FA8650-17-S-6001-Call1-SOO.pdf

Attachment 1, Call 001, FA8650-17-S-6001

Statement of Objectives Pilot-Directed Cooperative Control Surrogate Flight Testing

29 August 2017

Background:

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) seeks to enable the right balance of human and machine capability to meet Air Force challenges in the future. AFRL will focus on growing autonomous system capability, integrated with the human capacity to perform in a high-tempo, complex decision environment, and to optimize humans working together with machines both effectively and efficiently. The AFRL autonomy science and technology vision is intelligent machines seamlessly integrated with humans – maximizing mission performance in complex environments.

Objectives:

AFRL will be conducting a series of flight tests to demonstrate the maturity and potential benefits of manned-unmanned teaming. The first demonstration will mature and integrate autonomous technologies for the unmanned concept and will include one manned aircraft acting as the Flight Lead and two manned aircraft acting as unmanned surrogates. The unmanned surrogate aircraft will be an aircraft that has at least one safety pilot onboard the aircraft that can take control at any time during the flight if necessary. During the majority of the flight, an autonomous system will control the aircraft. The goals of this demonstration are to develop, demonstrate and assess 1) hand-offs to and from the unmanned surrogate pilot to the manned Flight Lead, 2) pilot-directed maneuvers and formations, 3) cooperative control task allocation and path planning for the flight , and 4) the Lead pilot’s performance, situation awareness and workload associated with managing the manned-unmanned flight.

Basic Effort: Unmanned Surrogate Platforms for Pilot-directed Cooperative Control

Flight Test

For this pilot-directed cooperative control surrogate flight test two unmanned surrogate platforms (aircraft that have at least one safety pilot onboard) that are capable at a minimum of the following are required:

a. Airspeed- 300 Knots Calibrated Airspeed (KCAS)

b. Load Factor- 2.5 g

c. Altitude- 20,000 Mean Sea Level (MSL)

d. Endurance- 1.5 hours

e. Logical and physical interface to the aircraft to command maneuvers and observe aircraft state data with the following attributes:

i. Provides physical and logical integration of an AFRL-supplied computing unit running AFRL-provided software.

ii. Provides Application Programming Interface (API) to AFRL computing unit to command heading, speed, altitude hold, vertical speed, and turn rate.

iii. Includes safety-of-flight interrogation of AFRL computing unit commands to prevent unsafe commands from being executed by the aircraft

iv. Reports to AFRL computing unit at > 2Hz: airspeed, vertical speed, altitude, geographic location, heading, turn rate, bank angle, pitch angle, fuel remaining, and fuel consumption rate information

v. Reverts control to human pilot under any of the following circumstances. 1. If commanded by human pilot, 2. If the AFRL computing unit fails to command the aircraft within preset safety bounds, 3. If the AFRL computing unit is detected to have halted, 4.

If the AFRL computing unit reports any flight critical errors

f. Provide integration of an AFRL supplied data link (listed below) and permit access to the data link from the AFRL computing unit.

The major objectives involved with this task are as follows:

1. Provide two unmanned surrogates instrumented for flight testing.

2. Take AFRL’s autonomy architecture and algorithms (supplied in AFRL computing units- 1 unit per surrogate unmanned test aircraft) and integrate these units into two similar surrogate unmanned test aircraft within four months of receiving these units.

3. Provide auto pilot functions and aircraft state data corresponding to the attributes listed above.

4. Provide limitations (weight, size, power, cooling) for AFRL supplied computing unit

5. Modify at least two unmanned surrogate platforms to carry one of the following datalinks (Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT), QNT Software Defined Radio (SDR), Link 16, Situation Awareness Data Link (SADL), or contractor proposed datalink that meets the point-to-point data rate and range requriements listed below) and required antennas. Datalink must be capable of point-to-point data rate of 0.4 Megabits per second (Mbps) and a range of 30 Nautical Miles.

AFRL will provide the required datalink.

6. Obtain airworthiness approval for unmanned surrogate platforms

7. Ferry unmanned surrogate platforms to AFRL’s designated test location in continental United States such as Edwards AFB or Tucson AFB for flight test.

8. Provide 6 Degree of Freedom (DOF) high fidelity unmanned surrogate platform models to AFRL for simulation testing at AFRL in preparation for flight test

9. Conduct required ground testing of unmanned surrogate platforms

10. Work with the Air Force Test Center on test planning, test card development, data collection methods and data analysis

11. Provide pilots for unmanned surrogate aircraft for all flights and participate in flight test – Approximately 16 2-ship missions with two unmanned surrogates are planned for first quarter 2019.

12. Send telemetry data to a ground station during the flight test.

13. Record necessary data during flight and provide data in engineering units to AFRL throughout the flight test.

14. Provide preliminary evaluation from the safety pilots onboard the unmanned surrogate platforms of manned/unmanned teaming algorithms

15. Assess manned-unmanned interactions and teamwork

16. Conduct data analysis

17. De-modify aircraft at end of flight test.

Option 1: Manned Platform for Pilot-directed Cooperative Control Flight Test

For this pilot-directed cooperative control surrogate flight test one manned platform provided by the contractor that is capable at a minimum of the following is required:

a. Airspeed- 300 KCAS

b. Load Factor- 2.5 g

c. Altitude- 20,000 MSL

d. Endurance- 1.5 hours

e. Provide integration of an AFRL supplied data link (listed below)

f. Provide a computing tablet on board aircraft that can host AFRL’s PVI displays and can be used to command and manage unmanned surrogate platforms.

The major objectives involved with this task are as follows:

1. Provide one manned platform for flight testing.

2. Integrate AFRL’s pilot vehicle interface design into a tablet that can be flown on the aircraft thus ensuring tablet is able to send messages to the unmanned surrogates via specified datalink.

3. Modify manned platform to carry any of the following datalinks ( TTNT, QNT SDR, Link 16,SADL, or contractor proposed datalink that meets the point-to-point data rate and range requriements listed below) and required antennas. Datalink must be capable of point-to-point data rate of 0.4 Megabits per second (Mbps) and a range of 30 Nautical Miles. AFRL will provide the required datalink.

4. Obtain airworthiness approval for manned platform

5. Ferry manned platform to AFRL’s designated test location in continental United

States such as Edwards AFB, California or Tucson AFB for flight test.

6. Conduct required ground testing of manned platform

7. Work with the Air Force Test Center on test planning, test card development, data collection methods and data analysis

8. Provide pilots for manned aircraft for all flights and participate in flight test – Approximately 16 total flights with manned platform are planned for first quarter of 2019.

9. Send telemetry data to a ground station during the flight test.

10. Record necessary data during flight test and provide data in engineering units to

AFRL throughout the flight test.

11. Assess pilot-vehicle interface, manned-unmanned interactions and teamwork

12. Complete pilot performance questionnaires

13. Conduct data analysis

14. De-modify aircraft at end of flight test.

Data Rights: The data acquired under this effort should be unlimited rights. Any assertions for less than unlimited rights should be well documented and justified.

Base Support: Flight test location and base support will be either Edwards AFB or

Tucson AFB. This will be determined by AFRL’s selection of the manned lead.

Government Furnished Equipment/Property/Information: Government Furnished

Equipment will be provided to the contractor in July 2018. The GFE for the basic contract will consist of AFRL’s autonomy architecture and algorithms (supplied in an AFRL computing unit) and required datalinks for the unmanned surrogates. The GFE for the option consists of AFRL’s pilot vehicle interface software and the required datalink for the manned flight lead.

Deliverables: Data Items: The following CDRL items are applicable to this effort:

i. A001 Scientific and Technical Reports, Final Report (ONE/R)

ii. A002 Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Report (MTHLY)

iii. A003 Contract Funds Status Report (QTRLY)

iv. A006 Status Report (MTHLY)

v. A007 Presentation Material (ASREQ)

vi. A029 Software Requirements Specification (SPS), Unmanned

Surrogate Aircraft Model

vii. A034 Computer Software Product, Unmanned Surrogate Aircraft

Model

viii. A035 Interface Control Document (ICD), Detailing interface with unmanned surrogate vehicle and manned platform

ix. A054 Test Plan, Flight and Taxi Text Plan

x. A058 Airworthiness Specification

xi. A062 Flight Test data (see attached)

OPERATIONS SECURITY (OPSEC) APPLIES:

Operations Security (OPSEC) must be an integral part of our daily activities. As we maintain security on our future technologies that are vital to national interest, we must recognize and prepare for the threat poised against our technology. Department of

Defense policies mandate a high degree of security throughout the acquisition process.

However, heightened security awareness and threat-based countermeasures are particularly essential during the research and development phase when our technology is most vulnerable to espionage, sabotage, or exploitation. It is the obligation of each employee or person involved on this contract be constantly aware of and strictly adhere to security requirements designed to protect sensitive unclassified and other information and resources produced by acquisition research and development, and technological security efforts outlined in this Statement of Objectives (SOO).

Period of Performance: 15 Months. This corresponds to 12 months for the technical effort and 3 months to complete the final report. Option is a seven month effort that will run concurrently with the basic effort.

Anticipated funding: Total Program funding with one anticipated award

FY18 FY19 Total Basic Effort $900,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 Option 1 $125,000 $175,000 $300,000

This funding profile is an estimate only and will not be a contractual obligation for funding as all funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability.