SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- Request for Information - Future Cargo Aircraft
- Notice Date
- 4/8/2005
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- Contracting Office
- US Army Aviation and Missile Command (Aviation), ATTN: AMSAM-AC, Building 5303, Martin Road, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5280
- ZIP Code
- 35898-5280
- Solicitation Number
- USA-SNOTE-050408-004
- Archive Date
- 6/7/2005
- Description
- Executive Summary The US Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) desires industry comments regarding potential commercial FAA certified cargo aircraft to fulfill the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) role. Of particular interest are comments about the aircraft performance capa bilities, contractor maintenance concepts and contractor training capabilities. Development of these comments is to be at no cost to the US government. Comments are to be submitted no later than 9 May 2005 in White Paper format (not proposal) accessible by Microsoft Word or EXCEL, PDF, and/or photo/picture files (bmp, JPEG, GIF). E lectronic data submission is required. Please contact debra.long@redstone.army.mil for further guidance or mail standard CD format disc to PEO Aviation, Attn: SFAE-AV-AS-FW, Building 5308, Redstone Arsenal, AL, 35898-5000. Description On February 23, 2004, the U.S. Army announced the termination of the Comanche Helicopter Program. As a result, the Army will restructure aviation organizations to reflect current and anticipated needs. Specifically, the Army plans to procure 33 new FCA d uring the time period of FY07-FY11. The FCA is a key component in the Armys transformation of its fixed wing fleet. Fixed wing, multi-purpose, cargo aircraft will support a full range of sustainment operations and will transport time-sensitive/mission-critical supply items and/or personnel over operational/tactical distances to forward-deployed troops, in remote and austere locations. These fixed wing aircraft will normally operate from permanently established bases in the theater, and will operate as required from forward bases to include : Intermediate Staging Bases (ISB), theater aerial ports of debarkation (APOD), and airfields located near sea ports of debarkation (SPOD). The FCA provides an order of magnitude improvement by replacing multiple Army platforms (i.e., C-23, C-26, and C- 12) and complementing existing joint capability with a single, more capable, airborne cargo platform. To support the Future Force, the FCA will be a multifunctional aircraft, able to perform logistical resupply, casualty evacuation, troop movement, airdro p operations, humanitarian assistance, and missions in support of Homeland Security. To support the Future Force Brigade Combat Team (BCT), it will be necessary for mission-critical/time-sensitive supplies and key personnel to be delivered from intermediat e staging bases directly to the BCT, often operating in high threat environments in remote, austere locations. With dispersed forces operating at greater ranges in a non-contiguous battlespace, the range from the Forward Operating Bases (FOB) to the maneuv er units has extended beyond the logistical resupply range of the Armys rotary wing aircraft. For aerial sustainment operations, the FCA will perform limited organic service support directly to the tactical maneuver units and/or the closest forward suppo rt base for further movement by Army rotary wing aircraft or ground transportation. The Fixed Wing Product Manager (FW PM) seeks information, comments and suggestions from manufacturers who intend to perform in a prime contractor role. For informational purposes only, the following notional contract schedule and quantities are provided: * Planned RFP release 1 Oct 2005 * Planned Early Operational Assessment 1 May 1 Jun 2006 * Planned Contract Award Jan 2007 * Planned Quantities 33 aircraft during FY 07-11. This notice is not a request for proposals. The government will not award a contract on the basis of this notice, or otherwise pay for information solicited by it. Funding for this program is not currently available. Proprietary information should be cl early marked. The requested information is for planning and market research purposes only and will not be publicly released. In responding to this Request for Additional Industry Information, please adhere to the numbering and areas of concentration. If you do no t respond to a specific statement, please acknowledge by stating not applicable by the number. General 1. Provide a brief description of your system(s). 2. Provide and describe examples of your company's experience in providing a systems integrated approach to the production, fielding, maintenance and aircrew training of an aircraft system. 3. Provide information on any existing FAA certifications or military Airworthiness Releases that are applicable to the identified aircraft. 4. Identify the commercial and military sales history of the identified aircraft to include date, customers and quantities. Technical 1. What is your aircrafts self-deployment range without using in-flight refueling? What are the effects of winds? What self sustainment load is required to self-deploy and perform unsupported operations for 72 hours (excluding fuel)? Do you need any sp ecial equipment? Are there other factors with respect to self-deployment that should be considered? 2. Describe the maximum payload weight on a standard day, with maximum runway, round trip and full of fuel? What are the performance characteristics and payload limits for improved/ unimproved runway operations at 6000 ft altitude, on a 95 degree day? (S pecifically runway/payload tradeoffs) 3. Describe the identified aircraft's level flight maximum airspeed and altitude. Describe the operational cruise airspeed at altitudes of 6k, 12k, 18k and 24k ft. Describe the maximum sustained altitude. 4. What are the number and maximum weight of 463L pallets your aircraft is capable of transporting under standard configuration? What are the cubic foot cargo capabilities and restrictions? Describe your aircrafts trans-loading capability. 5. Describe your current Aircraft Survivability Equipment capability against IR, RF and laser. (Include auto response and pilot override.) 6. Describe the ballistic protection capabilities of the aircraft (e.g. ballistic seat, Kevlar armor, etc.). 7. Provide a description of all onboard avionics, to include radios, transponders, navigation systems, etc. Explain the aircraft's ability to communicate (voice/digital secure and non-secure) and navigate inside the civil aviation and military tactical en vironments. 8. Describe the accessory kits that are available for this aircraft (e.g. CASEVAC, MEDEVAC, Troop transport, etc.). 9. Describe the ability of the identified aircraft to operate in adverse conditions including sand/dust and icing. Production 1. Describe your company's current manufacturing capacity for the identified aircraft. 2. Describe your company's quality assurance program to include any ISO certification level. 3. Describe your company's lead time for the production of the identified aircraft. 4. Describe your company's schedule of post contract award aircraft availability. 5. Describe the annual minimum economic production quantities and maximum production quantities for the designated aircraft. Logistics 1. Provide reliability (failure rate) data information associated with the identified aircraft and identify major assumptions used in calculating this data. 2. Provide maintainability data information (mean time to repair and maintenance ratio) associated with the identified aircraft and any major assumptions used in calculating this data. 3. Describe your company's technical publications capabilities for the identified aircraft to include examples of types of technical manuals, Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs), and embedded training in civilian and/or military applications. 4. Describe support equipment requirements for the identified aircraft. Provide examples of type and amount of equipment, skill level requirements, tooling (common and peculiar), Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), Test, Measurement, Diagnostics, Equipment (T MDE), in civilian and/or military applications. 5. Describe your company's training methodology and practices for the identified aircraft (e.g. Program of Instructions (POI), embedded training, in-house courseware/software, software support, and simulators.). 6. Describe your company's experience with fielding of the identified aircraft and Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) to include Interim Contractor Support (ICS), in civilian and/or military applications. 7. What access to data rights will be provided to the government? Will you allow the government to acquire licensing and subscription services to enable competition for training and maintenance? Price 1. Provide the estimated unit price for the identified aircraft to include the cost of the major components and any other cost associated with the delivery of the aircraft. Is there a cost break point and/or volume discount? 2. Provide total operating cost per flight hour (excluding costs associated with aircrew) for the identified aircraft configuration with a description of all included costs. 3. Identify the type of customary commercial payment arrangements to be expected for the identified aircraft and associated support services (e.g. payment in full upon delivery, partial payments based on events/milestones, etc.).
- Record
- SN00785215-W 20050410/050408212545 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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