DARPA-BAA-15-22_QandA's_03.27.2015.pdf

100 Gb/s RF Backbone (100G) Phases 2 and 3

BAA 15-22

Questions and Answers

Questions submitted during Proposers Day on March 17, 2015

Q1: Is it desirable that the technology in priced options be ready for inclusion in Phase 3 flight testing?

A1: No, it is not necessary. See page 14 of the BAA.

Q2: Is it possible to extend the proposal due date to allow for more time to form teams?

A2: No.

Q3: Is there a notional Phase 2 and 3 timeline? Similarly, are there fiscal constraints on amount of money spent per year?

A3: No. DARPA has provided the total dollar amount available for Phases 2 and 3 and requests the proposer to provide the proposed schedule and cost per year.

Q4: Is the pod included in the 100G equipment budget?

A4: Yes. If a pod is proposed, please include it in the equipment budget requested on page 19 of the BAA.

Q5: Can the proposer select either band for the uplink and downlink or are we restricted to 71-76

GHz for the uplink and 81-86 GHz for the downlink? Can a portion of the 5 GHz downlink bandwidth be used for the uplink?

A5: Yes. Either band can be selected for uplink or downlink.

Q6: In Figure 5 of the BAA, is the ground node antenna box directly in the center of the racetrack flight pattern?

A6: No, proposers may place it anywhere inside the racetrack pattern for evaluation but should include reasons on why they chose that placement.

Q7: Can you elaborate on the color and number coding scheme of the system performance scenario as seen in Figure 5 of the BAA?

A7: See page 15 of the BAA.

Q8: Were there any simulations performed to identify the impact of a moving platform on the

100G system?

A8: Yes, simulations were performed in Phase 1 contracts.

Q9: Can commercial aircraft be proposed for Phase 3 testing?

A9: Yes.

Q10: Are there any requirements on antenna azimuth and elevation ranges for ground and airborne tests?

A10: No. However, proposers should provide insight based on previous experience and the

CONOPS scenarios provided on page 16.

Q11: Are there any volume or footprint constraints for the airborne node?

A11: No volume or footprint constraints were specified in the BAA. Proposals should show that the system is compatible with a typical high-flying aircraft.

Q12: The BAA requests that proposers bid Phase 3 as a priced option following a base Phase 2 program. Does this suggest that DARPA may take on two performers in Phase 2 and down select to one performer in Phase 3?

A12: No. It does not.

Q13: Figure 3 shows antenna separations of 6 and 10 meters but the link budget in Table 1 shows

5 and 10 meters. Should these numbers be the same?

A13: No. Table 1 numbers are for the link budget and Figure 3 numbers show possible antenna separations for the transition scenario.

Q14: If there are two awards, will they be full awards or will there be one full and one partial award?

A14: See page 5 of the BAA. Up to two awards may be made and some, all, or none of the proposal may be chosen for contract award

Q15: If we have high risk/high payoff ideas, do they need to be costed as options within an established proposal effort or can they be proposed as a separate effort?

A15: No. Page 14 in the BAA states that proposers may include high-risk technology alternatives to the baseline program as separately priced options. However, high risk/high payoff ideas can also be proposed in the baseline program.

Q16: Are performers expected to build to or design to a link that works at 60,000 feet?

A16: Performers should build hardware to their proposed test scenario (> 12,000 ft.) and show that the link budget, antenna spacings, etc. scale to the 60,000 ft. transition scenario.

Q17: The transmit and receive aperture spacing values given under the Air to Ground Transition

Scenario in Table 1 suggest that 2 apertures were used at each end. Is this what we should use in our link budget?

A17: Proposers may scale the aperture spacings and Rayleigh Range to your chosen transition scenario design.