Air Force Awards Nanometrics $15 Million to Refresh Seismic Field Systems
The Canadian seismic monitoring firm received a $15 million ceiling contract to replace Geophysical Field Systems seismometers and data acquisition equipment, with work running through July 31, 2034.
Nanometrics Inc., a Canadian seismic monitoring firm operating in more than 90 countries, received a $15 million Air Force contract to overhaul aging Geophysical Field Systems, as announced on war.gov.
The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price award carries a ceiling value of $15 million, and the Air Force obligated $955,000 in fiscal 2026 procurement funds at the time of award. The deal replaces seismometers and data acquisition subsystem equipment. Work will run through July 31, 2034. The Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity under contract FA7022-26-D-0006.
The contract covers a hardware technical refresh for systems that detect and record ground motion. Nanometrics designs and manufactures precision instruments for earthquake detection, volcano monitoring and other Earth science research used by governments, universities and scientific institutions, according to nanometrics.ca. The company, headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, has spent nearly four decades building seismic networks, according to nanometrics.ca. It reports estimated revenue between $25 million and $50 million and maintains offices in Ottawa, Calgary, Beijing and Houston, according to leadiq.com.
Seismic monitoring underpins nuclear test detection, an area where high-precision ground sensors carry national security weight. The refresh strengthens the U.S. defense apparatus that relies on continuous geophysical observation, while the award gives Nanometrics a foothold in the Air Force portfolio. Nanometrics products include the Titan strong motion accelerometer and Centaur data acquisition systems, according to statnano.com.
The award marks the first contract recorded for Nanometrics in 2026 and ranks as the 47th Department of Defense contract awarded in Florida during the year. The figure sits far below the Air Force portfolio’s year-to-date maximum of $5.6 billion. It was one of five Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.
For the average U.S. reader, the systems being refreshed feed the sensor networks that detect earthquakes and monitor underground explosions, work that supports both public safety warnings and arms-control verification. Reliable ground-motion data helps agencies distinguish natural tremors from clandestine nuclear tests.
This type of procurement has happened before. The Air Force routinely refreshes Geophysical Field Systems hardware through multi-year contracts that replace sensors and acquisition equipment. This particular solicitation was competitive, yet it drew only one offer.
Program officials at the Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center will direct future delivery orders under the eight-year ceiling. A date for the next task order has not been announced.
Seismic instruments have long served as tools of statecraft as well as science. After the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, the United States and its partners built the Worldwide Standardized Seismograph Network, deploying roughly 120 stations across some 60 countries to catch underground nuclear detonations, according to statnano.com. Those early stations turned seismology into a verification tool, and the contractors who supplied the sensors gained decades of steady government work as monitoring networks expanded worldwide.
This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Nanometrics Inc., Natka, Canada, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $15,000,000. It is also the 47th Department of Defense contract awarded in Florida during 2026. Because this is the first award to Nanometrics Inc., Natka, Canada recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Air Force portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Air Force portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $17 and maximum of $5,600,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 5 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.
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