JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, — The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $332.8 million contract to Enlighten IT Consulting LLC, a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), to improve military cyber defense through better collection, processing, storage and sharing of network data.
The Department of War announced the $332,830,519 firm-fixed-price contract on October 19, 2026. Awarded on September 30 following a competitive process that received seven offers, the contract is scheduled to run through September 30, 2032. Work will be performed at locations inside and outside the continental United States.
Integration of Military Cyber Defense Systems
Under contract FA8307-26-C-B015, Enlighten IT will provide an enterprise service solution to improve interoperability between the Air Force’s Integrated Defensive Cyber System (IDCS) and the Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture (JCWA) used by U.S. Cyber Command.
The work will connect IDCS with the JCWA’s Common Runtime Stack for Data, which supports data transport, storage and analytics at the network edge.
The system is intended to help cyber defense teams collect and analyze network information closer to where sensors gather it, rather than sending all data to a central location. This approach will support faster analysis of network activity and allow military cyber units to share information through a common framework, helping operators identify and respond to potential intrusions.
The system will also support U.S. Space Force cyber defense operations, with funding allocated from both Air Force and Space Force budgets.
Funding and Contract Management
The contract is funded through fiscal year 2026 Air Force operations and maintenance, research and development, test and evaluation funds, alongside corresponding Space Force operations and maintenance and research, development, test and evaluation funds. The Department of War announcement did not specify the amount obligated at the time of award.
The Air Force acquired the service through a Commercial Solutions Opening on the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, a Department of War platform designed to accelerate the adoption of commercial technologies through a streamlined procurement process that can include video-based submissions.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, based at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is managing the contract.
Enlighten IT’s Previous Cyber Defense Work
Enlighten IT Consulting, based in Columbia, Maryland, became part of HII through the defense contractor’s acquisition of Alion Science and Technology.
The company has previously supported several military cyber programs. In 2025, it secured a $53 million contract to support the JCWA’s Common Runtime Stack for Data and its Rapid Analytic Deployment and Management Framework.
Enlighten IT has also worked on the Air Force’s Integrated Defensive Cyber System data fabric and the development of the Joint Cyber Command and Control system.
The new contract expands the company’s role in military cyber infrastructure, focusing on connecting defensive systems and improving how the Air Force and Space Force process and share data to protect their networks.
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