Navy Will Seek F-35 Software Redesign Contract

The U.S. Navy plans to award a five-year engineering contract by May 2027 to redesign F-35 mission planning software.

Updated on Oct. 4, 2026 in Semiconductors

Isometric editorial illustration of a titanium turbine blade and air intake manifold, representing technical systems architecture. — The U.S. Navy has issued a sources sought notice for an engineering contract to oversee the comprehensive redesign of its ARCHER mission planning software for F-35 jets. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The U.S. Navy intends to award a five-year engineering support contract for the redesign of its F-35 mission planning software, known as ARCHER. The service has issued a sources sought notice to evaluate potential bidders for the project, which is scheduled to commence on May 20, 2027.

Why it matters

The Navy requires specialized engineering support to define requirements, analyze system architecture, and oversee the ARCHER redesign. This effort ensures the continued operational effectiveness of F-35 mission systems through a significant technical overhaul.

The new five-year contract requires approximately 278,800 total labor hours. This follows the current contract, which spanned 280,050 hours.

The players

U.S. Navy

The branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for naval operations and air warfare systems.

Computer Systems Center Inc.

The current holder of the engineering support contract for the F-35 Mission Planning Environment.

The details

The project will be structured as an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee labor. The Navy intends to procure this service on an other-than-full-and-open-competition basis, requiring Top Secret clearance from the selected vendor.

October 2, 2026: Navy published the sources sought notice.
October 17, 2026: Deadline for industry responses to the notice.
January 25, 2027: Expected release of final request for proposals.
May 20, 2027: Expected date of contract award.
June 10, 2027: Expiration of the current support contract.

Roadmap

The transition to the new ARCHER support contract reflects the broader industry necessity of continuous software updates for legacy aerospace platforms. This move aligns with standard procurement cycles intended to maintain technical parity in high-stakes defense environments.

This project impacts defense sector workforce requirements and specialized engineering resource allocation for the next five years. Companies involved in military software sustainment must prepare for the high-security demands and labor-intensive nature of this redesign project.

The takeaway

The Navy is prioritizing the continuity of mission-critical software systems through the planned ARCHER redesign contract. Defense contractors should note the specific labor requirements and high-security clearance needed to engage with these long-term military modernization projects.

What happens next

Industry participants have until October 17, 2026, to submit their responses to the Navy regarding the sources sought notice. The Navy subsequently expects to release the final request for proposals on January 25, 2027.