20140822_UAS_-_Q_A_FBO.docx

1) With regard to the training requirement for the UAS system, since the system will be used regularly in the workplace by government employees, is there any requirement that the program of instruction be carried out by accredited UAS instructors certified by the UAS manufacturer?

No, program of instruction by accredited and manufacturer certified instructors is not required. In light of potential workplace accidents and liability, flight safety considerations represent a major component of UAS trainings, and the content of UAS training is tailored to the types of missions being flown. Could you please describe the types of missions that are foreseen for the UAS operations and under which types of terrain will missions be flown? Missions are to be flown at low altitudes over local farms, flat terrain and removed from airports. Most missions will be on-site at the University of AZ Maricopa facility; additional missions may be flown on a case-by-case basis in the local central Arizona area. Missions will be for research- not operational- purposes over fields in the range of 5-20 acres.For example, aircraft flight missions conducted during low-light conditions and where launch/recovery is conducted in vineyards located in mountain valleys or at tree farms are quite different with regard to safety training than missions flown in open fields or pure daylight conditions. Flights will not be conducted in low-light conditions. Will the training be required to conform to safety requirements similar to those currently prescribed for training programs for similar UAS aircraft currently used by the U.S. Army and other branches of the government? Will the training be required to conform to expected upcoming FAA operator licensing parameters for aircraft operators? Training is to be provided according to current parameters. Will the USDA provide both a classroom venue for the training and the outdoor component, or is the offerer to supply a venue and outdoor training location? A conference room and adjacent field training site will be provided by USDA ALARC in Maricopa, AZ.

2) The technical specifications listed in the solicitation require a 2kg payload or greater. And in a separate technical specification,a camera mount for a Canon 5 D camera or similar is listed. Payload weight, payload capability, related hardware such as mounting hardware/gimbal mount and associated software required to operate payloads come in a wide range of configurations and capabilities. The type of configuration selected tends to affect the operational capability, reliability and maintenance costs associated with the system. Based on the types of missions described in the solicitation (low altitude imaging of crops), a wide variety of other UAS payload configurations will deliver the same or better mission capability and imagery performance requirements as a 2KG payload but without the weight of a 2kg payload. In addition to imagery capability, it is worthwhile to consider the safety issues involved with a 2KG payload specification since the total weight of the aircraft increases (presumably the total weight of the aircraft plus payload would then be at least 4 KG ) and potentially changes the FAA classification of the UAS into an different safety category. Would you also consider alternative payload configurations that meet or exceed mission capability requirements for imagery performance but weigh less than the 2kg payload capability? Yes, alternative lighter configurations can be considered.

Many UAS cameras (created for use on unmanned aerial systems) deliver capability which based on the scale of the Civil National Imagery Rating Scale (NIIRS) http://fas.org/irp/imint/niirs_c/guide.htm, meet or exceed capability for mission performance than that offered by a Canon 5 G type camera yet without the maintenance, weight and reliability issues faced by a consumer camera exposed to weather and elements when mounted on a light aircraft. The advantages of a digital zoom UAS type HD camera include light weight, greater reliability, low cost of ownership and low initial cost, and when this type of camera is enclosed in a weather enclosed housing ,it offers the best type of solution. Canon 5G or equivalent performance is required. Alternatives to Canon 5G that meet this requirement can be considered.

Typically for UAS systems, a number of sensor options may be required both now and in the future, and these are connected to the UAS system using a standard type connector. Is there a requirement for a specific connection type so that sensors can be changed out in the future? This solicitation does not impose connection type requirements. If so, what type of sensor connector should be used? What other types of sensors may be foreseen in the future and shall the UAS be compatible with this while requiring no structural changes to the aircraft? Examples may include chemical sensors , thermal sensors etc. Other sensors, including thermal infrared sensors are expected to be used. However, this solicitation does not require provisions for such sensors.

Is there any expectation that the imagery software of the UAS shall provide mosaic capability for creating of maps based on images collected by the UAS camera? Mosaicing is part of the research activity but is not part of this solicitation; vendors are welcome to provide quotes for software with this capability.

3) Several structured government UAS equipment testing programs exist, and testing results have evaluated UAS capability in terms of performance, safety and operator training. Since this is an aircraft purchase, is there any requirement that the UAS system offered must provide evidence of having passed or participated in previous government testing programs for UAS? There is no requirement for passing or participation in a government testing program for this solicitation.

4) There are many safety considerations for UAS systems, and among these would be any safety measures built into the system for the so called loss of link situation. Is there any requirement for the UAS to have a safety feature in case it should lose the communication link to the ground control station? If such a feature is required, how shall the UAS react during a loss of link situation? Software controller is expected to have return-to-home activated with loss of link.

5) Is there any requirement for an onboard flight recorder (black box) for documenting flight details and GPS coordinates in case of accidents? Onboard recorder is not required in this solicitation.

** It is expected that onboard flight recorders will be required in order to receive an FAA COA (certificate of authorization) in the future, and until now, most government agencies have been required to obtain FAA COAs for flight operations..

6) Regarding the specification for a gimbal mount to stabilize image collection, should the gimbal mount be a single axis or three-axis gimbal, and should the gimbal be an enclosed gimbal or open gimbal? Any three-axis gimbal equivalent to the Zenmuse Z15-5D is acceptable. Is there any definition of the capability requirement for 90° vertical upward and downward imagery capability? Nadir-viewing capability is required, above horizon-viewing including zenith is not required.

**Enclosed gimbal systems offer greater safety and reliability than open gimbals while reducing maintenance issues.

7) Is there a requirement that the UAS shall transmit both live video and still imagery to the UAS operation and other remote viewers such as a research team located at a different location? Real-time video is required for operation only. Shall the ground control station be capable of exporting live data during flight to additional viewers such as viewers of a large screen or video monitor? No. Is there a requirement that during field operations the UAS shall share video imagery with other field operators via Bluetooth or similar system to additional hand held video monitors? No.

8) Regarding the warranty, how long should the manufacturer’s warranty be, and what specific equipment and services should be covered by the warranty? Most UAS manufacturers offer a one year warranty, but many government agencies tend to require a more inclusive two-year warranty including specific components such as rotor arms (a wear & tear item) and annual service. The type of warranty selected tends to be related to the expected flight hours, types of missions flown and environmental considerations such as dust/weather etc. Are the sensors also to be covered by the warranty if they are integrated into the UAS system?

9) The solicitation specified that GPS navigation and flight planning. Is there a requirement for both online and offline flight capability using GPS? Does the intended use include a requirement for multiple way-point flight (if so how many way points should be possible to plan) , capability to use custom offline mapping created by the operator and ability to create mosaic maps from data collected? Shall the UAS be capable of semi-autononmous flight, or shall the operator be required to directly control flight during the entire mission? Required are software planning and control tools to set multiple way-points and semi-autonomous control. A minimum number of way-points is not specified in the solicitation.

10) Is there a specific requirement that the communications module of the UAS shall conform to FCC frequency standards and certifications? Will the UAS be operated only in the United States or also in other countries? (Other countries may have other requirements for communications modules). The UAS is to be used in the US.

11) For the UAS operator software, shall the navigation system software be granted on a perpetual basis including upgrades, or on an annual basis not including upgrades? Current operator software to be provided; upgrade costs are not specified in this solicitation.

12) The cost of spare parts tends to be a major cost factor for UAS systems. Regarding the spare parts package to be included with the UAS system, the usage of spare parts depends heavily on the hours flown by the UAS and the types of missions flown including environmental considerations. Can you please specify how many hours per week or year the UAS will be used by USDA workers? Approximately 100 hours per year is anticipated. Typically, a UAS used on a daily basis during work days will log around 200 flight hours per year. What is the intended life cycle of the UAS —two years, three years or four years? In order to ensure comparable offers with regard to spare parts and service, of the UAS, all offerers should in theory be orienting on the same life cycle, hours of flight expectations and conditions of usage. Otherwise offerers may base their calculations on vastly different expectations resulting in a wide range of price options. The intended time-of-life for the UAS is no less than three years.

13) For the last several years, many of the agricultural applications of UAS have tended to include the use of thermal imagery capability in UAS systems. Such capability allows agriculture researchers an entirely different range of operational capabilities for identifying crop diseases, growth rates, soil composition, etc. In the solicitation there was no indication as to whether or not the UAS is foreseen for a future configuration with a thermal camera sensor. If that should be the case, it may change the parameters of the UAS camera mount configuration , and as such render many UAS systems incapable of a future configuration with a thermal camera ( thus resulting in replacement of the entire UAS system). Some UAS systems allow interchangeable sensors where thermal systems can be easily swapped or even included in a dual camera mount on the UAS. Is there an expectation that the UAS shall be capable of a later configuration for use with a thermal camera sensor and if so which sensor would be used? Is there any expectation that the UAS system will be operated during low light or nighttime situations? These questions replicate those from #1 and #2 above. Although thermal capabilities are part of the near-term project plan, this aspect is not part of this solicitation. Vendors are welcome to provide options for thermal or other imaging systems.

14) If a future FAA COA is expected to be applied for by the USDA, will the offerer be required to provide ongoing administrative and technical support through the process of obtaining an FAA certificate of authorization, or will the USDA seek an FAA COA independent of the offerer’s support? The USDA encourages offerer support for COA application but does not require such support.

15) The solicitation specifies that the offerer shall include all software and hardware required to operate the UAS system including two flight controllers (one for pilot control and one for image acquisition control). Many modern UAS systems have the flight control and image acquisition control combined into one user-friendly combined system offering both capabilities in one "graphic user interface" system. In light of this fact, is it a requirement that the pilot control and image acquisition control be two separate systems or is one combined system acceptable? Many modern UAS systems do not require a separate piece of hardware such as a flight controller panel because the flight control and image control is a software program designed for use on the operator’s laptop or tablet computer. If the offerer’s UAS system is a system that does not require an additional piece of hardware such as a flight controller but uses instead a software type flight controller, is the offerer required to supply a tablet or laptop computer as part of the UAS package, or would the USDA use an existing tablet computer (that they already have) for the operation of the UAS?

** If the USDA simply adds the navigation software to an existing laptop, economic savings can result for the government when compared with the purchase of an additional flight controller console or an additional tablet computer.

16) For this solicitation, the set aside is for total small business. Will the offerer be required to provide proof that they comply with the set aside, or is self certification of total small business status acceptable?

17) Is there any expectation that the USDA will ever have a UAS program of record based on this UAS purchase, and if so, have life cycle and technical requirements been defined?