WASHINGTON, — The U.S. Space Force has selected Anduril Industries, Booz Allen Hamilton and Peerless Technologies Corporation to develop competing prototypes for its Space Electromagnetic Warfare Operating Location (SEWOL) program. The three-month competition is valued at approximately $10 million and is part of a broader $60 million initiative to modernize space electromagnetic warfare command-and-control systems.
The contracts were awarded jointly by Space Systems Command (SSC) and Combat Forces Command through the Space Enterprise Consortium's Other Transaction Authority (OTA). After the prototyping phase, the Space Force will select one company to develop the first operational version of SEWOL.
Cloud-Based Electromagnetic Warfare Platform
SEWOL will replace multiple legacy command-and-control tools with a single cloud-native application. It will provide operators with a unified operating picture and allow them to manage hundreds of geographically distributed systems through one interface.
The platform aims to reduce crew workloads, improve coordination and speed up decisions in contested electromagnetic environments. Its planned capabilities include a common data repository, near-real-time operational monitoring, mission planning, tasking, retasking and a DevSecOps environment for future software upgrades.
The Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) is expected to be the first hardware platform integrated with SEWOL. Other systems, including Bounty Hunter and the Counter Communications System (CCS), also known as Meadowlands, are planned for integration.
Three Companies to Build Prototypes
During the three-month competition, all three companies will develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) containing a core software framework, mission applications and a software development kit. Government specialists and military operators will evaluate the prototypes through hands-on testing before selecting one contractor.
The program follows the Space Force's Software Acquisition Pathway and a competitive "fly-before-you-buy" approach, allowing the military to evaluate working software before committing to full development.
Maj. Dennis "Nomad" Sieber, SEWOL program manager, said the competition would focus on actual software demonstrations rather than paper proposals. A formal down-selection will take place after three months.
Open Architecture and Operator Involvement
The final system will follow a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) with common interfaces. This will support integration with different hardware platforms, future upgrades and reduce dependence on a single vendor.
Col. Bryon McClain, acting portfolio acquisition executive for Space Combat Power, said the competitive approach would help the Space Force use commercial innovation while avoiding vendor lock-in.
Col. Angelo Fernandez, commander of Combat Forces Command's Mission Delta 3 for space electromagnetic warfare, said military operators would work directly with developers to ensure the software meets operational requirements.
The SEWOL program aims to provide the U.S. Space Force with a unified platform to manage distributed electromagnetic warfare systems and improve command-and-control operations across the electromagnetic spectrum.
——— End of Article ———