Statement of Work for OPTICAMS.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

FOR

OPTICAMS

SUB PROJECT

SUPPORT

5 November 2024

Table of Contents

5.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS – N/A 3

6.0 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES – N/A 4

7.0 SERVICE DELIVERY SUMMARY (SDS) – N/A 4

9.0 CONTRACT DATA REQUIREMENTS LIST SCHEDULE – N/A 4

1.0 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The contractor shall provide support for OPTICAMS Sub Projects.

The contractor shall review all aspects of the Electro Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) Lab sub project and advise the government on technical aspects of the laboratory design and configuration, planned equipment lists and applicability to planned tests.

The contractor shall review all aspects of the DRAGON Pod and Precision Impact Range Area (PIRA) Target Array sub projects and advise the government on technical aspects of both sub projects.

The contractor shall provide observations for potential next generation development efforts.

The consultation services shall not exceed 270 hours or the funded amount on the purchase order.

1.1 Background.

The Electro Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) discipline is challenging due to high dependencies on atmospherics, long range, temperature, pressure, and ambient lighting conditions. These dependencies create high variability, which in turn causes inconsistent and difficult-to-repeat results and products. These issues force high sample size requirements, which result in high cost/long schedules and greatly limits the scope of testing. There is an absence of laboratory and airborne-based radiometric truth and system performance measurements capability. There is very limited capability to predict performance in areas/conditions other than what can be flight-tested, which many times creates disputes between multiple Test & Evaluation (T&E) stakeholders and severely limits the amount of critical customer and warfighter information. The OPTICAMS project, comprised of several sub projects, is designed to address capability shortfalls while simultaneously advancing the discipline into the digital transformation.

An EO/IR laboratory that is specifically tailored to make measurements of flight test related components does not currently exist at Edwards AFB. An EO/IR laboratory exists at the 96 TW at Eglin AFB; however, frequent EO/IR test activities at Edwards AFB, involving the local team of EO/IR experts, and the System Under Test (SUT) (such as targeting pods, and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems) already being on-site requires the existence of the EO/IR Lab at the Edwards AFB FTEL complex. Having an EO/IR laboratory locally at Edwards will result in shorter turnaround times for T&E services here. Also, the FTEL EO/IR laboratory will support T&E work at higher classification levels. Additionally, the FTEL EO/IR lab will be housing the DRAGON airborne truth system with the local EO/IR team conducting routine maintenance and data processing. Moreover, the FTEL will be providing Modeling & Simulation (M&S), data analysis, and ground truth measurement services to Combined Task Force (CTFs) across Edwards AFB on a daily basis. As such, a local FTEL EO/IR laboratory will add new crucial T&E capabilities and eliminate the logistical hurdles of going elsewhere by providing local EO/IR laboratory resources and expertise.

Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems are a critical part of the United States Air Force tactical advantage in offensive and defense air-to-air capabilities. These sensors are designed to operate at very long ranges and at altitudes varying from 500’ AGL to 50,000’ AGL. The Air Force Test Center (AFTC), in particular the 775 TS, is tasked with performing accurate qualification testing to verify that the IRST systems meet their stated specifications and creating training materials so that pilots can be trained on the operation, capabilities, and limitations of these systems to ensure their proper usage in deployed operational scenarios.

BlueHalo, in collaboration with Adaptive Aerospace Corp., Resonant Sciences, LLC, and Coherent Imaging Solutions will continue to expand upon and extend research efforts from the SBIR Phase I, SBIR Phase II and SBIR Phase II Enhancement to develop an integrated, flight-qualified, sensor pod system that performs accurate air-to-air ground-truth measurements of multi-spectral IR signature and atmospheric properties. The system will continue to concentrate on accurately measuring the two primary elements that are needed to compute an aircraft’s signature: (1) the temperature profile of the aircraft and plume, and (2) the transmission and scatter characteristics of the intervening atmosphere. The system will be designed for flexibility and modularity to accommodate future sensor upgrades.

The highly complex and multi-physics system requires a multitude of engineering disciplines to solve complex problems. The sub-vendors specialize in different fields to support airworthiness, pod structure/shape and aircraft integration, optical/infrared design, and thermal control, in-flight calibration with an on board blackbody system, and also modeling and simulation of in-flight performance. Specialized engineer skills are needed to design system cueing, GPS, tracking, control, environmental conditioning, data reduction, data recording, security considerations, mechanical and electrical design, human system interface, video, software design, maintenance, reconfiguration, logistics and much more.

Accurate in-flight measurement of aircraft signatures has multiple applications throughout the aerospace industry. Department of Defense (DoD) organizations such as the AFTC and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will continue to have a pressing need for such systems to test and evaluate new aircraft and weapons systems for many years to come. Aerospace original equipment manufacturers such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, or Pratt & Whitney may also have an interest in the developed technology.

The existing InfraRed (IR) targets on the PIRA have reached end-of-life due to weather deterioration and the need to support for higher fidelity measurement sensors. The biggest challenges in testing IR imaging systems are the lack of a uniform, sharp transition between hot and cold objects in a scene. Blurring of the thermal edge results in degraded measurements of the system’s Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), and Relative Edge Response (RER). By actively controlling panel temperatures with heating elements embedded in the panel bodies, Spectral Science, Inc. aims to build a set of engineering panels with high degree of uniformity so that a sharp temperature edge can be achieved.

The contractor will provide consultation services to assist with analysis of all the development efforts mentioned above and potential next generation development efforts.

1.2 Place of Performance

The contractor shall perform the services at their facility.

1.3 OPSEC

At all times, the contractor shall employ Operational Security (OPSEC), and act to reduce the vulnerability of Air Force and other DoD missions by eliminating or reducing successful adversary collection and exploitation of critical information. OPSEC applies to all activities that prepare, sustain, or employ forces or assets during all phases of operations.

2.0 SUPPLIES AND SERVICES

The services shall be primarily accomplished via e-mail, telephone, and/or Microsoft Teams.

There is a very slight possibility one or two in person meetings will be required. However, that cannot be determined until after consultation services have been initiated and is very unlikely.

3.0 PRODUCTS

None

4.0 SERVICES

The contractor shall provide the following consultation services.

EO/IR Laboratory:

· Analysis and consultation on development of the EO/IR Laboratory

· Equipment Design and configuration

· Suitability for planned testing Perform independent review of Government plans to validate approaches, procedures, techniques and recommend alternative ideas to achieve objectives.

DRAGON Pod:

· Analysis and consultation on SBIR Phase III IDIQ Contract development efforts.

· Task Order 1

· Subsequent task orders until purchase order funds are exhausted Perform independent review of Government and contractor data analysis for accuracy and provide suggestions for future improvement.

Review requirements and results to validate approaches, procedures, techniques and recommend alternative ideas to achieve objectives.

PIRA Target Array:

· Analysis and consultation on SBIR Phase II Enhancement results.

Perform independent review of Government and contractor data analysis for accuracy and provide suggestions for potential future improvement.

Review requirements and results to validate approaches, procedures, techniques and recommend alternative ideas to achieve objectives.

Next Generation Developments:

· Input for the future.

Perform independent review of Government initial plans and provide suggestions for potential future development.

7.0 SERVICE DELIVERY SUMMARY – N/A

8.0 GENERAL INFORMATION – N/A

9.0 CONTRACT DATA REQUIREMENT LIST SCHEDULE – N/A