Consensus-free Ad-hoc PNT Sharing - RFI.pdf

Consensus-free Ad-hoc PNT Sharing (CAPS)

General Information

Document Type: Request for Information Solicitation Number: FA2377-26-R-B002 Response Date: 19 September 2025 Classification Code: A - Research & Development NAICS Code: 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)

This announcement does not request any proposals at this time. This is a Request for Information (RFI) only as defined in FAR 15.201 (e) to obtain information specifically related to the feasibility of continuing the development of AFRL’s Joint Multi- INT Precision Reference (JMPR) VPX ruggedized prototype testbeds that incorporate the Next Generation Atomic Clock's (NGAC).

The information received will be used by the Government team for planning purposes only. Responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Companies that respond will not be paid for information submitted.

This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as a Request for Proposal (RFP), or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this contemplated effort.

General Description

Objective: This is a Request for Information (RFI) and not a solicitation. The Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate Navigation and Communication Branch (AFRL/RYWN) is seeking information from qualified vendors regarding their capabilities to provide precise timing and synchronization solutions for a swarm of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) operating in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied or degraded (contested) environments. This information will be used for market research purposes to inform potential acquisition strategies and determine the availability of qualified sources. The government anticipates those who respond to this request for information to be focused on the ability to achieve extremely high timing coherency between UAS in the swarm, with single-digit picosecond stability and sub-nanosecond accuracy.

Specifically, AFRL/RYWN seeks to obtain information from US industry concerning their interest in the continued development of a VPX ruggedized PNT prototype testbed that incorporates the Next Generation Atomic Clock's (NGAC) to enable federation of PNT sources and mission applications for the US Air Force. This PNT testbed will allow the platform the ability to instantiate local reference frames using relational measurements between platforms without GPS by employing a decentralized open PNT architecture to enable cold-start, progressively enhanced PNT for a swarm of platforms.

Technical Background

Background: Future development of Joint Multi-INT Precision Reference (JMPR) VPX ruggedized testbed that incorporates Next Generation Atomic Clock (NGAC) requires a highly accurate and resilient timing and synchronization system for sUAS swarms operating in contested environments where GPS is unreliable or unavailable. This system is critical for maintaining coordinated flight, accurate data collection, advanced sensor fusion, and effective mission execution. An additional objective of this effort was to include or extend open standards to enable integration.

Response: Based on the objectives presented above, interested PNT entities should provide a statement of interest on company letterhead and include responses to the following tasks/requirements:

a. Precise Timing: Achieve sub-nanosecond accuracy across the sUAS swarm without reliance on GPS.

b. Synchronization: Ensure continuous synchronization among sUAS in the swarm, even during periods of communication disruption or jamming.

c. Timing Coherency: Achieve and maintain single-digit picosecond stability between the sUAS in the swarm, enabling advanced cooperative behaviors and sensor fusion capabilities. This requires minimizing jitter and phase noise in the timing signals. Vendors MUST provide detailed information on how their solution achieves this level of timing coherency.

d. Resilience: Be robust against electronic warfare (EW) attacks, jamming, and spoofing attempts.

e. Scalability: Support a swarm size of at least 4 sUAS and be scalable to larger swarms.

f. Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP): Be suitable for integration into small UAS platforms with limited payload capacity and power budgets.

g. The responders shall assess multiple radio equipment vendors’ capabilities to support cold-start and their use in a decentralized PNT network that progressively enhances its local time / spatial awareness. The contractor shall identify technology gaps for each radio based on these features: relational measurement performance, 3rd party hosting, LPI/LPD/LPJ waveforms, simultaneous connections, SOSA VPX compatibility, and SWAP-C.

h. The responders shall demonstrate the ability to work with the selected radio vendors to document closure path(s) for the technical gaps such as software, protocols, and signal design.

i. The responders shall be able to simulate a platform's ability to progressively enhance their regional time / spatial awareness using only relational measurements, reference data from other platforms, and inertial sensors. The platform can discover collaborative platforms, share PNT data, and align the PNT data to its body frame (enabling each platform to target the same point).

j. The responders shall perform a performance limit analysis for different swarm topologies (i.e., Monte Carlo) to determine the swarm’s constraints to share target information without global coherency and estimate the SEP (spherical error probable).

k. The responders shall support the development of a flight test demonstration including coordination meetings and a comprehensive test plan.

l. The responders shall offer methods that allows the platform the ability to instantiate decentralized local reference frames using relational measurements between platforms.

m. The responders shall develop different orchestration methods to “cold-start, progressively enhance PNT” of a swarm of platforms without use of GPS.

Format & Page Limitation

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. White papers shall be submitted in Microsoft Word for Office format (version 2000 or newer), 8.5 X 11-inch pages, limited to a maximum of 5 pages. The font for text should be Times New Roman 12-point or larger. The Responder may use oversize pages (including “foldouts”) where appropriate to contain graphic presentations. Oversize pages do not count as extra pages within the page limitations. Submitted responses should be in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat format. Existing commercial documentation and product literature can also be submitted and is not subject to a page limitation.

Responses should also include the following information: Organization name and location, title, telephone number, mail and e-mail addresses of a point of contract having authority and knowledge to discuss the submission. Responses should be submitted via e-mail only and to all the following: Gabriel Berner at gabriel.berner@us.af.mil and Richard Bailey at richard.bailey.26@us.af.mil.

Submission of Documentation

Information/documentation packages are due to the contracting office identified below by 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, 19 September 2025. Industry is encouraged to respond with information not constrained by proprietary data rights; however, if any information submitted is considered proprietary, then those paragraphs/pages should be marked accordingly. Responses should include information about all relevant and mailto:gabriel.berner@us.af.mil mailto:richard.bailey.26@us.af.mil applicable technologies available within the aforementioned timeframes and based on requested criteria.

Additional Information

Responses: All responsible sources may submit information that shall be considered by the agency. Further, this notice is part of Government market research. Information received as a result of this request will be considered as sensitive and will be protected as such. Any company or industry proprietary information contained in responses should be clearly marked as such, by paragraph, such that publicly releasable and proprietary information are clearly distinguished. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from unauthorized disclosure. The Government will not use proprietary information submitted from any one source to establish the capability and requirements for any future acquisition, so as to inadvertently restrict competition. However, technical data developed, collected, or created under a potential contract will be considered non-proprietary with non-restrictive government rights to use the data.

Industry Discussions: AFRL representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements.

Questions: All routine communications regarding the announcement should be directed to the contractual point of contact listed below. Technical questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to Dr. Thao Nguyen, thao.nguyen.6@us.af.mil, (937) 713-4408. Verbal technical questions will NOT be accepted; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information.

The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 15 September 2025 will be answered.

Summary: This is a Request for Information (RFI) only as defined in FAR 15.201(e) to obtain information about Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs), capabilities and market information related to the technologies of interest for planning purposes. Of particular interest are the technical, manufacturing and market barriers to establishing a viable business for the technologies of interest. This RFI is not a request for competitive proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Companies that respond will not be paid for the information submitted. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Air Force has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

mailto:thao.nguyen.6@us.af.mil

No telephone calls will be accepted requesting a bid package or solicitation.

There is no bid package or solicitation at this time.

OPSEC: The implementation of General Operations Security (OPSEC) procedures, policies, and awareness is crucial to reducing program vulnerability from successful adversary collection and exploitation of critical information.

OPSEC will be applied throughout the life cycle of the contract. To support this effort, the Critical Information and Indicators List (CIIL) and the RY OPSEC Plan will be provided by the AFRL/RYSP S&T Protection Office. By identifying and protecting Critical Information and Indicators (CII), the OPSEC process becomes a positive, proactive means by which adversaries are denied advantages.

OPSEC is accomplished using a five-step process: 1) identification of CII; 2) threat analysis; 3) vulnerability analysis; 4) risk assessment; and 5) application of appropriate countermeasures. The contractor shall identify CII and develop and apply measures to mitigate risks. OPSEC strategies shall be documented in an OPSEC plan and delivered to AFRL after contract award.

While working on the government installation, the AFRL/RYSP S&T Protection Office will provide OPSEC guidance and training to ensure contractors are familiar with RY's CIIL and OPSEC Plan as it pertains to their contract. This training will be conducted in accordance with Air Force Instruction (AFI) 10-701, Operations Security, and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) Supplement to AFI 10-701.

Security Risk Review – AFRLI 61-113: Contractor employees may require access to Critical Technology Elements (CTE), Enabling technologies, Critical Program Information (CPI), or other potentially sensitive information during this effort. Contractor employees must protect this information from disclosure to unauthorized personnel and companies.

The Contractor shall immediately notify the Government within 24 hours of all security incidents involving loss, compromise, or suspected compromise of CTE/CPI, IAW DoDM 5200.01-V3, Enclosure 6. Incident reports must specifically identify the affected CTE/CPI.

If a security risk is identified and the government determines it exceeds the acceptable threshold, the contractor will be notified of the award's termination.

Due to government OPSEC measures, only a general statement of reasoning will be provided.

The Contractor shall flow down this provision to all sub-awardees.

Technical POC: Dr. Thao Nguyen, e-mail: thao.nguyen.6@us.af.mil, Mail address: Attn: Dr. Thao Nguyen, AFRL/RYWN BLDG 620, 2241 Avionics Circle, Wright- Patterson AFB OH 45433.

NOTE: Direct all questions to Dr. Thao Nguyen, email: thao.nguyen.6@us.af.mil, phone: (937) 713-4408.

Contracting POC: Mr. Richard Bailey, e-mail: richard.bailey.26@us.af.mil, Mail address: Attn: Mr. Richard Bailey, AFRL/RYKSW, Bldg. 45, Room 2415, 2130 8th Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7541.

Mr. Gabriel Berner, e-mail: gabriel.berner@us.af.mil, Mail address: Attn: Mr. Gabriel Berner, AFRL/RYKSW, Bldg. 45, Room 2415, 2130 8th Street, Wright-Patterson AFB

OH 45433-7541.

THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR PROPOSALS.

DO NOT SUBMIT PROPOSALS AT THIS TIME.

ANY PROPOSALS RECEIVED WILL BE DISCARDED.

mailto:richard.bailey.26@us.af.mil mailto:gabriel.berner@us.af.mil