bellanger said France will need a Rafale F5 standard in 2035 incorporating components related to the engine, the sensors and the Stratus RS missile, according to Defense News.1

Sources (1)
  1. Defense News: France to go it alone on next-gen combat aircraft after FCAS collapse (Oct. 15, 2026) www.defensenews.com
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Contracts · Cyber infrastructure

DISA seeks cloud identity and access prototype for Department of War

Responses are due Nov. 30 for a commercial identity-management prototype. It would operate across IL5 and IL6 environments.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is seeking a commercial, cloud-hosted identity and access management prototype to modernize the Department of War’s legacy identity infrastructure.1

DISA seeks solutions to prototype a Next Generation E-ICAM capability

Enterprise Identity, Credential, and Access Management (E-ICAM)

modernize legacy identity infrastructuremodular, cloud-hostedplanned

This effort will modernize legacy identity infrastructure with a modular, cloud-hosted commercial off-the-shelf/software-as-a-service solution operating across IL5 and IL6 environments.

The prototype must address the Federated Identity Provider, Automated Account Provisioning, Master Entitlement Record, and Federation Hub core capabilities.

Response deadline is Nov. 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. America/Chicago (Monday)

Source: SAM.gov. As of Nov. 7, 2026.

Sources
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DISA is seeking the capability through a prototype Other Transaction opportunity linked to its competitive Commercial Solutions Opening.1–3

The Next Generation Enterprise Identity, Credential, and Access Management (E-ICAM) effort calls for a modular commercial off-the-shelf or software-as-a-service solution. The solution would operate across Impact Level 5 (IL5) and Impact Level 6 (IL6) environments. The prototype must address four core capabilities: Federated Identity Provider, Automated Account Provisioning, Master Entitlement Record and Federation Hub.1

Responses to the Area of Interest are due Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. Central.1

DISA’s Commercial Solutions Opening and any Other Transactions awarded through it are not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation or its supplements.3

Sources (3)
  1. SAM.gov notice record sam.gov
  2. SAM.gov notice history sam.gov
  3. SAM.gov: DISA Commercial Solutions Opening (HC108425S0001) sam.gov
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Contracts · Space

Viasat wins contract for Space Data Network’s mission operations hub

The award includes a $115 million initial task order to design, field and scale the center, under a contract with a $450 million ceiling.

Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded Viasat a competitive indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Space Data Network Backbone’s Mission Operations Center, the command announced Nov. 5, 2026. The contract carries a $450 million maximum ceiling and a $115 million initial task order to design, field and scale the center.1

Viasat, Inc. will serve as the network and mission system integration partner

Mission Operations Center (MOC) for the Space Data Network Backbone

maximum ceiling$450 millionactual

contract to Viasat, Inc., with a maximum ceiling of $450 million

initial task order$115 millionactual

to design, field, and scale the MOC

Source: Space Systems Command, Nov. 5, 2026

Sources
TGOs tgos.io

Viasat will serve as the network and mission system integration partner as SSC expands its open-architecture ecosystem across multiple space-segment providers. SSC plans to bring mission integration, network operations and data transport management together through the center.1

The effort builds on the multi-vendor acquisition strategy demonstrated in the Space-Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio’s earlier Delivery Order 2 and Delivery Order 3 work. That work involved Amazon LEO for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and York Space Systems.1

Breaking Defense reported that the center will serve as the network orchestration hub for the backbone, a low Earth orbit constellation being built by SpaceX. The network’s near-term focus will be supporting the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, the outlet reported.2

DefenseScoop reported that earlier this year the Department of War awarded SpaceX a $2.3 billion contract to deliver a fully operational backbone prototype by the end of 2027.3

The center is intended to integrate mission systems across multiple constellations and providers.1 Breaking Defense described network orchestration as autonomously shifting data among satellite constellations and ground stations when congestion or jamming slows transmission.2

Sources (3)
  1. SSC release, Nov. 5, 2026 www.ssc.spaceforce.mil
  2. Breaking Defense breakingdefense.com
  3. DefenseScoop defensescoop.com
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