BAA Call 009 ARAS0012.pdf

BAA 692M15-20-R-00004

White Paper Call 009

Autonomously Deployed Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems “Drone-in-a-Box” for On- Airport Applications

January 4, 2024

This Call (012) for white papers is being issued in accordance with FAA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 692M15-20-R-00004, which was posted on FAACO.com on December 05, 2019 and last updated on sam.gov on June 06, 2023. Respondents must refer to the document entitled 692M15-20-R-00004 Rev R15, Amendment 014 (June 06, 2023) in conjunction with this Call to prepare and submit their white paper. All instructions set forth in the 692M15- 20-R-00004 Rev R15, Amendment 014 solicitation document apply to the Call. This Call provides supplemental information and specific criteria to the Government requirements. Information included herein applies to this Call only.

The FAA has an immediate requirement in support of research Topic Number:

ARAS0012 Autonomously Deployed Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems “Drone-in-a-Box” for On-Airport Applications as described below. White papers submitted under this call are due by close of business on February 15, 2024. White papers received after that date will be considered under the BAA Topic related to this Call, however, selection of the technologies may already be complete for the specifics of this Call.

Topic Number: ARAS0012:

Autonomously Deployed Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems “Drone-in-a-Box” for On- Airport Applications

Technical POCs: Garrison Canter; Garrison.J.Canter@faa.gov Michael DiPilato; Michael.DiPilato@faa.gov

Copy: 9-ACT-AAQ-600-BAA@faa.gov

Background:

The FAA’s Airport Technology Research and Development Branch (ATR) is currently conducting research on how to integrate small-unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) into the airport environment for various use cases (applications). These applications include: obstacle data collection, airfield pavement inspections, wildlife hazard management (dispersal and monitoring), perimeter inspections and surveillance, airfield lighting inspections, construction monitoring, foreign object debris (FOD) detection, and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF). ATR is currently in the process of expanding their research portfolio to include additional applications that will improve airport safety.

ATR personnel found that sUASs can provide significant benefits for on-airport applications, such as enhanced situational awareness for ARFF response and inspecting hard-to-reach or inaccessible perimeter areas. However, the practicality and time savings of sUAS are currently limited by the need for an onsite remote pilot to physically launch the sUAS and maintain visual line of sight throughout the flight.

Several UAS manufacturers have developed autonomously-deployed sUAS, also known as a “drone-in-a-box” sUAS. A drone-in-a-box sUAS typically consists of an unmanned aircraft that is launched and recovered from a self-contained base station without the need for an on-site remote pilot. These systems are typically used to conduct scheduled and on-demand facility inspections and patrols at remote facilities. Several public safety departments have also begun to implement autonomously-deployed sUAS as part of “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) programs. The FAA is interested in exploring the use of drone-in-a-box sUAS in an airport environment to potentially provide increased efficiency and more rapid response versus traditional manually-deployed UASs.

Purpose:

Conduct research on the use of autonomously deployed UAS (i.e., “drone-in-a-box’ system) for conducting on airport applications, including, but not limited to, airport perimeter inspections/surveillance and ARFF live monitoring.

Requirements:

The FAA would like white papers to address the specific areas listed below; however, submittals are not limited to these requirements:

Conduct research, testing, and evaluations to determine the feasibility of airports utilizing autonomously-deployed sUAS for conducting on-airport applications (including, but not limited to, airport perimeter inspections and surveillance and ARFF live monitoring).

Identify the capabilities and limitations for the airport use of autonomously deployed

UAS.

Develop recommended performance standards and considerations/best practices for the on-airport use of autonomous UAS.

Conduct research, testing, and evaluations on new and innovative autonomously deployed UAS for airport applications. As part of this research, the contractor must collaborate with “drone-in-a-box” vendor(s) to install, test, and evaluate drone-in-a-box system(s) at two airports (one non-towered and one towered) for a minimum of 3 months.

Potential Offerors must have experience operating sUAS in an airport environment and obtaining airspace authorizations and operational waivers. They must also have experience coordinating with airport operators, air traffic control facilities, and other local stakeholders.

Period of Performance/Rough Order of Magnitude:

The Period of Performance (PoP) for projects under this topic is anticipated not to exceed 24 months. There are currently no set parameters for the ROM.