RFI for Hard Kill APS Shoot Off.docx

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Hard Kill Active Protection System: This RFI is intended to help inform the Government on the maturity of industry Hard Kill APSs as well as the timeline it will take to deliver them.

The Army is seeking Hard Kill Active Protection System (APS) vendors to deliver a system to the Government for a competitive shoot off for down selection of the most capable system. The selected system will have the opportunity to move forward for potential integration into multiple Army combat vehicles, taken into production, and fielded. To be successful in this competition, vendors will need their systems to meet and demonstrate against system performance requirements, package into a limited space claim for vehicle integration, and operate within a Modular APS Framework (MAF) compliant architecture while maintaining a system competitive price point in production.

Responses to this RFI should not simply be a yes/no answer, but rather provide insights and examples as to what your specific capabilities are. If you have supplemental products that you’re able to share with your responses, please attach them with your response. If the files are too large for email, please request a DoD SAFE link for files up to 8GB.

RFI Questions:

1. Do you have a complete Hard Kill APS or do you have a subsystem/component that can be integrated into a complete hard kill system?

a. What is your Hard Kill APS Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL)?

b. If you do not have a complete Hard Kill APS, what subsystems/components do you have and what are you missing to have a complete Hard Kill APS?

c. If you do not have a complete Hard Kill APS and only a subsystem/component, would you be interested in partnering with other industry vendors to have a complete system?

d. What is your countermeasure modality (flyout, direct explosively formed penetrator (EFP), distributed, etc)?

2. PdM VPS intends to conduct a live-fire event for mature solutions, leading to integration and a production contract.

a. What are the risks/challenges for you delivering a Hard Kill APS that meets the Key System Requirements (defined below) by the end of March 2027?

b. If you think you may fall short on some requirements, but still deliver a system by March 2027 which requirements are those?

c. What are the risks/challenges for you delivering a Hard Kill APS that meets the Key System Requirements (defined below) by the end of March 2028?

d. If you think you may fall short on some requirements, but still deliver a system by March 2028 which requirements are those?

e. If you think you cannot meet the March 2027 or March 2028 delivery window, how much time will you need to provide a system that meets these requirements?

f. If your system is not fully mature (TRL 8+) by March 2027, what specific capabilities, performance envelopes, or safety mitigations would be missing in a FY27 shoot-off compared to a FY28 (March 2028) shoot-off?

g. Provide a detailed schedule of your system’s internal testing and qualification milestones between FY27 and FY28. What specific risks (e.g., software maturity, sensor fusion, intercept success rates) are mitigated by delaying the shoot-off to FY28?

h. Are government funds required for program maturation? If yes, how much and for how long (US Gov funding is limited)?

i. If the government does not provide the money, what are the impacts to meeting the schedule.

3. Data Rights, IP, and Supply Chain Security

a. Do US-based personnel hold the complete rights and technical capability to modify, re-compile, and patch the threat-library algorithms and tracking software without foreign OEM intervention?

b. Identify any critical sub-tier components (such as radio frequency/RF chips, specialized sensors, or energetic materials) that are sourced outside the US or FVEY, even if final assembly occurs in the US. What is your mitigation plan for securing these supply chains?

c. Are you willing and able to provide the necessary Software Development Kits (SDKs), APIs, and message formats under Government Purpose Rights (GPR) to allow third-party integration with the Vehicle Protection System (VPS) Base Kit (VBK)?

4. What is the cost of your Hard Kill APS in procurement quantities of 29, 58, 87, 110, 220, and 500? Please differentiate between system and munition costs.

a. What are your Hard Kill APS munition costs in quantities of 100, 350, and 2000.

5. Can your Hard Kill APS detect, track, and defeat of chemical energy threats (i.e. Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Recoilless Rifles, Anti-Tank-Guided-Missiles (ATGMs)) while mounted to a moving Army Ground Combat Vehicle?

6. Can your Hard Kill APS detect, track, and defeat groups 1 and 2 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) while mounted to a moving Army Ground Combat Vehicle?

7. Can your Hard Kill APS detect and track both chemical energy and groups 1 and 2 UAS threats without requiring any kind of mode or software change while mounted to a moving Army Ground Combat Vehicle?

8. Does your Hard Kill APS countermeasure use a currently fielded weapon system(s)/munition(s) or are the Hard Kill APS countermeasure(s) bespoke?

9. What data and intellectual property rights do you assert on your Hard Kill APS?

a. Are there any aspects of your Hard Kill APS system the Government owns or has rights to? If so, what aspects are those?

10. Will you be able to deliver software and firmware source code for your Hard Kill APS to the Government for the purpose of cyber security and safety assessment? Proprietary source code is acceptable for delivery provided it is properly marked.

11. Does your Hard Kill APS source any hardware or software components from outside of the United States? If so, what is the part and source?

12. What aspects of your Hard Kill APS can be repaired/sustained by the Government beyond simply replacing full LRUs?

a. What levels of maintenance (Crew, Field, Sustainment/Depot) are required to support your Hard Kill APS?

b. What specialized diagnostic tools, test equipment, or training packages are required for field-level maintainers?

c. What are the details of the logistics footprint of your countermeasures? Should include explosive hazard classification, transportation/storage constraints, certified shelf-life, and average crew reload time in the field.

13. What is the space claim of your Hard Kill APS countermeasure and sensor subsystems?

a. Are there potential opportunities for aspects of your Hard Kill APS to be integrated with other LRUs within the platform (i.e. Hosting processing LRUs within the Vehicle Protection System (VPS) Base Kit (VBK))?

b. Is your Hard Kill APS ‘sensor agnostic’? (i.e. can the sensor subsystem be swapped out if the Government identifies capability improvements or lower cost/SWAP systems).

c. Can your system leverage other sensors on-board the platform to improve performance?

d. Can a CAD package of your Hard Kill APS be provided?

Key System Requirements:

· The Hard Kill APS shall defeat chemical energy threats such as Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Recoilless Rifles, and Anti-Tank-Guided-Missiles (ATGMs).

· The Hard Kill APS shall possess a mode for simultaneous tracking and defeat of chemical energy threats and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) threats in Groups 1 and 2.

· The Hard Kill APS shall meet ruggedization requirements specified in ATPD-2404 (ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR THE ARMORED BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM TRACKED VEHICLE SYSTEMS) and ATPD-2407 (ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS (E3) FOR US ARMY TANK AND AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE SYSTEMS).

· The Hard Kill APS shall comply to the PdM Vehicle Protection Systems MAF 2.2.

· The Hard Kill APS hardware, software, and firmware shall be produced either in the U.S. or sourced from a Five Eye (FVEY) nation (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, or New Zealand) with final assembly being conducted in the U.S.

· The Hard Kill APS shall generate sensor threat report messages and initiate its threat defeat sequence solely through sensors (including sensor processor units directly connected to the sensor front end) directly connected to the PdM Vehicle Protection System (VPS) Program of Record VPS Base Kit (VBK).

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