Two Northern Virginia technology companies, Raft and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), have been awarded a contract worth nearly $1 billion to develop forward-thinking, space-based defense capabilities.
The five-year, $928 million HOPE 2.0 (Hyper-Innovative Operational Prototype Engineering) agreement, which kicked off in July, calls on the firms to help the U.S. Air Force sharpen its Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities, or TENCAP. The goal is to fuse cutting-edge commercial tech with national space-based intelligence to keep the United States not just ahead of the curve, but defining it.
It’s a familiar high-stakes challenge for Washington’s defense innovators. The blueprint echoes the mission of DARPA, the government’s legendary high-risk, high-reward research arm credited with everything from stealth technology to the internet itself. Like DARPA’s moonshot projects, HOPE 2.0 challenges its contractors to imagine and build capabilities that could serve as a deterrent to adversaries and a shield for the homeland.
And while the U.S. already outspends its nearest rival, China, by a wide margin, contracts like this aim to ensure that superiority is about more than spending—it’s about technological dominance across air, space, cyber and beyond.
“Through TENCAP HOPE 2.0, the Air Force is advancing a critical mission: ensuring the power of our national space assets are accessible and operationally relevant for those at the tip of the spear,” said Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO of McLean-based Raft. She said the company will provide “new era defense technology, secure platforms, and unified data architectures” to connect intelligence from orbit to troops in the field. “Together with SAIC, Raft is honored to deliver new era defense technology, secure platforms, and unified data architectures that enable a unified joint force from space to the tactical edge.”
Raft’s role will center on operationalizing space-derived intelligence through tools like its Raft Data Platform—a translation layer for real-time data from multiple classified sources—and its secure Raft Application Platform for rapid deployment of mission-critical apps. Both are designed to work across multiple classification levels, ensuring the military can integrate new capabilities at the “speed of relevance.”
Raft is the leader in autonomous data fusion and agentic AI, equipping the Department of Defense and national security organizations with cutting-edge solutions to drive mission success, according to the company. “Trusted by over 25 federal agencies, we enhance legacy systems and accelerate modernization with limited-language, voice-activated AI, enabling smarter, faster decisions from the tactical edge to headquarters. Our autonomous AI agents, powered by modular machine learning wrappers, deliver greater mission impact without the cost and disruption of full system replacements.”
SAIC, headquartered in Reston, just eight miles from Raft, will focus on rapid prototyping and mission integration, working with dozens of defense partners to deliver advanced technology to 65 agencies and commands. The company will apply sensor and data fusion, improved command-and-control capabilities, and innovative cyberspace tools—all designed to enhance battlespace awareness, interoperability, and air superiority.
“To deter conflict and win wars in today’s data-centric battlefield, warfighters must have integrated actionable data including the full power of Intelligence Community capabilities,” said Vincent DiFronzo, SAIC’s executive vice president for Air Force and Combatant Commands. He described HOPE 2.0 as a chance to “accelerate next-gen warfighting concepts into operational reality” and contribute to priorities like deterrence in the Pacific. “Using our proven expertise in rapid mission integration, SAIC leverages advanced commercial technologies to keep the DoD on the cutting edge of all-domain warfighting capabilities.”
SAIC is a Fortune 500 company “focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world,” according to the company. “Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.”
Both companies are well-versed in the Pentagon’s demands. Raft recently secured a $25 million contract to support Kessel Run operations with cloud computing and secure application delivery. Kessel Run is a division within the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Digital Directorate.
SAIC, for its part, has landed hundreds of millions in contracts for Air Force command-and-control modernization, as well as projects with the Army, Navy, and Department of Homeland Security.
