Redacted JA GUARDIAN.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND AIRCRAFT DIVISION

21983 BUNDY ROAD

BUILDING 441, UNIT 7

PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND 20670

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity.

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD) Patuxent River, MD.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

The Atlantic Test Range’s Range Display Systems (RDS) team is developing a Ground Based

Detect and Avoid System (GBDAA) for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operations in civil and military airspace. The system will be deployed as a real-time operating system (RTOS) that will enhance situational awareness and will allow for safe transit and combined operation with manned aircraft within a designated operating areas within PAX NAS restricted and Federal

Aviation Administration (FAA) controlled airspace. Mercury Systems computer hardware is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that meets NAVAIRINST 13034.4 requirements for

UAS surveillance. Integration of the hardware capability through the development and implementation will alleviate unpractical methods such as a visual observer or manned chase planes. This will reduce test delays, cancellations, maintenance costs, and funding expenditures associated with the operation of a manned chase plane. We are requesting the approval to purchase the computer hardware, maintenance and support from Mercury Mission Systems to ensure commonality across all UAS’ and Department of Defense (DoD) programs supporting flight testing with consideration of the minimum requirements set forth by NAVAIRINST and

FAA. The Guardian project falls under the authority of the Central Test and Evaluation

Investment Program (CTEIP for FY20). The Airspace, Integration, and Teaming (AIT) is the entity within CTEIP that is responsible for Guardian development and fulfill the vision for fully integrating Unmanned Aerial Surveillance into the National Airspace System (NAS) allowing

UAS operating harmoniously, side-by-side with manned aircraft, occupying the same airspace.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

The NAWCAD ATR has a requirement for computer hardware procurement and required maintenance.

3U OpenVPX Mission Computer/ Ground Station Development Platform: 3U VPX Laboratory

Enclosure for ROCK-2A with front panel connectors, 1 x VGP-2870 Video and Graphics Board, 1 x AVIO-2353 Avionics I/O Board, 1 x MFCC-8558 NXP T2080 Processor XMC, with

VxWorks®653 BSP & BIT libraries.

3U OpenVPX Mission Computer/ Ground Station Development Platform: 3U VPX Laboratory

Enclosure for ROCK-2A with front panel connectors, 1x CIOV-2231 Intel Core™i7 Gen5

Processor Board with Linux BSP drivers & BIT libraries.

Annual Support and Maintenance: 12 months technical support for ROCK2A-802 and

ROCK2A-822 with related drivers and BSP.

BuiltSAFE-GS OpenGL SC Library IRAD License: Lab prototype license of OpenGL SC driver for E8860. The sole use of this license is to evaluate product suitability for Licensee's business requirements. Certifiable to DO-178C DAL B.

Porting and Integration: configuration of BuiltSAFE-GS OpenGL library for Client's specific

BSP and graphics card configuration requirements.

Estimated Dollar Value in Thousands

FY20- RDT&E $156,000

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

The Guardian system provides a ground-based sense and avoid (GBSAA) capability for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The Guardian system is primarily comprised of four (4) main sub-systems: 1) Multiple dissimilar sensor fusion, 2) Projected track intercept and collision advisory, 3) Boundary altering and alarming, 4) Situational awareness and display system.

IAW the NAVAIR Sense and Avoid certification process the development and certification of the Guardian system must meet high design assurance levels requiring a robust processing system that is Design Assurance Level B compliant. Specifically, a computer hardware system that has been DAL B certified on other DoD systems. Mercury Mission Systems is the only vendor in the inventory that can meet the unique features and computer processing capability that allows for time critical aeronautical decisions to be made for safety of flight.

The project is well into the design phase and if sole source approval is deferred or denied, it will cause changes to the design which in turn would cause a detrimental schedule change that would keep the project from meeting the A-CAT Level 1 programs need date.

The RTCA DO-278A stringent certification standards require a high end computer processing hardware solution. Mercury Systems provides safety certifiable modules, systems and displays necessary for mission computing that are the building blocks and are designed with a top-down approach for interoperability and ease of pre-integration necessary for certification.

To go with another vendor, the government would suffer a great deal from schedule and cost to find another vendor that can meet minimum specifications for a compliant Guardian Ground

Based Detect and Avoid System.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable.

Mercury Mission Systems safety-critical computing hardware maintains compliance with military and Federal (civil) standards. The hardware is in direct support of test flight operations for all UAV's customers at ATR, including MQ-25A. This safety certifiable addresses systems requirements including gathering data from sensors, processors to assess the situation, the help make decisions, and video processing to capture, overlay, encode, decode, stream and display visual data. The installation, integration, and testing of the hardware is part of the program’s critical path schedule. Curtiss-Wright Company is vendor that was considered as an option that has been previously approved by the Navy. However, Curtiss-Wright, hardware functionality and the product quote exceeded our project budget and would have taken longer to certify than the project has remaining so it was not a viable option. Mercury Mission Systems is a proprietary and sold to the government through a single independent vendor. It is not available through any other vendor. A Combined Synopsis/Solicitation will be posted to Beta.Sam.Gov. Given the dollar threshold of the procurement, FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures will be utilized and the procurement will be set aside for Small Business.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

In order to maintain compliance with military and Federal (civil) standards. The computer hardware is in direct support of test flight operations for all UAV's customers at ATR, including

MQ-25A. Mercury Systems Hardware is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that meets

NAVAIRINST 13034.4 requirements for UAS surveillance without requiring unpractical methods such as a visual observer or manned chase planes that require more planning, fuel, plane rental, and pilot costs, not to mention delays caused by chase plane repair and maintenance.

There is only one other vendor, Curtiss-Wright, that is remotely close to developing a comparable certifiable hardware system like Mercury Systems. The quote from Curtiss-Wright was higher than Mercury Systems and exceeded the project’s budget. It’s important to point out that Mercury Systems understands the complexity associated with certification and the significant progress made thus far in development towards certification. Due to the nature of the hardware and the uniqueness, there is a very limited market for this type of comprehensive hardware that meets all the requirements of NAVAIR, FAA, and Military Standards.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

The ATR will continue to monitor the market for vendors that can provide the expertise and capability to provide a complete system needed to satisfy and support requirements. If another potential source emerges, ATR will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

Per Navair Instruction 4200.31F dated 22 July 2014, Contracts awarded under FAR Part 13, simplified acquisition procedures, do not require a J&A thus do not need concurrence from our legal counsel.

CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance which are included in this

Justification and its supporting acquisition planning documents, except as noted herein are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Technical Cognizance:

HARVEY.ERIC.B.1229

0 4 3

3 0

Digitally signed by

HARVEY.ERIC.B.1229404330

Da_t_e_: _2_0_20.0_5_._2_8 1_4_:3_0_:37_-_0_4_'0_0'

Signature Name (Printed) Phone No. Date

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

BYRD.CANDICE.DA Digitally signed by

BYRD.CANDICE.DAWN.1283082128

W N ._1 2 8 3_0 82 1 2_8 D a t e 0.

.2 9 11

:5 '0

Signature Name (Printed) Phone No. Date