SOO_M-PIA_v2_06132025_Final.pdf

Appendix A

Statement of Objectives Man-Portable Interceptor Aircraft Solutions and Integration

May 23, 2025

Purpose:

The purpose of activities described in this SOO are to design, develop, and integrate a Man- Portable Interceptor Aircraft that will enhance the Army’s next generation of stand-off, hardkill, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) capability. RCCTO desires to equip dismounted Soldiers, including airborne light infantry units, with an organic capability which is lower cost and more effective than current approaches for countering group 1-3 UAS. The system may be employed in isolation or as part of a suite of layered protection technologies and therefore must integrate into the existing Nett Warrior (NW), Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAADC2) and future Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) network ecosystem. The sought solution is a rucksack portable interceptor UAS which can engage targets beyond-line-of-sight, providing the first layer of organic protection. The Army is seeking integrated system solutions, Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and above prototypes, to realize this vision, which has previously been demonstrated in “piece parts” on lower TRL systems. Regular tests, prototypes, field demonstrations, and Continuous Soldier Evaluations (CSE) will enhance Warfighter acceptance and strengthen the capability.

Government Objectives:

RCCTO’s desired outcome is a rapidly adaptable, field modifiable Man-Portable Interceptor Aircraft for organic C-UAS operations by dismounted Soldiers.

RCCTO expects the selected performer to:

• Serve as the platform developer and lead integrator.

• Integrate a Government-provided munition payload, including fuzing systems developed to meet MIL-STD-1316 or equivalent.

• Integrate existing or Government Furnished Information (GFI) to include:

• Airframe design,

• Guidance system

• Terminal target ranging,

• Autonomous navigation and mission execution,

• Command-and-control.

• Ensure compatibility with the future NW/SBMC hardware and software architectures.

• Lead development of graphical user interface (UI) and Soldier training materials.

• Deliver prototype hardware and support iterative development with major releases every six months.

• Enable additive manufacturing (i.e., Required Manufacturing Process Description for

Additive Manufacturing (RMPD-AM)) of airframe components and field assembly by Soldiers.

• Deliver a fully defined, product-level Technical Data Package (TDP), with unlimited Government rights, and RMPD-AM IAW MIL-STD-31000 and DID DI-SESS-82465.

The envisioned 27-month development effort includes close collaboration with operational users, the test community, program managers, CSEs, and field evaluations, culminating in exit TRL 7+ prototypes. Success shall be defined by the delivery of 10 Government-approved systems and the associated technical data package, completion of all test events, and validation of operator effectiveness in dismounted and airborne environments through Government-led live-fire operational demonstrations.

General Capability Description:

In order to develop an affordable Man-Portable Interceptor Aircraft and deliver a TDP, RCCTO has established the following draft tasks and requirements.

Tasks:

The following tasks are anticipated to be necessary steps in the development of the prototype system. Major prototype releases with TDPs will be conducted four (4) times throughout the period of performance, nominally every 6 months. Many of the below tasks will be conducted iteratively, adjusting the design to address feedback from program personnel and the CSEs.

• Adapt and maintain a system design (mechanical, electrical, and software) o Establish and maintain a comprehensive TDP o Adapt design to fit in a rucksack deployed in static line airborne operations o Adapt airframe design to incorporate vision-based sensing, a target ranging sensor

(automotive radar), and radios o Lead NW/SBMC UI development

Develop graphical user interface “panes” for various mission phases.

• Evaluate on supported and relevant legacy UI hardware, i.e.

Samsung Galaxy Develop several means of mission inputs

• Manual (detection and tracking transmitted over radio by voice)

• Cue over NW/SBMC (detection and tracking as TAK message)

• Cue from FAADC2 (format into TAK message) o Support software integration Utilize a Government Git environment for software development o Maintain system estimates for unit size, weight, speed, range, and cost

• Support regular CSE and Government Testing and Fielding Events o Provide aircraft for Soldier and Government experimentation and evaluation o Create Documentation for Users (Operator Manual and Additive & Assembly

Instructions, etc.)

o Facilitate access to assembly components for the Government to manufacture airframes o Incorporate design files and BoM to Global Combat Support System-Army

(GCSS-Army) or other relevant websites o Support CSE with in-person training o Support the Government in developing all required component and system approval documents o Evolve design of each major release based on feedback from CSE and

Government users Update documents, requirements, and/or generate a punch list of upgrades

• Support Final Demonstration o Manufacture system for testing in live-fire demonstration o Support the Government in developing all required component and system approval documents

• Program Management o Contribute a detailed list of milestones and refine as necessary o Prepare the documents in the Data Deliverable section and participate in the associated meetings o Provide the status of budget execution o Continuously monitor for and communicate programmatic and technical risk

Requirements:

The draft requirements below are expressed as threshold (T), meeting the minimum requirement, and, if applicable, objective (O), a stretch goal.

The platform shall have the following attributes:

• Airframe structure: provided by GOV TDP.

• Power plant: COTS motor and electronic speed controllers (T)

• Energy: COTS batteries. (T)

• Autopilot: COTS (T)

• Sensors: COTS (T). Mission sensors include:

o Cameras: Electrooptical (T) and Infrared (O) o Acoustics: Per provided design (T) o Radar: COTS Automotive collision-avoidance radar. (T)

• Munition: Warhead and fuze to be provided by Government

• Compute: COTS with the capability for all necessary processing to include vision-based target detection and tracking and acoustic signal processing. (T)

• Radio: Single bi-directional encrypted C2/datalink and GOV-recommended Jam-resilient encrypted C2/datalink solution

• Sourcing: All components shall be compliant with the Buy American Act (41 USC, Chapter 83) and with section 848 of the 2020 NDAA(T). All components should be manufactured within the United States (O). Sources of components other than the United States must be identified and must be compliant with all relevant law and regulation, and no parts or components shall be made in China (T).

• System IP Rating: IP64 (T), IP67 (O)

• Operational Environments: Devices must be fully operational in temperature environments of at least -5C to +30C (T) with a desire for -40C to +49C (O)

• Shelf Life: Devices shall have a shelf life of at least 5 years. (T)

• Storage: The warhead and fuze provided by GOV TDP and in quantity sufficient to satisfy deliverables.

• Unit Cost: Each aircraft shall not exceed $11K for daylight operations using an electro-optical (EO) camera and $16K for night operations using an infrared (IR) camera. (T) Cost shall be based on Low-Rate Production (LRP) of thousands of units.

• Portability: The system shall be designed for portability, breaking down to fit in a single Army standard issue MOLLE II rucksack (without utilizing rucksack attachments), be sufficiently robust to be deployed in airborne operations, and be assembled for launch within 30 seconds. (T) o The system must be impact resistant, sustaining a force of 7 times gravity (7Gs) from including during a touchdown at 22mph. (T) o Two (2) (T), five (5) (O) airframes and the rest of the system shall fit securely in a single Army standard issue MOLLE II rucksack.

• User Interface: The system shall integrate with the future NW/SBMC utilizing the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) and its associated radios. (T) Additionally, the system should integrate with the Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) for target detection and with ground combat vehicles via the Vehicle Base Kit (VBK). (O). Government will provide the required access to FAAD C2.

o User Interface: The system shall provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on a NW device (T), allowing for:

o Manual entry of target detections from audio communication and direct input from TAK messages. (T) o Mission command, monitoring with minimal cognitive burden, and abort functionality. (T) o Onboard autonomy minimizing operator burden post-launch, enabling human-in-the-loop, on-the-loop, or off-the-loop operation, as determined by commander intent. (T)

• Command and Control (C2) and Data Link (DL):

o The system shall include a C2 link to maintain operator situational awareness

(SA) and provide a mission abort capability. (T) o The system should include a Data Link (DL) that provides the operator with a live visual feed from the C-UAS field of view. (O)

• Launch: The system shall make provision to properly orient the airframe for launch on a variety of terrain types and grades. (T)

• Production: A third party is able to create a system solely utilizing the delivered TDP. (T)

Technical Traceability: Incremental improvement is expected over the course of the four (4) prototype test event gates and TDP deliverables. The first (1st) deliverables shall satisfy all requirements necessary for the manual initiation of a mission on a TAK UI, e.g. a user manually inputs a spot report communicated over radio. The second (2nd) deliverable shall additionally incorporate automated mission cueing through the TAK UI, e.g. the user merely validates and authorizes the interceptor launch. The third (3rd) deliverable shall additionally incorporate requirements for mission cueing from FAADC2, over the TAK network. The fourth (4th) and final deliverable shall incorporate live munition. If at any one of these deliveries/gates the system fails to meet the requirements, the Government may terminate the balance of the contract if the failure cannot be mitigated/resolved to meet stated Government requirements.

Travel:

The Contractor will travel with up to three (3) employees per trip to CONUS to support four (4) CSE training events, to be led by the Contractor. The duration of the events may be up to one (1) week each.

The Contractor will travel with up to three (3) employees to a final, live-fire operational demonstration at Dugway Proving Ground, UT. The demonstration may be up to one (1) week.

Additional travel may be required throughout the Period of Performance (POP) to support Government testing, field demonstrations, laboratory evaluations, field evaluations, live fire operational demonstrations, and other events related and required to validate and prove out program deliverables.

Program.

Programmatic meetings, to include Kick-Off, Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and regular technical exchanges, shall be hosted from Aberdeen Proving Ground on Microsoft Teams. There will be no travel associated with these meetings. Virtual access through Teams is the expected means of participation.

Technical Data Package and Associated Data Rights:

All data delivered under this contract shall be unlimited rights to the Government, including a fully defined, product-level TDP with RMPD-AM. A fully defined, product-level TDP includes editable engineering documents to include, but not limited to, engineering design files, printed circuit board design files, associated Bills of Material (BoM), software source code, and associated instructions and documentation to support all of the above. Completeness of this requirement shall be evaluated by requesting a 3rd party to re-create this solution from the TDP, a task they need to perform independently. The TDP is expected to support an eventual “build-to-spec” acquisition program.

Hardware Deliverables:

The Contractor shall deliver the following hardware, at a minimum during the proposed POP.

During development of the Statement of Work, the Government may add other hardware deliverables that support the proposed solution.

1. Deliver six (6) complete prototype systems at six (6), twelve (12), eighteen (18) and twenty-four (24) months after contract award to support CSE, program, and Government evaluations. This amounts to twenty-four (24) total prototype systems delivered to the Government. The Government will conduct final evaluations of all deliveries in months 24 to 27.

2. Deliver ten (10) complete systems of the Government-approved system configuration, following the delivery of the 4th prototype set and completion of that initial demonstration/test, for further demonstration and evaluation by the intended program executive office/transition partner.

The above numbers exclude aircraft to be utilized in the final operational live-fire testing as aircraft will be consumed in the evaluation.

Data Deliverables:

The Contractor shall be required to deliver the following Data Item Descriptions (DIDs), at a minimum, during the proposed Period of Performance. During development of the Statement of Work, the Government may add other DIDs that support the proposed solution.

1. Kick-Off Meeting/System Requirements Review

2. Biweekly Status / Technical Exchange Meeting and Associated Technical Presentation

3. Monthly Budget Execution Report

4. Developmental Test Plan for Performance Validation

5. Developmental Test Report for Performance Validation

6. Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

7. Critical Design Review (CDR)

8. Interim Technical Data Package at six (6), twelve (12), and eighteen (18) months. Final

TDP at twenty-four (24) months after contract award reflecting the final Government-approved system configuration.

9. Soldier training for CSE at Fort Bragg, several one (1) week (40 hour) sessions.

10. Final Operational Demonstration Test Report

11. Final Closeout Review Meeting & Report

12. Interface Control Document (ICD)

13. Authority to Operate (ATO) Artifacts

Tests and Demonstrations:

The Contractor shall conduct tests, prototypes, and both lab and field demonstrations to meet or exceed all the performance requirements specified in this SOO.

1. The Contractor shall demonstrate that all components of solution meet or exceed the threshold performance attributes specified in this SOO in the tactical environment.

Environmental and Safety:

The components of the solution developed under this SOO shall be of safe design and not introduce any environmental or safety hazards not already inherent in the existing hardware.

Government Furnished Property (GFP)/Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI):

The Government will provide GFE and GFI to support this effort. After contract award, a complete TDPs for Airframe, Autonomy with Specifications for GOV Warhead will be provided to the performer as a potential starting point for the design.

Period of Performance (POP) and Exit TRL:

The planned initial POP for this effort is up to twenty-seven (27) months. The Contractor may propose a longer or shorter POP and shall document key milestones within the proposed POP that ensures the Contractor’s successful completion of the requirements specified in this SOO, but 27 months is the targeted/desired POP. The expected exit TRL for the Contractor’s proposed solution is 6-7+ with an expectation of demonstrating in an operational environment.