A US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35 combat aircraft over Belgium. (Shutterstock.com)
US Air Force seeks industry input on ‘ARES’ management platform
The US is looking to replace legacy systems with the new platform.
12 DEC 2025
By
George
Fitzmaurice
Defence Reporter, Clarion Defence & Security
The US Air Force (USAF) has issued a request for whitepapers on a prototype for its planned Aerospace Readiness Enterprise System (ARES), a 12 December announcement from the authority has revealed.
ARES is a “next generation, cloud-based enterprise solution”, the USAF said, and will be designed to unify aircrew scheduling, standardisation and evaluation, and training management, among other things.
“Its core purpose is to replace disparate and antiquated legacy systems with a single modern, cloud-based, and data-driven platform that enhances operational readiness and lethality”, the USAF said.
In its published request for whitepaper (RFWP), the USAF said its seeking proposals from interested traditional and non-traditional defence companies, with the RFWP presenting an opportunity for these firms to showcase their technologies.
The USAF ultimately plans to issue up to four ‘Other Transaction Agreements’ to companies to build prototypes for ARES.
“The information provided in this RFWP is intended to ensure that to the maximum extent practicable, competitive procedures are used when entering into agreements to carry out this prototype project”, the USAF said.
The deadline for submitting whitepapers to the USAF is 9 January 2026, while the deadline for questions about the tender is 19 December 2025.
George
Fitzmaurice
Defence Reporter, Clarion Defence & Security
George Fitzmaurice is a UK-based defence reporter at Clarion Defence and Security. He previously worked as a reporter for tech publication ITPro and as an intern at the New Statesman.