Request For Information - Tethered Aerial Reconnaisance Drone.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

HEADQUARTERS 633D AIR BASE WING

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS VA

Defend The Base | Support The Fight | Take Care of Airmen, Soldiers, & Their Families

16 May 2024

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

FROM: 633 CONS/PKA

SUBJECT: Tethered Aerial Reconnaissance Drone

1. Purpose: This is a Request for Information (RFI). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to explore existing capabilities in the commercial marketplace and solicit capability statements for the purpose of conducting market research.

2. Background: The Fire Department located on Langley Air Force Base requires a tethered aerial reconnaissance drone that offers unparalleled capabilities for providing critical situational awareness to public safety personnel.

3. Overview: Any interested company needs to be able to fulfill all requirements listed below:

1 EA tethered aerial reconnaissance kite with attached tether and rugged transport case with dual functionality as base station.

BASE STATION

The base station shall be portable and not weigh more than 20lbs and have the dimensions not exceeding 20in x 14in x 9.5in. The shape shall be a rectangular prism.

There shall be the ability to transport, protect and secure the kite with attached tether within the base station.

The base station must provide power via tether cable to kite when in operation.

The tether shall be at least 150ft (45m) in length and link power and data between the kite and base station. The tether shall be reinforced against vertical loading.

Base station shall contain backup power source in sufficient quantity recover kite in the event of shore or attached apparatus power loss.

There must be a ruggedized tablet that links to the base station. Ability to view data stream (both visible and infrared cameras) via remote session is required.

The base station must be able to be plugged into Fire Department emergency response apparatus and 120v/15a wall/shore power.

KITE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The kite must not require FAA licensure to fly at elevation nor specialized training courses outside familiarization and general instruction. Instruction must not require more than 8hrs of instruction.

The kite must meet 49 USC 44801 & 44806 requirements.

The kite must be self-contained and provide imagery in both visible (RGB) and infrared (thermal) light.

There must be the ability for the kite to autopilot once deployed without the use of GPS.

There must be the ability for the kite to fly continually if power is supplied via attaching to Fire Department response apparatus or shore power connection (24hrs or greater).

There must be the ability to store 24hrs or longer data logs.

The kite must have auto failure “return home” functionality.

Automatic tether separation detection is required. Redundant flight controls and ability to lose functionality of 1 motor and remain airborne is required.

The kite must have onboard back up power not to be less than 120 seconds.

The kite must be IP55 or higher rated. Operation in rain, snow, or wind is required.

There must be the ability for the kite to be deployed and operate in winds not to exceed 25mph.

There must be operating temperature rating of -10C – 40C.

The kite must be able to detect anomalous weather that would otherwise damage the unit and notify operator and lower flight altitude to safe levels.

OPTICS TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The visible light camera shall have a resolution of 1920x1080 @ 30fps with 16x zoom.

The thermal imaging shall have a resolution of 320x240 @ 27fps with the ability to measure -40C – 400C ±5%.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

A ruggedized tablet style device shall be provided for connection to kite/base station.

The tablet device shall have a charge cradle/dock for inside Fire Department emergency response apparatus and from 120v/15a wall/shore power.

There shall be a web-based portal or native Windows Application that can be installed on any device that can connect to the kite/base station to provide the same functionalities as the tablet device.

Delivery to site, commissioning, on site testing, and training of users and operators shall be included. Training shall be scheduled for normal workdays; Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

A 1-year / 200 flight hours, with optional extended warranty shall be provided.

A 5-year subscription to remote sharing program with optional extension shall be provided.

(non-exclusive) Example of device required:

4. Response Requirements: All interested organizations and individuals are strongly encouraged to provide information or comments by the closing date and time noted on page 1.

Submission via email is required; phone calls or hard copy delivery will not be accepted. E-mail submission shall be sent to aaron.edgell@us.af.mil. The email subject line should read:

“Response to Request for Information No. FA480024RFIA0001.”

Electronic responses shall be submitted in either Microsoft Word document or PDF format.

Respondents must limit submissions to no more than 7 pages. If the respondent cares to include relevant reports, those reports may be included. The submission language should be in English.

Please do not submit applications, proposals, or resumes as they will be discarded.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to your interest.

Sincerely, Aaron Edgell

Contracting Specialist mailto:aaron.edgell@us.af.mil