On September 16, the United States Air Force (USAF) posted a request for information on industry capabilities for the Advanced Radar Threat System (ARTS) Variant 3 (V3) Variable Aperture Digital Radar (VADR) Third-Party Software initiative. Responses are due by 11:00 a.m. Mountain on October 6.
This RFI seeks input from industry to:
- Understand existing commercial and near-term planned capabilities relevant to the development of software for advanced threat emulation for systems like ARTS-V3.
- Attract both traditional and non-traditional defense contractors.
- Gauge industry interest in the proposed C5 structure.
- Refine the acquisition strategy for this software approach.
The ARTS-V3 program develops highly channelized digital Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar systems to emulate and replicate advanced adversary threat systems. As a ruggedized, closed-loop threat emulator, ARTS-V3 functions as a representative adversary fire control or multi-functional ground-based radar. It is designed with a high degree of hardware and software flexibility, allowing it to incorporate various adversary radar models to simulate how adversaries counter and adapt to contested environments.
The Government is executing this modernization effort utilizing the Consortium for Command, Control, and Communications in Cyberspace (C5) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 4022. Managed by the Consortium Management Group (CMG), this OTA framework significantly compresses acquisition timelines compared to traditional FAR-based contracts.
The ARTS-V3 program will issue Requests for White Papers (RWPs) directly to the C5 member base, leveraging an established ecosystem of technology innovators.
Review the ARTS-V3 RFI.
Source: SAM
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By Loren Blinde
September 17, 2026
