RFI_MIL-STD-188-165B.docx

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MIL-STD-188-165B C1 INDUSTRY DAY

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

REQUIREMENT: INDUSTRY DAY FOR CHANGE 1 TO MIL-STD-188-165B

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. NO SOLICITIATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

1.0 GENERAL

PURPOSE: The Department of Defense (DoD) is soliciting industry to provide comments and recommendations to the MIL-STD-188-165B Change 1 (C1) Draft and prepare responses to satisfy unique DoD requirements for the Draft. Responses should include, but are not limited to, specification adjustments in the following areas of interest: 1) Additional Access Schemes; 2) IF Receive Level Analysis; 3) Surveying Industry Standards 4) Ethernet/ Internet Protocol (IP) versus Serial Interfaces, and 5) Digital Intermediate Frequency (DIF).

This RFI request is solely for gathering information and planning purposes. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any services or supplies, whatsoever. All vendors are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. On the other hand, not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitations or requests for proposal (RFPs).

2.0 ISSUES

BACKGROUND: The continuing evolution of modem capabilities presents a number of challenges to developing relevant and useful modem design requirements. When MIL-STD 188- 165 was first written, the preponderance of modems consisted of a limited set of modems with very few modulation and coding (mod-cod) capabilities, and almost exclusively the Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) scheme. This is no longer the case. In recognition of this, a number of adjustments have been made in the Draft for MIL-STD 188-165B C1. In the process of drafting the new MIL-STD, a number of areas have been identified where additional insight into industry technology trends is necessary to craft an optimal MIL-STD. The goal is to enable better warfighting/ decision making capabilities, while still ensuring interoperability, commonality, preserving satellite resources, and protection of the wideband constellation payload and adjacent users.

3.0 SPECIFIC/ EXAMPLE INFORMATION REQUESTED

3.1 Additional Access Schemes (Appendices): C1 includes new appendices for emergent access schemes beyond the early dominant type, FDMA. These appendices address Multiple Frequency – Time Division Multiple Access (MF-TDMA), Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), and Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS). Effort is made to emulate the appendix style in MIL-STD-188-164C and also with NATO/ STANAG standards. Admittedly, the level of detail specificity varies with the access scheme, and the goal is to add more detail and consistency.

3.2 IF Receive Level Analysis: The government Working Group (WG) performed extensive analysis (to be briefed at the Industry Day)/ due diligence to contemplate a change in the Earth Terminal (ET) noise floor and related parameters, and compared the notional results against a representative set of modems. The outcomes include moving the noise floor (versus the baseline 165B) from -113 to -130 dBm/Hz, Max PSD from -63 to -80 dBm/Hz, power cap from +10 to 0 dBm, IF input overload from +25 to +15 dBm, and noise figure from 44 to 27 dB, as well as commensurate changes in Composite Power. This will also result in changes on the ET side, through MIL-STD-188-164C C1 (in progress). Naturally, industry inputs on the feasibility, consequences, and trades of this change are encouraged.

3.3 Surveying Industry Standards/ “Realm of the Reasonable”: The WG made a conscious and considerable effort to survey industry in a few certification requirements/ criteria areas to seek the ideal point where the technical, feasible, and affordable goals intersect for improved capabilities. These include:

a. Timing. Previous versions referred to MIL-STD-188-115 and invoked the 1, 5, and 10 MHz timing protocol standards (IRIG, NTP) as sufficient. Question now is how fast/ extensively is industry embracing 50 MHz, and/or others, and what are the pros/ cons versus the legacy standards?

b. Maximum and Minimum IF Power. The WG gathered some metrics on max and min power of widely used modems across the enterprise, but would like industry to provide more IF power data points to formulate a higher fidelity analysis. This goal is complicated because different vendors measure and report IF power levels differently.

c. Input Frequency Uncertainty. Current modem capabilities all fall under about 32 kHz frequency uncertainty, mostly meeting the 30 kHz nominal certification value. An earlier recommendation was to go to 100 kHz, but NATO has even discussed going to 300 kHz for what they call “Non-GEO/HEO Operations”. We are looking for Industry’s recommendation on Input Frequency Uncertainty to assist toward selecting the correct realizable near term level, and ARSTRAT’s Wideband planning and operations peers have confirmed that there is no driver or constraint, from their perspective.

d. Phase Noise. The WG approached new performance based formulation phase noise requirements for paragraph 5.5.3.4 Phase Noise in the draft and this approach will be synchronized with NATO STANAG 5646. We would like industry to review this section and provide us with comments, suggestions/recommendations.

3.4 Ethernet (IP) versus Serial Interfaces: The baseline MIL-STD-188-165B version was the first to broach IP, or Ethernet parallel interfaces, in addition to the traditional serial (increased throughput and flexibility with baseband environments). The WG coalesced on the applicable reasonable IEEE Ethernet standards, covering the 3 common regimes. In C1, language is proposed to address encapsulation, radio-router signaling, and flow control. The Navy IP SME has endorsed the wording, and the WG is synchronizing with NATO. We’re looking for industry’s input on the Ethernet interface requirements of section 5.3.2 in the draft.

3.5 Digital Intermediate Frequency (DIF): The WG determined that it was too early or details are premature with respect to the emerging DIF. As a result, an appendix for DIF was NOT included in this draft. We need industry to confirm that DIF capabilities are already being rolled out, and if so to advise the WG of what capabilities and which standards to include in a DIF appendix in the draft for next release version.

4.0 INDUSTRY DAY

The MIL-STD-188-165B C1 Industry Day will occur on Monday, 23 September 2019 through Thursday, 26 September 2019 from 0830 – 1630, in Building 33, at Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, in San Diego, California. For general visitor information, including maps and VAR submittal, see: https://www.public.navy.mil/navwar/NIWC-Pacific/Pages/Visitorinformation.aspx.

NIWC PAC requires all attendees without CACs vetted for access to Naval Base Point Loma/SSC Pacific. Please complete a SECNAV 5512/1 form and send the form to Ms. Yvonne Sanchez (Yvonne.sanchez@navy.mil). Please complete and submit your paperwork at least 6 weeks in advance (i.e., NLT 12 August 2019) before the meeting date in order for the vetting process to be completed in time.

For those attendees who are Foreign Nationals, you will be required to complete additional special paperwork following the attached Foreign Visitor Access Information and contact Ms. Yvonne Sanchez as soon as possible to request your Foreign National paperwork. Please complete and submit your paperwork at least 6 weeks in advance (i.e., NLT 12 August 2019) before the meeting date in order for the vetting process to be completed in time.

More detailed information on Industry Day to be provided at a later date.

The MIL-STD-188-165B/C1 meeting is UNCLASSIFIED. DISA requests that all Presenters send in their briefing slides and title to the POCs below to have them added to the meeting agenda, and limit Presentation length for each subject to not more than 20 minutes long. The meeting will begin promptly at 8:30 am. We recommend that you plan to arrive not later than 8:00 am to accommodate for check-in delays.

5.0 POINTS OF CONTACT (POCs)

Henry Tran at DISA Phone: 301-225-7496 NIPR: henry.h.tran.civ@mail.mil

Mr. Jeremy Kozee at USASMDC/ARSTRAT Phone: 719-554-8835 NIPR: jeremy.r.kozee.civ@mail.mil

6.0 DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only to identify sources that can provide comments on the MIL-STD-188-165B C1 Draft and provide specifications to requested information noted in Section 3.0 and does not constitute a solicitation.

THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT ON THE BASIS OF THE RFI OR OTHERWISE PAY FOR INFORMATION RECEIVED IN RESPONSES TO THE RFI.

Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked Proprietary will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. All government and contractor personal reviewing RFI responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described 41 USC 423.