Expeditionary Unmanned Aerial System (eUAS) Manufacturing and Employment Capability Request for Information

CAPABILITY REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RSO-AMPOECT-04

Expeditionary Unmanned Aerial System (eUAS) Manufacturing and Employment

Notice Type: Request for Information

NAICS Code: 334511 - Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing

Size Standard: Unrestricted

This is a Capability Request for Information (CRFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) and does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with responding to this notice.

1 .  BACKGROUND and OBJECTIVE

The United States Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office is conducting market research analysis to identify existing solutions for an on-demand manufacturing capability for ready-to-fly Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), purpose-built attritable systems, first person view drone build kits, counter UAS systems, such as interceptors, accessories, spare parts and supplies that can be operated in remote and austere environments. This will allow for the rapid, persistent, and distributed production of unmanned air systems near the point of need reducing reliance on traditional supply chains and enabling forces to quickly replenish critical assets in contested areas. Submitters may also identify optional services, such as training, technical support, and maintenance for the UAS manufacturing capability. Additionally, submitters may include concepts for effective assembly solutions to include but not limited to soldering, battery wiring, and motor assembly. This capability is aimed at being as agile as possible or to be drone agnostic but compatible with highly desirable materials commonly used in additive manufacturing.

This market research analysis will be used to inform on potential procurement and Government assessment of capabilities within a military relevant environment.  

2. PROPRIETRY MATERIALS PROTECTION

CRFI responses, which contain information that is marked as “proprietary,” will be protected as proprietary information. Proprietary information must be clearly marked on the outside container and on the materials inside. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. Such information will be reviewed by a team comprised of Government as well as contractor support personnel hired to provide technical assistance to the Government. All members of the team will be reminded of their obligation to protect such information to the maximum extent permitted or required by the Economic Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. 1831 et. seq., and other applicable statutes or regulations.

Additionally, Government members will be reminded of their obligations to afford protection under the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. All Contractor members are required to protect the information by the terms of their contracts. Responders are advised that employers of commercial firms under contract of the Government may be used to process responses, provide technical assistance, and/or other administrative duties requiring access to other Contractor’s proprietary information. These support contracts include non-disclosure agreements prohibiting Contractor employees from disclosing any purpose other than which it was furnished.

3.  KEY CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

The eUAS manufacturing and employment capability should be capable of the following:

1.  Supply Chain & Compliance

• DCMA & NDAA Alignment: Must conform to DCMA Blue List compatible type architecture and comply with NDAA FY2020 Section 848.
• Foreign Exclusion: No components, software, or raw materials from covered nations (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, any country that is a state sponsor of terrorism. (10 U.S.C. 2279)); strict adherence to FAR telecommunications prohibitions.

2. Physical Footprint & Transport

• ISO Container/ISU 90 Size Footprint: Transportable via tactical truck, strategic airlift (ATTLA compliant), tactical airlift (e.g., C-130), cargo ship, and helicopter sling-load.
• Austere Durability: Container shell must be dust/water resistant (MIL-STD-810 equivalent).

3.  Power & Environmental Controls

• Power: Compatible with standard military generators (240V/415V 3-phase, 50/60 Hz) or tactical microgrids, backed by an industrial-grade uninterruptible power supply for controlled pausing/resuming.
• Atmospheric Tolerances: Integrated HVAC maintaining internal tolerances across external temperatures from -40°F to 125°F. Must meet Class/Division hazardous location standards (NFPA 70) for volatile materials.

4.  System Quality and Maintainability

• Open System Architecture: Control software must ingest standard files (STEP, STL, 3MF) locally and follow Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) guidelines to support swappable avionics/payloads.

5. Cybersecurity & Data Management

• Data Security: Requires hardware-encrypted local storage (FIPS 140-2/3) and secure data ingest via approved removable media.
• Risk Management Activities: Requires integration of cybersecurity and risk management activities (DoDI 8510.01 Risk Management Framework (RMF)).

4. CONTRACTOR CAPABILITY SURVEY

Companies electing to participate in this data call should submit a White Paper that includes the following information for Part I – Business Information and Part II – System Description, Capabilities, and Experience. Please provide responses in Microsoft Word compatible documents, Microsoft PowerPoint compatible presentations, Adobe .pdf files, Microsoft Excel compatible Spreadsheets and/or a combination thereof.

Submit electronic copies via email to:  AFLCMC.ROD.ECT@us.af.mil no later than 30 calendar days after this CRFI is posted to sam.gov by 5:00 PM EST of that day. The title of the e-mail in the subject line should be as follows: “<company name> RFI RESPONSE TO RSO Expeditionary UAS Project”

Part I – Business Information

Please limit your Part I response to a page count of 1 page. Provide administrative information in Section One of your response. Address at least the following in Section One:

• Company Name:
• Address:
• CAGE Code and UEI:
• Point of Contact (Name, Email, Phone):
• Website:
• Business Size and Socioeconomic Status under NAICS 334511 - Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
• Companies will provide plan(s) for complying with the Buy American Act.

Part II – Capabilities and Experience:

Please respond to each item below with capabilities and experience in enough detail to be evaluated by the Government. Limit the Part II response to 10 pages.

Please provide a detailed response addressing your company’s capabilities, technical approach, and experience related to the Expeditionary UAS Manufacturing and Employment requirements. Responses should directly align with the Key Capability Requirements outlined in Section 3.

A. Technical Approach & System Capabilities

1. System Design & Open Architecture: Describe how your solution supports drone-agnostic manufacturing operations and open systems architecture. How easily can your system adapt to different UAS configurations?

1. On-Demand Manufacturing & Production: Detail your expeditionary manufacturing processes (e.g., additive manufacturing/3D printing, rapid assembly, distributed manufacturing). What are your estimated production timelines from request to deployment in an austere environment?

1. Expeditionary Logistics & Physical Footprint: Describe the physical footprint of your system. Detail its transportability, required shipping containers (e.g., ISU-90, 20ft TEU), and the minimum support equipment necessary for setup and operation.

1. Power & Environmental Controls: Explain the power requirements (peak and sustained) to operate your manufacturing and employment system. How does the system manage environmental controls (temperature, humidity, dust) in austere or contested environments?

1. Durability & Reliability: Provide expected operational lifespans, maintenance cycles, and durability metrics for both the manufacturing equipment and the resulting UAS components in field conditions.

1. Technology and Manufacturing Readiness: Identify the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of your proposed solution.

1. Consumable Modularity and Interchangeability: Describe how your system can adapt to various vendor-agnostic compatible materials and components with minimal reconfiguration.

1. Cybersecurity and Data Management: Describe the Information Technology (IT) architecture and data security overview. Explain how your solution is in compliance with Supply Chain Risk Management requirements. Provide a brief overview of how RMF is conducted.

B. Experience

1. Experience in rapidly manufacturing UAS systems in austere environments:
   • Description of past or current projects involving the development and deployment of the capability to produce various UASs.
   • Provide supply chain/logistics capabilities to maintain a continual UAS manufacturing stream.

1. Compact and Lightweight System Design:
   • Examples of past projects where weight constraints were successfully managed.

1. Power Management and Interoperability:
   • Detail your experience implementing power management systems capable of auto-sensing and line conditioning international commercial grids, and off-grid operational environments.

1. Rapid Deployment Solutions:
   • Examples from past projects demonstrating successful and rapid capability deployment.

1. User Interface and Usability:
   • Design philosophies and examples of intuitive and user-friendly interfaces minimizing operator workload.

1. Compliance and Certification:
   • Certifications or compliance with relevant standards (e.g., IPX ratings, DoD standards).

5. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

Responses and any questions must be submitted electronically to aflcmc.rod.ect@us.af.mil no later than 30 calendar days after this CRFI is posted to sam.gov. Responses should not exceed 11 pages (Part I – 1 page; Part II – 10 pages), excluding brochures or appendices.

Responses to questions from interested parties will be collected, answered and posted back to the sam.gov website as an amendment to this CRFI. Should proprietary information be involved, or the answer addresses a question peculiar to a certain Company, the response will be provided on an individual and case-by-case basis. Post submittal, one-on-one information sessions with respondents are not contemplated; however, they may be offered to responders to clarify the Government’s understanding of their submittal, the capability ramifications, or to discuss their business approach. Information feedback sessions may be offered to respondents after the CRFI assessments are completed.

Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Additionally, questions must NOT contain trade secrets or classified information. The Government reserves the right to not address questions received after the CRFI response due date.

6. CONTACT INFORMATION
 

For questions concerning this announcement, please contact:

Contracting                                                                    Technical

Regina Anderson                                                           John Tipler
Contracting Officer                                                        Lead Engineer
(937) 974-4816                                                              (312) 986-8038
regina.anderson.3@us.af.mil                                         john.tipler@us.af.mil