The U.S. Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a new iteration of its second-generation, vehicle-mounted Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) system, but with a notable and fairly rare stipulation: the prime contractor would be required to hand over its intellectual property for the system.
An Unprecedented Condition for Military Technology
This demand, described as unusual in military procurement contracts, was posted on Wednesday, stating that „The [g]overnment lacks the rights to the detailed drawing package, technical documentation, and software source code sufficient enough to provide a ‘Build to Print’ package to a third party for production.” Consequently, under the „Intellectual Property” section of the RFI, the Army’s Capability Program Executive for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors is asking interested vendors to „provide details on the specific technical documentation, including design specifications, system architecture diagrams, and maintenance manuals that will be required as part of the data package for this contract.”
MAPS Gen II: From Collins Aerospace to a New Chapter
The second-generation Mounted Assured PNT System (MAPS Gen II) program is currently under contract with RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace. This system is designed to provide essential PNT data for ground vehicles, particularly crucial in GPS-denied environments. Collins secured the contract for the system in 2022, and by September, the Army began fielding it after its approval for full-rate production in March. As the service’s contract with Collins is slated to run through the end of September 2027, the Army is now proactively seeking vendors who are willing to relinquish their intellectual property rights.
Leadership’s Vision: Autonomy and the Right to Repair
This provision aligns with recent advocacy from senior military leaders, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the head of the Army’s Material Command, Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan. Both have consistently championed the Army’s need to acquire intellectual property from vendors to avoid dependency and secure its right to repair equipment and weapons systems. In an October interview, Lt. Gen. Mohan explained that the Army’s lack of IP ownership for many components within its platforms makes it challenging and costly to reverse engineer or 3D print replacement parts. „I acknowledge that their intellectual property is their intellectual property,” Mohan stated. „It is a shame on us for not buying it up front, which is foolish, a fool’s errand.”
Compounding this, „right to repair” provisions, initially included in both House and Senate bills, were ultimately stripped from the final legislation, a development Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) expressed disappointment about, noting he didn’t know why the language was removed.
A Challenge for the Defense Industry?
While it remains unclear how the industry will respond to such a significant request from the Army, the service is pressing forward with its MAPS Gen II requirements. The solicitation indicates a need for 150 systems per month, with a surge capacity to 300 per month within 12 months of contract award. Responses to the RFI are due by January 19.
