70RSAT26RFI000030 Recoverable sUAS RFI 10-1-26.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 70RSAT26RFI000030

DHS Drone Development Program Recoverable Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Frontline Operational Awareness and

Surveillance Missions

NOTE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI. Responses to this RFI are voluntary.

The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information.

The Government’s explicit intent, in this RFI, is to not receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.

All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

BACKGROUND

DHS Components conduct a wide range of operational missions that may benefit from rapidly deployable, recoverable sUAS capabilities. These missions may include border surveillance, tactical law enforcement overwatch, search and rescue, perimeter and facility security, disaster assessment, maritime or littoral awareness, and critical incident response.

DHS seeks information on complete small multirotor systems that can be operated by trained or certified UAS operators in field conditions. The desired system should be simple, intuitive, lightweight, recoverable, reusable, and capable of providing timely operational video or imagery.

DHS anticipates that any future acquisition may support DHS-wide ordering, potentially through a multiple-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract, catalog-based ordering structure, phased award approach, or other acquisition method.

PURPOSE OF THIS RFI

The Department of Homeland Security is conducting market research to identify small unmanned aircraft systems capable of supporting authorized DHS frontline operational awareness, surveillance, search and rescue, incident response, perimeter security, disaster assessment, maritime/littoral awareness, and law enforcement support missions.

DHS is interested in recoverable, reusable, lightweight, rapidly deployable small unmanned aircraft systems suitable for use by trained DHS operators. DHS is not seeking one-way-use systems under this RFI.

The Government is using this RFI to:

1. Assess current and emerging industry capabilities.

2. Inform a potential future solicitation.

3. Assess domestic sourcing and supply chain availability.

4. Assess cybersecurity and data protection maturity.

5. Assess production capacity and pricing.

6. Assess sustainment and lifecycle support approaches.

7. Inform the design of potential future demonstrations or challenge events.

ISSUING OFFICE

Department of Homeland Security PEO UAS and cUAS

PROGRAM NAME

DHS Drone Development Program.

Primary NAICS: 336411 Aircraft Manufacturing

Primary PSC: 1550 Unmanned Aircraft

DESIRED CAPABILITY OVERVIEW

DHS is primarily interested in complete small quadcopter or multirotor sUAS kits. A complete field kit may include, as applicable:

1. Air vehicle.

2. Controller or ground control station.

3. Batteries sufficient for multiple sorties.

4. Charger and cables.

5. Electro-optical and/or infrared camera payload.

6. Rugged case or carrying pouch.

7. Spare propellers and basic field spares.

8. Tablet, display, or equivalent user interface, if required.

9. Required software.

10. Training materials.

11. Warranty and support.

DHS is interested in commercial off-the-shelf, modified commercial, and developmental systems. DHS is seeking complete systems rather than individual components, although modular payloads and open architecture are of interest.

NOTIONAL PERFORMANCE INTERESTS

The following notional performance interests are provided for industry feedback. They are not final requirements and may be revised based on RFI responses.

Capability Area Notional DHS Interest

System Type Small quadcopter or multirotor

Use Model Recoverable and reusable

Primary Function Operational awareness, surveillance, and frontline ISR-type support for authorized DHS missions

Operator Trained or certified UAS operator

Crew Size One-person operation desired

Capability Area Notional DHS Interest

Deployment Rapid deployment from vehicle or carried on foot

Maritime Use Potential future specialized capability

Endurance Greater than 30 minutes

Range Greater than 5 miles, subject to applicable authorization and operating constraints

Setup Time Less than 2 minutes from accessing the stowed kit to ready-to-launch

Launch-to-Flight Time Less than 30 seconds from launch initiation to airborne, stable, controllable flight with usable video

Deployment-to-Operational Video Time

Less than 2.5 minutes desired

Complete Kit Weight Threshold: 5 pounds or less; Objective: 3 pounds or less

Battery Loadout Sufficient batteries for at least three sorties without recharging desired

Day Payload Electro-optical camera threshold

Night Payload Infrared/thermal camera objective

Video Real-time video required

Recording Onboard recording required

Recovery Return-to-launch and alternate landing point desired

Safety Lost-link, return-to-home, safe landing, and obstacle avoidance desired

Obstacle Avoidance Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance desired

GPS/Comms-Degraded Operations

Desired, not currently threshold

Environmental Conditions Rain, dust, wind, heat/cold, maritime/salt, desert, urban, and night conditions

Capability Area Notional DHS Interest

Training Full system-specific training in 4 hours or less, with an objective of 2 hours or less

Familiarization Basic familiarization in approximately 1 hour desired

User Interface Simple, intuitive, operable with gloves, in low light, and under field conditions

TIMING DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this RFI:

Setup Time means the elapsed time from opening or accessing the stowed UAS kit to the point at which the aircraft, controller, payload, communications link, video feed, navigation functions, and required preflight checks are complete and the system is ready to launch.

Launch-to-Flight Time means the elapsed time from operator initiation of launch to the point at which the aircraft is airborne, stable, controllable, and providing usable live video or imagery.

Deployment-to-Operational Video Time means the elapsed time from accessing the stowed kit to the point at which the system is airborne and providing usable operational video or imagery.

METADATA DEFINITION

For purposes of this RFI, metadata means information associated with collected video, imagery, flight logs, or sensor data. Examples may include date, time, aircraft location, altitude, heading, camera orientation, sensor settings, operator or mission identifiers, aircraft serial number, file information, and flight logs.

CYBERSECURITY, DATA, AND SUPPLY CHAIN INTERESTS

Cybersecurity, domestic sourcing, and supply chain security are key areas of interest. DHS is interested in systems that are National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) compliant and that meet or can meet Defense Contract Management Agency Blue UAS, AUVSI Green UAS, or equivalent cybersecurity and supply chain standards.

DHS is particularly interested in reducing reliance on non-U.S. components, software, firmware, manufacturing, assembly, and data services.

DHS is interested in systems that:

1. Are NDAA compliant.

2. Meet or can meet Blue UAS, Green UAS, or equivalent standards.

3. Disclose country of origin for major hardware, software, firmware, sensors, radios, batteries, and data services.

4. Use U.S.-based manufacturing, final assembly, software development, and data hosting to the maximum extent practicable.

5. Can operate without cloud connectivity.

6. Do not require vendor-controlled private cloud services as a condition of operation.

7. Use Government-authorized cloud environments if cloud services are required.

8. Support AES-256 encrypted command-and-control and data/video links.

9. Provide hardware and software bills of materials.

10. Provide vulnerability disclosure, patching, and secure update processes.

DATA, PRIVACY, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT

DHS is interested in systems capable of collecting and managing data such as live video, recorded video, still imagery, thermal imagery, location metadata, flight logs, and mapping data.

Respondents should describe capabilities related to:

1. User-controlled data storage and export.

2. Configurable data retention.

3. Audit logs.

4. Chain-of-custody or evidentiary handling.

5. Integration with video management, evidence management, or other law enforcement systems.

6. Live video sharing with authorized users or command centers.

7. Privacy and data protection features.

These capabilities may be considered objective capabilities and are not necessarily threshold requirements at this stage.

POTENTIAL DEMONSTRATION OR CHALLENGE EVENT

DHS may conduct one or more future demonstrations or challenge events to assess vendor systems in operationally relevant scenarios. If conducted, DHS operators may fly vendor systems after limited vendor-provided familiarization.

A future demonstration may assess:

1. Rapid setup and launch.

2. Daytime operational video quality.

3. Night or low-light performance.

4. Recovery and reuse.

5. Ease of use.

6. Range and endurance.

7. Lost-link and return-to-home behavior.

8. Urban and rural scenarios.

9. Operator training burden.

10. Cybersecurity and supply chain documentation.

11. Production scalability.

12. Sustainment approach.

Vendors may be allowed up to one hour of system-specific familiarization before DHS operator use during a future demonstration. DHS requests industry feedback on whether this is sufficient for a trained or certified UAS operator to safely and effectively operate the proposed system.

DHS has not finalized whether a demonstration will occur or how scoring would be structured.

PRODUCTION, PRICING, AND SCALABILITY

For initial assessment, DHS is considering quantities of approximately 10 units per selected vendor or system. Additional units may be procured as DHS proceeds through future demonstrations, phases, or operational assessments.

DHS is also interested in understanding pathways to large-scale procurement. Respondents should address whether and how they could scale toward production of up to 50,000 complete systems at an approximate target price of $3,000 per complete kit.

Respondents should identify current production capacity, production scalability, key bottlenecks, domestic sourcing limitations, expected delivery timelines, and price reductions achievable at volume.

DHS is interested in price estimates for the following quantity ranges:

Quantity Estimated Unit Price per Complete Kit Assumptions

1,000

10,000

50,000

Respondents should identify recurring license, subscription, software, cloud, maintenance, or sustainment costs.

REQUESTED INDUSTRY FEEDBACK

Respondents are encouraged to address the following questions. Responses should be concise and may cross-reference the summary table in Section 15.

A. System Capability

1. Describe your proposed complete recoverable sUAS kit, including aircraft, controller, payload, batteries, charger, case, software, training, warranty, and support.

2. Is the system commercial off-the-shelf, modified commercial, or developmental? What is its current availability?

3. What are the system’s endurance, range, setup time, launch-to-flight time, deployment-to-operational video time, total kit weight, and number of sorties supported without recharging?

4. Describe the system’s operational awareness and surveillance payload capabilities, including electro-optical, infrared/thermal, zoom, low-light, real-time video, onboard recording, and metadata capabilities.

5. Describe the system’s recovery and reuse capabilities, including return-to-launch, alternate landing, lost-link behavior, safe landing, and obstacle avoidance.

6. Describe the system’s ability to operate in rain, dust, wind, heat, cold, maritime/salt, desert, urban, night, GPS-degraded, or communications-degraded environments. What wind tolerance should DHS consider for this class of system?

7. Describe the training required for a trained or certified UAS operator. Is one hour of vendor familiarization sufficient for a DHS demonstration, and is full system-specific training achievable in less than four hours?

B. Cybersecurity, Data, and Supply Chain

8. Describe the system’s NDAA compliance, Blue UAS, Green UAS, or equivalent status.

9. Identify country of origin for major hardware, software, firmware, sensors, radios, batteries, manufacturing, final assembly, data services, and cloud services.

10. Describe command-and-control, telemetry, stored data, and video/data encryption, including whether AES-256 is supported.

11. Describe whether the system can operate fully offline without cloud connectivity. If cloud functionality is used, describe whether it can operate in a Government-authorized cloud environment.

12. Describe available cybersecurity documentation, including hardware bill of materials, software bill of materials, vulnerability disclosure, patching, and secure update processes.

13. Describe privacy, data protection, user-controlled storage, audit logging, chain-of-custody, live video sharing, and evidence-system integration capabilities, if available.

C. Production, Pricing, and Sustainment

14. Provide estimated pricing for complete kits at quantities of 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 50,000 units. Is a $3,000 complete kit price achievable at high volume?

15. Provide a price breakdown by major kit elements and identify any recurring license, subscription, software, cloud, maintenance, or sustainment costs.

16. Describe current production capacity and the timeline, investment, and supply chain actions required to scale to 50,000 systems.

17. Identify critical components, long-lead items, supply chain bottlenecks, and domestic sourcing limitations.

18. Describe the recommended sustainment model for DHS-wide use, including warranty, repair or replacement, spare parts, battery lifecycle, software updates, configuration management, and repair turnaround time.

D. Demonstration and Acquisition Strategy

19. Would you participate in a future DHS demonstration or challenge event where DHS operators fly the system after up to one hour of vendor familiarization? What test scenarios should DHS consider?

20. What acquisition approach do you recommend for DHS-wide ordering, including multiple-award IDIQ, catalog-based ordering, phased awards, fixed-price batch deliveries, small business participation, and teaming?

Recommended Response Format

Responses shall include a cover page, a completed summary table, and a concise narrative response.

The narrative response shall not exceed three pages. The cover page and completed summary table are excluded from the three-page narrative limit. Respondents should use the summary table to provide key system, pricing, production, cybersecurity, supply chain, and sustainment information, and should use the narrative section to briefly explain assumptions, tradeoffs, risks, and recommended approaches.

DHS is not requesting marketing brochures, product catalogs, lengthy technical manuals, or other supplemental materials at this stage. Respondents should focus on information directly responsive to this RFI.

DHS is not requesting video submissions at the RFI stage. DHS may request videos, demonstrations, or additional technical materials as part of future industry engagement, demonstration events, or any subsequent solicitation.

The Government will not accept classified information in response to this RFI.

15.0 Suggested Summary Table

Respondents are encouraged to include the following table within the response.

Category Vendor Response

Company Name

System Name

Commercial, Modified Commercial, or Developmental

Current Availability

Category Vendor Response

Aircraft Type

Complete Kit Included Items

Endurance

Range

Total Kit Weight

Number of Sorties Without Recharging

Setup Time

Launch-to-Flight Time

Deployment-to-Operational Video Time

Day Camera Capability

Night/Thermal Capability

Real-Time Video

Onboard Recording

Metadata Capability

Recovery Method

Lost-Link / Return-to-Home

Obstacle Avoidance

Environmental Limits

Training Time

Cloud Required?

NDAA Compliant?

Blue UAS / Green UAS / Equivalent?

Category Vendor Response

AES-256 C2 and Data/Video Link?

U.S. Manufacturing / Assembly

Critical Non-U.S. Components

Current Monthly Production Capacity

Timeline to Deliver 10 Units

Timeline to Scale to 50,000 Units

Estimated Unit Price at 10 Units

Estimated Unit Price at 50,000 Units

Recurring License or Subscription Costs

Recommended Sustainment Model

Recommended Acquisition Approach

COVER PAGE

The cover page should include:

1. Company name.

2. Company address.

3. Point of contact name.

4. Point of contact email.

5. Point of contact phone number.

6. Unique Entity ID.

7. CAGE Code, if applicable.

8. Business size.

9. Socioeconomic status, if applicable.

10. U.S. manufacturing or assembly locations, if applicable.

11. Proposed system name.

12. Whether the system is commercial, modified commercial, or developmental.

13. Whether the response contains proprietary information.

14. Whether the company currently holds any Best-in-Class (BIC) vehicles (e.g. 8 (a) STARS III, Alliant 2, VETS 2, POLARIS, NITAAC, and GSA MAS contracts, etc.), to include the applicable contract number.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please provide your response to this RFI no later than 5 PM Eastern Time on November 5, 2026 to DHSDDP@hq.dhs.gov. Any questions and inquiries must be submitted to this email address as well. Email responses or questions should include the RFI number, “70RSAT26RFI000030”, in the subject line.

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

Respondents may mark proprietary information in their submissions. The Government will use information submitted in response to this RFI for market research and acquisition planning purposes. Respondents should clearly identify any proprietary or business-sensitive information.

Do not submit classified information.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT

DHS may, at its discretion, conduct additional industry engagement following review of RFI responses. Such engagement may include industry days, one-on-one meetings, requests for additional information, product demonstrations, or challenge events.

Participation in this RFI does not guarantee an invitation to any future engagement or procurement activity.

mailto:DHSDDP@hq.dhs.gov