U.S. Air Force confirms $1.87B Eglin operations award

Key Points
  • The U.S. Air Force awarded Strategic Test Solutions LLC a $1.87 billion contract to operate and maintain the Eglin Test and Training Complex through March 2036.
  • The competitively awarded contract covers operations at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and was issued by the Air Force Test Center with three bids received.

The United States Air Force has awarded Strategic Test Solutions LLC a $1.87 billion service contract to support operations and maintenance at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, according to an official contract award notice released this week.

Strategic Test Solutions LLC, based in Huntsville, Alabama, received a contract valued at $1,868,902,857 for the Eglin Operations and Maintenance Service II program. The agreement covers operations and maintenance of the Eglin Test and Training Complex as well as Major Ground Test Facilities. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base and is scheduled to run through March 2036.

According to the contract notice, the award was made following a competitive acquisition process in which three offers were received. At the time of award, $100,000 in fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds was obligated. The Air Force Test Center at Eglin Air Force Base is listed as the contracting activity, under contract number FA248826CB001.

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The Eglin Operations and Maintenance Service II contract supports daily functioning and long-term sustainment of one of the U.S. military’s largest and most complex test and training environments. The Eglin Test and Training Complex spans land, sea, and airspace across the Florida Panhandle and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, supporting testing of air, land, sea, and space systems.

Major Ground Test Facilities at Eglin include specialized infrastructure used for evaluating aircraft survivability, weapons effects, and system performance under controlled conditions. These facilities play a central role in validating new weapons, munitions, sensors, and aircraft technologies before they are fielded to operational units.

The Air Force Test Center oversees developmental test and evaluation activities across several major installations, with Eglin serving as a primary hub for weapons testing and integrated system evaluation. Contracts such as this one ensure continuity of operations, facility readiness, and technical support across a wide range of classified and unclassified test programs.

Under the terms of the contract, Strategic Test Solutions will be responsible for sustaining infrastructure, supporting test operations, and maintaining the complex systems required to conduct large-scale and technically demanding trials. The long duration of the award, extending more than a decade, reflects the ongoing need for stable contractor support at Eglin as the Air Force continues to modernize its force structure and weapons inventory.

While the contract notice does not detail specific test programs covered, Eglin historically supports testing related to precision-guided munitions, air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, electronic warfare systems, and next-generation aircraft platforms. The base is also closely tied to joint and allied testing activities, making it a key node in U.S. and partner nation defense cooperation.

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