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Hydra - Collaborative, Real-Time, Cross-System USSF Tactical Command and Control
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Project Description
Background & Problem Statement
The United States Space Force (USSF) is currently constrained by a fragmented ground architecture that limits the agility of modern distributed space operations. Today, tactical Command and Control (C2) is siloed within individual mission systems, forcing operators to rely on manual coordination and brittle, centralized C2. This lack of machine-to-machine integration creates a critical lag in the Observe, Orient, Decide, Act (OODA) loop, a vulnerability that is magnified as adversaries deploy AI-driven capabilities to compress decision timelines.
To achieve decision advantage and close the kill chains across all 13 USSF Mission Deltas, the Service requires a stable, high-availability commercial data fabric that unifies disparate ground segments into an integrated and resilient warfighting environment.
Desired Solution & Scope
DIU is seeking comprehensive, end-to-end prototype software solutions that integrate existing hardware and software systems to provide a common data fabric. This data fabric must empower tactical users to collaborate, orchestrate, and execute real-time effects from any authorized node. The goal is to fundamentally shift from isolated mission areas to a dynamic, unified architecture capable of securely connecting and sharing data from any tactical C2 center from multiple locations, at scale.
Phased Key Objectives
Prototypes awarded under this CSO will be expected to meet the following, capability-driven milestones:
- 6 Months (Deployment & Onboarding): Rapidly deploy the data fabric at the secret level or higher, establish operator workflows, and validate initial interfaces with existing USSF tactical C2 systems.
- 12 Months (Tactical C2 Across Two Deltas): Deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) demonstrating collaborative, multi-Delta tactical C2 at the secret level or higher.
- 18 Months (Tactical, Multi-Security Enclave, C2 Across Three Deltas): Expand integrated tactical C2 to at least three Mission Deltas with seamless, automated data sharing and deconflicted mission execution between tactical units at multiple security enclaves, to establish a resilient, decentralized hierarchy and a mission-ready data fabric for distributed forces.
Key Solution Attributes
Proposed solutions will be evaluated based on their ability to deliver and substantiate operational capabilities in the following core areas:
- Tactical C2 & Mission Execution: Provide a comprehensive data fabric that integrates existing USSF space and ground tactical data needed to elevate and expedite decision velocity. The solution must automate the fusion of disparate tactical data (i.e space and ground systems) into a high-fidelity Common Tactical Picture (CTP), displaying real-time, live operational mission data from multiple Mission Deltas. It must provide AI-informed mission execution for a variety of combinations of “units of action” and enable operator-on-the-loop autonomous execution of plans to rapidly close the kill chains.
- Federated Data Mesh & Discovery: Implement a decentralized data architecture where data remains resident in and secured by the originating source systems, while enabling unified global discovery, access, and translation across relevant cloud and on-premises environments. The solution should establish a unified data ontology and semantic layer to support data curation, automated tagging, and organization, while also using standard protocol servers, such as Model Context Protocol (MCP), that allows for optimization of both automated data streams and autonomous agent interaction, without forcing rigid, centralized consolidation.
- Infrastructure Resilience & Distributed Computing: Build resilience directly into the software architecture through multi-path and distributed compute nodes to ensure mission continuity during local node failures or total backhaul disconnections. The solution must ensure mission systems can operate seamlessly at real-time, from any location connected to the fabric across virtual and disconnected environments.
- Non-Invasive Legacy Integration: Utilize technologies to rapidly onboard existing USSF software and hardware into a modern IT architecture with minimal to no changes to existing systems and operations. This approach must present an interface compliant with the fabric API/SDK, ensuring mission systems can be hosted and managed across the fabric with minimal disruption to active operations.
- Cybersecurity, Monitoring, & Multi-Enclave Zero-Trust: Deliver a decentralized Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) framework enforcing Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) and session persistence across disparate security enclaves at Impact Levels 4, 5, and 6 (IL4/5/6) and above—including Coalition Releasable, SECRET, TOP SECRET, SCI, and SAP environments. Use modern commercial tools for real-time Risk Management Framework (RMF) monitoring and automated Authorization to Operate (ATO) compliance. Enforce Zero Trust Architecture across the entire solution through continuous explicit verification, least-privilege access, and micro-segmentation of all resources.
Key Technical Attributes
In addition to the operational capabilities above, solutions will be evaluated on their engineering maturity, technical performance, and ability to substantiate metrics in the following areas:
- Onboarding & Deployment Timeline: Ability to rapidly integrate tactical data from existing USSF systems, specifically minimizing or eliminating downtime to the fabric or the systems being integrated.
- Latency & Decision Velocity: Demonstrated ability to maintain sub-second processing latency for tactical C2 operations, ensuring real-time, sensor-to-shooter orchestration across Mission Deltas.
- Tactical Interaction & Mission Flow: User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design that simplifies complex operator interactions and mission flows, explicitly reducing cognitive load and enabling intuitive mission planning and mission operations execution for Guardians across multiple Mission Deltas. The user interface should also support the integration of autonomous operations.
- Availability & System Uptime: Proven framework for maintaining high-availability and reliability for data ingestion and mission execution, strictly enforcing modern software engineering principles to ensure data integrity and zero-loss ingestion.
- Observability & Monitoring: Fully integrated tools to monitor fabric performance, to include automated health monitoring, real-time data stream quality, and persistent logging to provide complete visibility into fabric use, performance, health, and security posture.
- Scalability & Elasticity: The solution’s architectural capability to scale across the entirety of the Space Force, ensuring that onboarding costs, data ingestion overhead, and query performance remain consistent as the number of data sources and consumers scales exponentially.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility
This area of interest is open to U.S. and international vendors. Vendors are reminded that in order to utilize an Other Transaction agreement, the requirements of 10 USC 4022 must be satisfied. Specifically 10 USC 4022(d) requires significant contribution from a nontraditional defense contractor, all participants to be small business concerns or nontraditional defense contractors, or at least one third of the total cost of the prototype projects to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.
Awarding Instrument
This Area of Interest will follow the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) framework established under HQ085420SC0001 DIU CSO, posted to SAM.gov in March 2020.
Awarding Process
DIU
FAQs
What is a Unit of Action?
A Unit of Action is defined as a group of weapon systems needed to achieve an effect. It would be synonymous to a Force Package.
Is Hydra’s focus building a Common Operating Picture?
No, the goal is to enable data sharing at the tactical level while also incrementally integrating autonomy.
What will inform the systems to be integrated and what locations will be connected? Will there be a Government Reference Architecture?
Each vendor will be responsible for providing recommended Mission Deltas (i.e. systems) and locations to integrate for the prototype. There is no Government Reference Architecture at this time.
Can I integrate with multiple systems inside of one Mission Delta or does the prototype have to be between multiple Mission Deltas?
The preference is between two Mission Deltas, but if the vendor has a recommendation of integrating two systems in the same Mission Delta, it will be considered but it should focus on operational utility and should not duplicate another effort already in work.
Can the tactical data fabric interact with the Operational C2 system?
Yes, but it should not be the sole source of tactical data. The goal is for the tactical units to be able to work together to achieve an operational effect, without relying on the Operational C2 system. This represents an operational scenario where the Operational C2 layer may be unavailable.
Can the Unified Data Library be used as the source of tactical data?
While the UDL will be integrated into the tactical data fabric, the goal for Hydra is to provide live, real-time data at the tactical level rather than pull the data from consolidated storage.
Should we provide a communications networks/data transport part of the Hyrda CSO?
No, the Government intends to use existing communications networks/data transport solutions.
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Potential Follow-On Production Contract for Prototype Other Transaction Agreements
Companies are advised that any Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement awarded in response to this solicitation may result in the direct award of a follow-on production contract or agreement without the use of further competitive procedures. Follow-on production activities will result from successful prototype completion.
The follow-on production contract or agreement will be available for use by one or more organizations within the Department of Defense. As a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the Prototype OT agreement. All Prototype OT agreements will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: “In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has successfully been completed, this competitively awarded Prototype OT agreement may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”
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