HR001122S0027_Liberty_Lifter_Q_and_A.pdf

HR001122S0027

Liberty Lifter

Questions and Answers Question 1: Is the $15M funding for Phase IA only or both Phase 1A and 1B?

Answer 1: The total budget for Phase 1A and 1B funding is $15M and $40M, respectively. DARPA anticipates up to 2 awards in Phase 1.

Question 2: What is the budget for Phase 2 and 3?

Answer 2: Additional budget information will not be shared at this time.

Question 3: Is Liberty Lifter a current component to ongoing wargames or modeling & simulation efforts within the services?

Answer 3: Liberty Lifter is not associated with a specific service requirement. DARPA has identified Liberty Lifter as a technology development program needed to enable a future capability. The Government will lead additional wargames and simulations of the Phase 1 concepts in parallel with the program.

Question 4: Does Liberty Lifter tie to a service budget line?

Answer 4: Liberty Lifter is not associated with a specific service budget line.

Question 5: In the Phase 1 Down-Select, will DARPA consider putting best subsystem/ideas together to form new teams?

Answer 5: No. DARPA will promote communication among performers where possible, but DARPA will not insert itself into the teaming process.

Question 6: Is cost/pound based on empty weight, GTOW or Cargo weight? - $150/lb. was cited

Answer 6: This metric could be considered a top-level reasonable metric to track computed with empty weight -- it could be a meaningful metric to go-by. Note that this BAA does not include any quantitative objectives regarding cost/pound.

Question 7: Will DARPA provide specific metrics for object avoidance and rogue wave sensors?

Answer 7: DARPA will not provide specific metrics for these sensors. DARPA expects the vehicle design to drive some forward sensing capability to ensure safe operation. Derived requirements or metrics for subsystems will be important for performers to understand and identify as they progress to a System Requirements Review in Phase 1B.

Question 8: Is the transportation metric something performers need to track and report during the program?

Answer 8: The transportation metric is a useful reference. However, it is not expected to be a design driver. A formula for calculating the Transport Factor is as follows:

Wship: Weight of the ship Wcargo: Weight of the cargo or payload Wfuel: Weight of the fuel V: Speed SHP: Total vehicle shaft horsepower

Question 9 Should proposers assume CLIN 0001 = Phase 1A, 0002 = Phase 1B and 0003 = CDRLs?

Assuming Phase(s) 2 and/or 3 will be a future CLIN.

Answer 9: CLINs will be determined during negotiations, and can be tailored to the specific proposal.

Question 10: Does DARPA expect ride quality and human factors to be a limit on vehicle capabilities/utility?

Answer 10: We expect that handling qualities at high sea states as well as ride quality will impact vehicle design. Performers will have to evaluate competing design constraints (e.g., aerodynamic efficiency, altitude, speed, safety, ride quality, etc.) to meet the overall program objectives.

Question 11: Has any consideration been given to employing this concept in regions where snow might be a preferred landing area?

Answer 11: Proposers are encouraged to consider design choices that maximize military and civil utility.

Question 12: Is the stated 10,000ft operational altitude a firm metric?

Answer 12: DARPA’s intent is for Liberty Lifter to operate efficiently out of ground effect for bad weather, obstacle avoidance, flight over some landmasses and general operational flexibility. We are open to understanding design trades for maximum operational altitudes in relation to the stated program objectives.

𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻 𝑭𝑭𝑻𝑻𝑭𝑭𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻 =

�𝑾𝑾𝑻𝑻𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝑻𝑻 +𝑾𝑾𝑭𝑭𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝒄𝒄𝑻𝑻 + 𝑾𝑾𝒇𝒇𝒇𝒇𝒇𝒇𝒇𝒇�𝑽𝑽

𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑺

Question 13: Will DARPA define specific mission sets that should be demonstrated during Phase 3 of the program?

Answer 13: DARPA will work with performers during Phase 1 activities to define demonstration objectives and mission sets based on the conceptual vehicle designs. At a minimum, launching and recovery of an amphibious vehicle will be a demonstration goal.

Question 14: Is launching and recovery of an amphibious vehicle a primary tenant of the demonstration?

Answer 14: Launching and recovery of an amphibious vehicle is a primary tenet of the demonstration.

Question 15: Will DARPA entertain smaller awards in addition to the prime performers?

Answer 15: All proposals must address completely the Phase 1A and Phase 1B objectives of the BAA, and all proposals will be evaluated against the BAA’s stated evaluation criteria. But, per section II.A of the BAA: “Additionally, DARPA reserves the right to accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions of proposals for award.”

Question 16: There was mention of previous recent DARPA work completed on a wing in ground effect conceptual design. Is this work available on DTIC?

Answer 16: Reports summarizing previous efforts can be found on DTIC under accession numbers AD1162797 and AD1162798.

Question 17: Where is the program to be executed? Government-provided facilities? If so, when should we anticipate their availability? If the program is to be run from contractor-provided facilities, what (if any) accommodations for customer personnel should be anticipated to facilitate collaboration through co-location?

Answer 17: The program will be conducted at contractor-provided facilities with minimal accommodations for customer personnel during Phase 1A and 1B. Performer/Government collaboration will be accomplished though virtual meetings and occasional on-site technical interchange meetings and program reviews.

Question 18: What kind of access (type, amount, availability) can we anticipate for the HPC resources and SMEs?

Answer 18: Proposals should provide an estimate of how much computing power and resources are needed for their approach as well as describe past experience using these types of resources. Proposals should not assume DARPA will provide additional computational resources, but should identify resources that may enhance the success of the proposed work.

Question 19: Where are the in-person meetings expected to occur?

Answer 19: In-person meetings may take place at contractor facilities and/or at DARPA.

Question 20: The IMS and Design Review Content and Data Pkg Development are identified as having no page limit. Should these be submitted as appendices so as to not confuse compliance with the 50-page limitation of Volume I?

Answer 20: Items in Volume I, “Technical and Management Proposal” that have no page limits, such as the IMS, and the Design Review Content and Data Package Development, can be submitted as appendices if desired.

Question 21: Where in the proposal should Program Security Information be addressed? If in Vol I, does it count toward the 50-page limit?

Answer 21: Program security can be addressed in either the technical volume (subject to the 50-page limit) or as a separate appendix (does not count against 50-page limit).

Question 22: Please clarify what missions are expected to be demonstrated during the test phase.

Answer 22: See Answer 13.

Question 23: Is there a requirement to takeoff or land on a traditional runway?

Answer 23: No.

Question 24: What is the total expected operational time (aircraft hours) during the test phase? Is there a minimum number of operational hours the vehicle is expected to retain after testing?

Answer 24: The operational time during the test phase should be proposed by the performer. There is no minimum number of operational hours the vehicle is expected to retain after testing.

Question 25: Is this BAA considered competitive?

Answer 25: This BAA is considered competitive in accordance with FAR 6.102. However, please note that with respect to FAR 15.403 Obtaining certified cost or pricing data, adequate price competition is not considered to exist, as the BAA does not include a common work statement against which all proposals will be priced.

Question 26: In the description (p. 3) it states that the Liberty Lifter “enables efficient theater-range transport of large payloads at speeds far exceeding existing sea lift platforms”. However, the requirements and performance objectives do not specify this speed closer. What would be the expected/ minimum cruising speed envisioned for this craft?

Answer 26: Details of the vehicle design and operating altitudes will drive a cruising airspeed. The Government expects the minimum cruise speed to fall between current sealift and traditional airlift platforms.

Question 27: The performance objectives (p. 5) state “Cargo capacity to carry at least: i. 2 x USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) ii. 6 x Twenty Foot Equivalent Container Units (TEUs)”. Is this to be understood as alternatively or concurrently (i.e. ACVs or TEUs vs. ACVs and TEUs)?

Answer 27: Alternatively (i.e., ACVs or TEUs)

Question 28: The performance objectives (p. 5) state sustained on-water operations of 4-6 weeks, and an operational range of 4000 nmi. Does this mean that the craft needs to only fly a total of 4000 nmi in the 6 weeks window? Or is it expected to be refueled/ create its own fuel during rest periods, leading to multiple sorties of up to 4000Nm each within the 6 weeks window?

Answer 28: The aircraft is expected to have an operational range of at least 4000 nmi per sortie, after which it may be refueled. The vehicle design is expected to allow any cleaning, inspection or maintenance activities occurring more regularly than 4-6 weeks to be completed while the vehicle is afloat.

Question 29: Please clarify the meaning of: ‘Liberty Ship style manufacture: “Buy by the ton, not by the pound”’ (p. 5). Does this mean that DARPA has in mind that many of these Liberty lifters be built?

Answer 29: Ideally, if the demonstration program is successful, then one or more military services may consider transitioning the Liberty Lifter for military utility assessments and/or to a service Program of Record.

Question 30: Will there be any requirement for typical military transport systems such as advanced communications, self-protection, military peculiar on-loading/offloading capabilities, etc.… Is the intent for this platform to serve as a test bed?

Answer 30: This platform is intended as a demonstration test bed. As discussed in Answers 13, 14, and 22, and on Page 5 of the BAA, the demonstration should include on-water deployment and retrieval of a USMC ACV. No other unique military systems such as secure radios, self-protection, etc. are intended to be part of the demonstration.

Question 31: Should the Abstract include the “Administrative” Section in the “Technical and Management” proposal?

Answer 31: If a prospective proposer chooses to submit an Abstract in advance of a proposal, the Abstract should include the administrative data listed in the BAA, Section IV.B.2.a, Section I(a) that is also required in Volume I, Technical and Management Proposal. The maximum page counts for an Abstract are as stated in Section IV.B.1 of the BAA.

Question 32: Which agencies will oversee X-Plane airworthiness and seaworthiness?

Answer 32: DARPA

Question 33: Should the production aircraft (a.k.a. the objective aircraft) target present day technologies or future technologies (i.e., technologies that will be production ready 10 years out).

Answer 33: It is expected that the aircraft be able to fly within the expected 5-year program duration shown in Figure 1, “Nominal Program Plan”, of the BAA.

Question 34: The RFP states, “Proposals shall consist of two volumes: 1) Volume I, Technical and Management Proposal (composed of three parts),” “Section I: administrative”, Section II: Summary of Proposal”, and “Section III: Detailed Proposal”. Section III is further divided into subsections which include: “C. Statement of Work (SOW)”. Based on the verbiage as written, would the SOW count towards our 50-page Technical Volume page limit as detailed in section

Answer 34: SOW can be addressed in either the technical volume (subject to the 50-page limit) or as a separate appendix (does not count against 50-page limit).

Question 35: Is Section I: “Administrative,” including the official transmittal letter, intended to be part of the 50-page limit?

Answer 35: No.

Question 36: The RFP states, “The page length for the SOW will be dependent on the amount of the effort.” Is there a desired page limit or should this be read as “no page limit”?

Answer 36: No, there is not a desired page limit for the SOW. Also, see Answer 34.

Question 37: Are items D – N intended to be part of our SOW? If not, is it acceptable to put items D – N before the SOW (place the SOW at the end of the technical document)?

Answer 37: Items D-N are not intended to be part of the SOW.

Question 38: Items D and E have no page limit. Do Items F – N also have no page limit or are they to be included in the 50-page limit?

Answer 38: Items D-N of Section III do not have specific page limits, but are to be included in the overall 50-page limit.