Drone Platform RFI DRAFT (13MAR24)_FINAL V1.pdf

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

AERIAL DRONE PLATFORM FOR COMMAND POST SURVIVABILITY

ORIGINAL RELEASE 03/26/2024

DISCLAIMER:

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION: No award will be made as a result of this request. This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only; this is not an Invitation for Bid (IFB), a Request for Proposal (RFP), or Request for Quotation (RFQ). No solicitation document exists, and a formal solicitation not be liable for payment of any response preparation expenses and is in no way obligated by the information received. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to this announcement will NOT be reimbursed. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing a future acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement, Statement of Objectives and/or Performance Based Specification(s). Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. NOTE: The use of Solicitation Number:

W56KGU24C0022 is for tracking purposes only.

BACKGROUND/DESCRIPTION:

The U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) C5ISR Center, Engineering and Systems Integration (ESI) Directorate is interested to receive information from companies or organizations for aerial drone platforms that can integrate tactical radios to enable Non-Line of Sight range extension for Command Post Survivability. The C5ISR Center is interested in both tethered and untethered aerial drone platforms that could support communication payloads for aerial relay use cases.

The aerial drone platform must be able to support at-the-quick-halt and/or on-the-move following of a vehicle platform while minimizing Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). The C5ISR Center is interested in collision avoidance capabilities for the aerial platform during on-the-move operation addressing physical obstructions, objects, and transient environmental conditions (e.g. wind gusts). While the drone platform is on-the-move the system must maintain the ability to follow a ground vehicle platform at tactical speeds and in a non-planned designated route for the convoy. Additionally, the drone must have the capability to support take-off and landing from a stationary and on-the-move ground vehicle. The C5ISR Center has focused interest in Group I and II UAS platforms as well as companies who have developed firmware algorithms that support autonomous operation of a drone. Section II of this document that addresses Technical Information specifies questions that pertain to the drone platform as well as autonomous operation of a drone platform itself.

Sources able to provide the requested information are invited to submit a white paper describing their technical approach.

The white paper should be organized as listed below, and include the following information:

I. Cover letter providing:

1. Company Information

a. Company name

b. Date of Incorporation

c. Number of years in business

d. Number of employees

e. Primarily location(s) where work is performed

f. Mailing Address

g. Company Website

h. Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Codes and Data Universal

Numbering System (DUNS) code (if the company has one)

2. Company Point of Contact

a. Name

b. Title

c. Mailing Address

d. Email Address

e. Phone Number

II. Technical Information (maximum 10 pages)

This section should include a description of your company’s experience and capabilities to port communications waveforms. Please address the following questions as applicable:

1. What is the current TRL of the drone platform or autonomous operation algorithm?

2. What is the notional system architecture? Please list what systems are integrated onto the drone platform and which systems are integrated onto the ground vehicle?

3. Does your solution support built-in autonomous obstacle avoidance features?

4. What is payload capacity available for integrated communications system?

5. What power source could be provided to the communication payload while the drone is operating on-the-move?

6. What are the computation/processing requirements of the drone system to fly the drone?

What are the additional computational requirements for additional firmware capacities such as autonomous drone operation, obstacle avoidance, etc…?

7. Does your company integrate the radio tactical antennas externally integrated onto the drone frame?

8. Does the drone frame have solar panel technology?

9. What is the size, weight, and power (SWaP) specifications of the drone platform?

10. What is the maximum ground vehicle speed that the drone platform can support during on-the-move convoy operations?

11. If untethered, what is the battery life of the drone platform?

12. If untethered, does the drone have an autonomous following/positioning capability to track ground vehicle platforms?

13. What is the cost of the drone platform? What is the cost for any firmware/software required to operate the drone platform? What is the cost to implement autonomous obstacle avoidance firmware capabilities?

14. Can the drone autonomously land on an approaching on-the move vehicle (both tethered and untethered)? For autonomous landing, does the drone package have an authentication capability to identify that the drone landing on/approaching the vehicle is a blue force drone?

15. Does the drone have the capability to land on applicable platforms to recharge?

SUBMITTING RESPONSES TO THIS RFI:

Interested parties are encouraged to submit their information electronically by 1700 EST 04/26/2024 for consideration. The email submission should read: “RFI: Aerial Drone Platform for Command Post Survivability - YOUR COMPANY”.

The submission is limited to 10 pages in length. The Cover Letter and Substantiating Technical Data are not included in the 10-page limit.

Any company proprietary information, performance capabilities and/or future modification plans should be clearly identified and MUST be marked accordingly and will be protected by the Government. All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-government personnel and entities. Please do not submit classified information in responses to this RFI; if necessary, classified discussions with the Government can occur later via secure means.

Responses to the RFI will not be returned.

Responses to the RFI may be used to develop Government documentation.

If your entity/company is not pre-certified by the JCP, you will need to apply for certification by completing a DD Form 2345 and emailing it to jcp-admin@dla.mil. Detailed information regarding the JCP application procedures are available at the JCP website at https://www.dla.mil/Logistics-Operations/Services/JCP/.

The ESI Directorate will not review the JCP application or issue the JCP certification. Please direct any questions regarding the JCP certification process to jcp-admin@dla.mil.

To request access to download the controlled attachment, click on the tab for “Attachment/Links, then click on the title of the controlled document. When you receive the pop-up window to request access, enter the reason for the request in the window, making sure to include your entity’s CAGE Code and JCP Certification Number then hit submit. Once the notice is submitted, the access status on the controlled document will change to “Pending”. The Access POC will review your request, granting access if requirements are met or reject for correction.

QUESTIONS:

All questions should be sent within 14 calendar days of the RFI posting and addressed to usarmy.apg.devcom-c5isr.mbx.esi-bus-ops-acq-baa@army.mil.

mailto:usarmy.apg.devcom-c5isr.mbx.esi-bus-ops-acq-baa@army.mil