The KC-135 fleet currently lacks engineering-approved, standardized methods for securing critical life-saving equipment, presenting a severe risk to crew safety during emergencies. While the raft position aft of the left overwing hatch utilizes secure, hard-mounted straps, the remaining stowage areas—forward of the left overwing hatch and forward of the aft hatch—rely on non-standard, field-expedient restraints such as passenger seatbelts or cargo tie-down straps attached to troop seat support bars. This lack of standardization introduces two critical vulnerabilities: it risks delaying crew evacuation times due to unfamiliarity with varied tie-down methods, and it leaves the crashworthiness of the rafts unverified by engineering authorities. To mitigate these safety risks while minimizing program cost and scope, the position aft of the right hatch will be eliminated from the aircraft configuration. Consequently, this modification effort seeks to develop and implement a field-level Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) to standardize and modify the remaining forward-left and forward-aft raft positions, replicating the robust, hard-mounted strap design currently utilized at the aft-left hatch location.
","text":"The KC-135 fleet currently lacks engineering-approved, standardized methods for securing critical life-saving equipment, presenting a severe risk to crew safety during emergencies. While the raft position aft of the left overwing hatch utilizes secure, hard-mounted straps, the remaining stowage areas—forward of the left overwing hatch and forward of the aft hatch—rely on non-standard, field-expedient restraints such as passenger seatbelts or cargo tie-down straps attached to troop seat support bars. This lack of standardization introduces two critical vulnerabilities: it risks delaying crew evacuation times due to unfamiliarity with varied tie-down methods, and it leaves the crashworthiness of the rafts unverified by engineering authorities. To mitigate these safety risks while minimizing program cost and scope, the position aft of the right hatch will be eliminated from the aircraft configuration. Consequently, this modification effort seeks to develop and implement a field-level Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) to standardize and modify the remaining forward-left and forward-aft raft positions, replicating the robust, hard-mounted strap design currently utilized at the aft-left hatch location.","origin":"detail"},"notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"schema_version":1,"solicitation_number":"KC135_LifeRaft_Securing_Device","place_of_performance":{"zip":"73145","city":{"code":"0","name":"Tinker AFB"},"state":{"code":"OK","name":"Oklahoma"},"country":{"code":"USA","name":"UNITED STATES"}},"product_service_code":"1680"}],"due_at":"2026-10-09T20:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-10-09","closes_at":"2026-10-09T20:00:00Z","awardable":true,"dept_key":"d-057","dept_name":"DEPT OF DEFENSE","sub_key":"s-5700","sub_name":"DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE","office_key":"o-FA8105","office_name":"FA8105 AFLCMC WKK","state":"OK","county":"40109","county_name":"Oklahoma County","city":null,"city_name":null,"country":"USA","winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"updated_at":"2026-09-29T03:58:53.462888Z","principal_notice_id":"fc4a16c305144dd39b12b7ef390d8976","description":{"text":"The KC-135 fleet currently lacks engineering-approved, standardized methods for securing critical life-saving equipment, presenting a severe risk to crew safety during emergencies. While the raft position aft of the left overwing hatch utilizes secure, hard-mounted straps, the remaining stowage areas—forward of the left overwing hatch and forward of the aft hatch—rely on non-standard, field-expedient restraints such as passenger seatbelts or cargo tie-down straps attached to troop seat support bars. This lack of standardization introduces two critical vulnerabilities: it risks delaying crew evacuation times due to unfamiliarity with varied tie-down methods, and it leaves the crashworthiness of the rafts unverified by engineering authorities. To mitigate these safety risks while minimizing program cost and scope, the position aft of the right hatch will be eliminated from the aircraft configuration. Consequently, this modification effort seeks to develop and implement a field-level Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) to standardize and modify the remaining forward-left and forward-aft raft positions, replicating the robust, hard-mounted strap design currently utilized at the aft-left hatch location.","html":"The KC-135 fleet currently lacks engineering-approved, standardized methods for securing critical life-saving equipment, presenting a severe risk to crew safety during emergencies. While the raft position aft of the left overwing hatch utilizes secure, hard-mounted straps, the remaining stowage areas—forward of the left overwing hatch and forward of the aft hatch—rely on non-standard, field-expedient restraints such as passenger seatbelts or cargo tie-down straps attached to troop seat support bars. This lack of standardization introduces two critical vulnerabilities: it risks delaying crew evacuation times due to unfamiliarity with varied tie-down methods, and it leaves the crashworthiness of the rafts unverified by engineering authorities. To mitigate these safety risks while minimizing program cost and scope, the position aft of the right hatch will be eliminated from the aircraft configuration. Consequently, this modification effort seeks to develop and implement a field-level Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) to standardize and modify the remaining forward-left and forward-aft raft positions, replicating the robust, hard-mounted strap design currently utilized at the aft-left hatch location.
","origin":"detail"},"contacts":[{"name":"Dylan Amrein","role":"primary","email":"dylan.amrein@us.af.mil"},{"name":"Trae Warcup","role":"secondary","email":"richard.warcup.1@us.af.mil"}],"place_of_performance":{"zip":"73145","city":{"code":"0","name":"Tinker AFB"},"state":{"code":"OK","name":"Oklahoma"},"country":{"code":"USA","name":"UNITED STATES"}},"office_address":{"zip":"73145-3303","city":"TINKER AFB","state":"OK","country":"USA"},"naics_codes":["336413"],"award":null,"attachments":[{"resource_id":"a3118e174e6d4714aeb2ec75ba96e72b","name":"Life Raft Securing Device SSS RFI Updated.pdf","kind":"file","mime_type":".pdf","size_bytes":999111,"posted_at":"2026-09-28T14:57:04.210Z","export_controlled":false,"sha256":null,"url":"https://sam.gov/api/prod/opps/v3/opportunities/resources/files/a3118e174e6d4714aeb2ec75ba96e72b/download","mirrored":false}],"awards":[],"related":[{"key":"KC135CARGOLIGHTINGUPGRADE","latest_notice_id":"0ef2d3526a264a3eb941af19a8a3dd8e","title":"KC135 Cargo Lighting Upgrade","solicitation_number":"KC135_Cargo_Lighting_Upgrade","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-09-21","last_posted":"2026-09-21","notices":1,"due_at":"2026-10-05T20:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-10-05","closes_at":"2026-10-05T20:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-057","dept_name":"DEPT OF DEFENSE","sub_key":"s-5700","sub_name":"DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE","office_key":"o-FA8105","office_name":"FA8105 AFLCMC WKK","naics":"336413","psc":"1680","set_aside":"SBA","state":"OK","county":"40109","county_name":"Oklahoma County","city":null,"city_name":null,"country":"USA","winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-24T03:25:58.922164Z"},{"key":"FA810526RC0002","latest_notice_id":"438495bdc7f1486ba52761a4ab64f008","title":"COMM2 VHF-4000E Procurement & Repair","solicitation_number":"FA8105-26-R-C0002","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-09-15","last_posted":"2026-09-22","notices":2,"due_at":"2026-10-09T16:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-10-09","closes_at":"2026-10-09T16:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-057","dept_name":"DEPT OF DEFENSE","sub_key":"s-5700","sub_name":"DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE","office_key":"o-FA8105","office_name":"FA8105 AFLCMC WKK","naics":"334511","psc":null,"set_aside":null,"state":"OK","county":"40109","county_name":"Oklahoma County","city":null,"city_name":null,"country":"USA","winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-24T03:25:58.922164Z"}]}