RFI TRILOS Modernization SAM Post.docx

Request For Information (RFI): TRILOS Modernization

Project Manager (PM) Tactical Network (TN) is seeking industry feedback regarding capabilities of modern Terrestrial Transmission Line of Sight (TRILOS) communications equipment that can provide greater throughput, require less manning, and have significant advantages in Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C). The anticipated required quantity is approximately 700+ systems with greater potential for pure fleeting if exercised. The anticipated timeline is FY26-FY33.

The distributed Basis of Issue (BOI) will consist of 2 to 3 new system variants: comprised of a Radio Frequency (RF) based system with modular extensions incorporating Free Space Optics (FSO), and/or an aerial-tier/variable height mast type configuration.

This RFI is being issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.20l(e) for informational and planning purposes only - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government (USG) to a contract for any supply or service whatsoever. At this time, the USG is not seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the USG shall not be responsible for any costs incurred in response to this RFI, nor shall the USG pay for any associated information or administrative costs. All costs associated with responding to this RFI shall be solely at interested parties' expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in an RFP if one is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website. It is the responsibility of the potential responder to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

Requirements:

This RFI is seeking industry feedback regarding capabilities of modern Line of Sight (LOS) Backhaul communications equipment that can modernize and enhance current TRILOS capabilities. In addition to modernization, interoperability must be addressed in the RFI response on how this could be achieved with the existing terrestrial LOS radio, the AN/GRC-262, in the field today, whether over the air or through a network device. This new capability will increase transmission diversity of an IP-based architecture to maximize communications flexibility between existing terrestrial radios and create efficiencies in the network for military operations.

It is the USG’s intent to leverage RFI responses to evaluate feasibility of solutions cited in each response. Following RFI evaluation, the USG may invite the most capable vendors to participate in a field-based demonstration showcasing capability in an operationally relevant environment. LOS Systems will be distributed based on likely use-case events and scenarios. Each capability of the LOS Systems will have data collected and evaluated based upon the approximate link distances found below.

RFI responses shall include the availability of equipment covering (e.g. design status, producibility, manufacturability, and supportability) a LOS system within 9 months of final selection. Pending the test results, the USG may allot additional time to request or recommend changes to a system or component to maximize efficiencies and overall system performance. Maximum implementation of open standards to facilitate interoperability and data exchange among different products or services is highly encouraged.

Customer Demonstration Event:

· Scheduled testing at Ft. Huachuca, AZ estimated to occur September - October 2024 (based upon range availability).

· Test distances include 2km, 5km, 12km, 30km, 75km, and 100km.

· Participating vendors must provide PM TN Personnel access to all equipment to support test collection with vendor to monitor and capture test data.

Summary of Requested Capabilities:

The vendor shall define which capabilities and requirements can be satisfied in a LOS network and explain their implementation to meet the requirements below. The maximum number of pages for RFI Responses is 15, not inclusive of the “Technical Capabilities for Radio and System Implementation Design” spreadsheet or recommendations to the attached test events. If additional detail is needed to answer questions in the “Technical Capabilities for Radio and System Implementation Design” spreadsheet, they may be addressed in the written RFI response.

Capability and Technical Requirements Operations:

· What topologies are supported by the system?

· What is the scalability of this system? How many nodes can be in a single network?

· Does the system support decision-making for multi-hop routing? If so, please describe.

· What frequency range will be used in operation of the radio component? The USG is targeting all operating frequency ranges to be within 1 GHz to 6 GHz range. Describe any additional hardware necessary to change bands or frequency ranges between those proposed (feedhorn, reflector, radio components).

· Describe the throughput capabilities of the system, for both FSO and radio: maximum, average, and minimum, and what requirements, such as spectrum, are necessary to achieve those values? Include, at minimum, data rate for each supported channel size.

· What is the average, minimum, and maximum spectral efficiency values of the radio component? Are there any planning limitations that would limit these values?

· Describe the latency values of the system across the network, for both FSO and radio: maximum, average, and minimum, and what scenarios would cause fluctuations in these values.

· Describe the time necessary for a node to join network, and how long until, or under what scenario it would leave network?

· Can the system be operated on a mobile platform? If so, what speed and turbulence can it maintain a link up to?

· Will the system contain a FSO component? The USG is targeting FSO incorporation on At-the-Halt (ATH) applications and On-the-Move (OTM) capable vehicles while At-the-Quick-Halt (ATQH).

· Will the FSO component be integrated with the radio component, or a separate system? If integrated, to what degree? (shared power, shared monitoring, shared control)

· How will the FSO component and radio component interact? Will the FSO act as a relay or as a redundant link to the radio?

· Will the FSO act as a stand-alone communications link without use of the Radio?

· What wavelength(s) will the FSO component operate on? Will any additional components need changed to utilize the different proposed wavelengths?

· Describe normal operator functions. How would an operator startup, shutdown, monitor, and troubleshoot the system?

· How will an operator interact with these functions? Will they need additional software? Is there a GUI?

· Describe, in detail, various effects that might cause interference of the FSO component, such as turbulence.

· Will system Application Programming Interfaces be available to the USG to incorporate with external network operation suites?

· Describe number, type, and function of any network interface ports in the system.

· Is there an existing link planning tool that will be provided for network planning?

Survivability:

· Does the system contain Low Probability of Detection (LPD) Features? If so, what are they? Are there any limitations to enabling these features?

· Does the system contain Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) Features? If so, what are they? Are there any limitations to enabling these features?

· Does the system contain Anti-Jam (AJ) Features? If so, what are they? Are there any limitations to enabling these features?

· Does the system contain Spectrum Monitoring Features? If so, what are they?

· How will the above features be demonstrated at the customer test event?

· What previous testing has been performed to verify their capabilities and effectiveness?

· If not tested at the event, how will these features be demonstrated to the USG?

· Does the radio incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) capabilities to enhance and improve any survivability features? If so, what are they?

Size, Weight, and Power:

· The USG is targeting use of Blue Sky 350G 15 meter mast for ATH Applications. How will system components be able to integrate and mount to this mast system? What is the overall weight of all components (radio, FSO, antennas, cables) that will be mounted on this mast (current maximum weight on mast is 75 pounds, but may be affected by wind loading)?

· What would be the estimated overall volume of a complete system? How many transit cases, of what size, could carry a complete system? Will this system fit in a High Mobility Multi-Wheel Vehicle (HMMWV) or Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)?

· What would be the estimated overall weight of a complete system? If broken into transit cases, what would the weights of each transit case be?

Maintenance:

· What level of maintenance can be performed in the field, versus that which must be done in a depot?

· What annual reoccurring preventative maintenance is necessary during the lifetime of the systems? What consumables are necessary to perform this maintenance?

· Are any special tools necessary to operate or maintain the system? Are they provided with the system?

· Provide a matrix of major and minor end items, detailing which of these components are repairable, and which are consumable.

· What fault detection capabilities does the system have?

· What Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) exists to test and repair the system?

· Please provide pictures of the ATE.

· What experience level is required to operate the ATE?

· How is the equipment repaired using ATE?

· Does the system or components of the system have any manufacturer warranties? If so, what are they?

Support:

· What is the estimated lifespan of the products in the system?

· When are the systems estimated to reach End of Life and/or End of Support?

· Describe anticipated and actual steps to avoid obsolescence.

· Describe anticipated and actual steps to avoid Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages.

· What is the proposed plan for system support, including hardware and/or firmware upgrades?

· What open systems or modularity will allow for future upgrades or integration to the system?

· What capabilities are in the baseline system?

· Which additional features are licensed?

· Are licenses perpetual, or do they expire? If they expire, what is the timeframe to expiration?

Cost:

· Provide an estimated cost of each major end item (based on 50 systems)

· Radio and Radio Variants

· FSO System

· Integrated Radio and FSO System

· Variable Height Antenna System

· ATE

Note: This should not be included in your response document, but separately to the ACC KO to share with Product Manager (PdM) NetMod USG personnel only.

Test Events:

This RFI includes diagrams depicting various operational scenarios:

Event 1: At-the-Halt (ATH) Testing Event 2: On-the-Move (OTM) and Variable Height Antenna (VHA) Testing Event 3: At-the-Halt (ATH) Free Space Optics (FSO) Testing Event 4: Free Space Optics (FSO) and Radio Interoperability Testing Event 5: At-the-Halt (ATH) and On-the-Move (OTM) Interoperability Testing

Events one (1) through five (5) will be conducted with various antenna configurations, frequency configurations, and distances. The USG will provide a matrix detailing test schedule for each vendor selected.

Vendors will be responsible for their systems and through the duration of the test events to support operational testing as detailed in the system test diagrams. Vendors will supply all equipment needed to demonstrate and operate a network, for both ATH and OTM maneuvers.

Vehicles on diagrams are notional and may represent any type of Army platform. The USG anticipates the use of commercial vehicles for the operational testing.

The USG and vendor shall complete all test scenarios efficiently by avoiding multiple jumps and setups.

The USG will collect data utilizing several tools such as iPerf, vendor exposed APIs, spectrum and network analyzers, and T-Berds.

Responses:

All submissions in response to this RFI shall include Company Names, Business Size, Socio Economic Category, CAGE Code, and Point of Contact to include, name, position, telephone number, and email address. Interested parties are encouraged to respond to this RFI on or before 30 days from posting Eastern Daylight Time. All responses shall be transmitted electronically to the Contracting Officer. Proprietary information & trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become USG property & will not be returned. All USG & contractor personnel reviewing RFI responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements & understand their responsibility for proper use & protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described in 41 USC 423. The USG shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified.

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. White papers shall be limited to 15 pages. The USG encourages and will accept submissions for any of the separate size capabilities or all the capabilities. The 15-page limit does not include the attachment, “Technical Capabilities for Radio and System Implementation Design” spreadsheet, but the attachment is a required deliverable with submissions.

All submissions should be in Microsoft Word for Office 2013 or a compatible format. Responses to this RFI shall be unclassified. Telephone or verbal inquiries regarding this notice will not be honored. All restricted information shall be clearly marked. Responses to the RFI will not be returned and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their response to this RFI.

Contracting Office Address:

6565 Surveillance Loop Dr. APG, MD 21005 United States

Primary Point of Contact (Contracting):

Thomas Lynn Contracting Officer, ACC Email: thomas.e.lynn23.civ@army.mil Phone: +1 520-671-3817

Omar Whiting Contracting Specialist, ACC Email: darrell.o.whiting.civ@army.mil Phone: 443-861-4980

Primary Points of Contact (Technical):

Dustin Chapman Assistant Program Manager (APM), PEO C3T, PM Tactical Network, PdM NetMod Email: dustin.c.chapman.civ@army.mil Phone: (443) 617-9635