SOURCES SOUGHT
15 -- Unmanned Aerial System to support Intelligence, Survellance and Reconnaissance
- Notice Date
- 12/12/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 336413
— Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- ACC-APG SCRT - Aberdeen, ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-A, 4118 Susquehanna Avenue, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-3013
- ZIP Code
- 21005-3013
- Solicitation Number
- W91CRB11UASISR
- Response Due
- 12/27/2011
- Archive Date
- 2/25/2012
- Point of Contact
- Sabrinna Faulkner, 410-306-2852
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-APG SCRT - Aberdeen
(sabrinna.faulkner@us.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION; no award will be made as a result of this request. This request for information (RFI) is for informational purposes only; this is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). All interested parties are encouraged to respond to this RFI. The Government will not pay for information and materials received in response to this RFI, and is in no way obligated by the information received. 1.0 SCOPE: The Rapid Equipping Force (REF) has a requirement to purchase Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to support Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Shortfalls in the environmentally inhospitable operating environment of Afghanistan. This requirement includes a requirement for operators and Field Service Representatives (FSRs) to provide FSR support and new equipment training. The UAS shall provide for remote, safe, persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. The airship must stay on station even in less favorable environmental conditions that would ground UAS of comparable size, features, or classification. The platform shall have a capability for Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL). The platform shall be a lighter than air (LTA) platform that is easily deployable in either a mobile or tethered state. The Airship shall remain functional while flying even in non-ideal conditions. The Airship must fly in winds up to but not less than 25 knot winds. The system shall be deployable utilizing no more than two Soldiers. The Airship shall have an active onboard systems ("smart aerostat") its fins will continue to use their movable surfaces to stabilize and trim the UAS, safety systems will prevent fly always in the event that the tether line was cut. Mechanically, the Airship platform shall incorporate a modular design for ease of manufacturing and flexible payload configuration. The configurable sensor pod can house a wide array of active or passive sensing devices. A communications interface and main system power is available from the airship's underbelly wire harness for command, feedback and sensor power. System components are further broken out into separate gondolas. The Airship housing shall contain computing and system internal sensors and the black gondola houses propulsion means. The driving motivation for this further separation is elevated system performance from further mechanically and electrically isolating vital components. Vital system components are further protected by ballistic fabric to mitigate the risk of small arms fire and even if the envelope takes direct hit the Altus can still fly safely for another 30 minutes. The airship envelope contains cascaded safety systems to allow for easy retrieval of the UAS in case of an emergency. A protective tarp to tether down the airship during inflation & inclement weather is required. For safe launches and landing there are two key features implemented into the Propulsion gondola, sensors that calculate if the system is being held and a landing skid to keep the motors out of ground debris. Payloads are able to interact on a variety of common protocols including CAN, RS232, MIL-STD-1553, and SPI. The software has transparent safety features that do not allow the end user to put the system at risk. e.g. statistically sampled in flight power monitoring is used to calculate a safe radius around the SiLO command and control system, if the end user attempts to set the next way point outside the bounds its power radius SiLO refuses the coordinate. Other software features based on sensor feedback like automated inflation assure that little training is necessary to successfully deploy and use the Airship. Another extension of the self preservation is the Return Home feature, which returns to the last known point of transmission from SiLO. Features like SiLO constantly updating the robot with its position allow for safer flight and mobility of the command and control unit as well. 2.0 Requirements: Dimensions: a.Airship shall be no longer than 26ft (T), 23 ft (O) b.Diameter shall be no greater than 12 ft (T), 9 ft (O) Features: a.Airship shall be white or clear in color b.Airship shall be capable of having a laser designator c.Airship shall have the capability of GPS that allows the operator to view positioning of airship d.Airship shall be compliant with existing CENTCOM doctrine on tethered aerostats e.Airship shall be compliant with CENTCOM requirements on lighting on the platform (airship/aerostat) f.Airship shall be compliant with existing frequency ranges of 1.3 - 1.9 GHz or greater than 5 GHz g.Airship shall have ability to receive either a helium or hydrogen fill Performance: a.Airship shall be capable of flying for at least 2-4 hrs in a persistent 6-10 knot winds while un-tethered b.Airship shall be capable of flying for at least 10-12 hours while tethered c.Airship shall take no more than 15 minutes to change existing battery and resume flight d.Airship shall be capable of flying in gusts up to 35 knots while tethered and 22 knots airspeed while un-tethered e.Airship shall include safety measures that allow the envelope to deflate in less than 10 min in an emergency situation f.Airship shall be portable in no more than 2 pelican (1780T) cases and shall not require more than a 2 man lift (200lbs) per case g.Airship must be able to be re-packable in existing pelican case ISR Payload a.Airship shall be capable of carrying a 6 lb payload b.Airship shall have a gyro stabilized camera turret with an EO/IR ball c.Resolution of camera shall be at a minimum of 640/480 d.Airship shall be capable of interacting on a variety of common protocols including CAN, RS232, MIL-STD-1553, and SPI. Ground Station: a.System shall have line-of-sight when airship is operating in the untethered mode b.System shall provide a mobile capability (within a pelican (1600) case or smaller) for Command and Control (C2) c.System shall have the capability of automated inflation a.Airship shall be capable of inflating in less than 30 minutes d.System shall provide helium tanks for initial setup and 72 hour flight under normal operations e.Hand controller shall be similar to an XBOX controller and be wireless Monitor shall have the capability of displaying the feed in HD 3. DELIVERABLES Specific information on industry capability to produce a system that can meet the requirements identified in paragraph two (2) above, or otherwise solves the problem: Airship/Aerostat (Balloon), Platform, and Delivery System. This is NOT a Request for Proposal. Companies who desire to participate in this market survey are encouraged to submit a white paper which supports the company's claim that it presently has the technology, qualifications, and capabilities to satisfy one or more of the performance and technical objectives described above. The white paper should discuss the company's ability to develop and or provide existing technologies that have the ability to Aerostat Deception. Companies should provide a ROM (rough order of magnitude) price and its anticipated delivery for the solution proposed. The white paper should also discuss related company experience and include point(s) of contact. The white paper should be prepared in MS Word, limited to ten (10) pages, and submitted electronically to the contracting specialist at sabrinna.r.faulkner.civ@mail.mil. The company shall be responsible for any costs associated with preparing responses to this market research. All requests for further information must be made in writing or via email; telephone requests for additional information will not be honored. The government will review RFI submissions as they are received. The government reserves the right to close this RFI once they have received adequate response(s) to this RFI.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/6c08633411f4f2f12de8e6fec1d1c71b)
- Place of Performance
- Address: ACC-APG SCRT - Aberdeen ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-A, 4118 Susquehanna Avenue Aberdeen Proving Ground MD
- Zip Code: 21005-3013
- Zip Code: 21005-3013
- Record
- SN02637764-W 20111214/111212234511-6c08633411f4f2f12de8e6fec1d1c71b (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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