MQ-8C Maritime Search Radar

Due to timing of delivered Government Furnished Information (GFI), the date to submit Offeror proposals in response to the MQ-8C Maritime Search RADAR RFP has been extended to 16 November 2015.

While developing proposals, keep in mind the Section F delivery dates are notional. The Government's expectation is that the delivery schedule in the RFP will be revised in accordance with the Offeror's approach/proposal strategy and displayed in the SF33 model contract. Ensure that Section F delivery dates/schedule are reasonable and directly correspond to your organization's proposal strategy.

The Request For Proposal posted on 23 September 2015 was revised and replaced in its entirety. The Government does not intend to extend the response date.

The exact changes made to the RFP are as follows:
3.0 PROPOSAL CONTENT AND VOLUMES (page 55 of 94)
From:
Information submitted as an Annex to the proposal includes: the completed SF33 (with completed/filled-in model contract), the Small Business Contracting Plan, the Offeror red-lined SOW, the Offeror IMS, and the Offeror Cross Reference Matrix. Annexes do not have page limitations.

To:
Information submitted as an Annex to the proposal includes: the completed SF33 (with completed/filled-in model contract), the Small Business Contracting Plan, the Offeror red-lined SOW, the Offeror IMS, and the Offeror Cross Reference Matrix. Additional, Offeror-specific Annexes may be included. These Offeror-specific Annexes may include items such as a vendor's System Engineering Management Plan, Manufacturing/Quality Assurance Plan, Configuration Management Plan, completed CPI Assessment, etc. which could be provided as artifacts in support of the Offeror's Technical Approach. Annexes do not have page limitations.

6.0 Classified Data (Page 59 of 95) - Added as follows:

Offerors shall follow the following process to request receipt of CLASSIFIED and UNCLASSIFIED GFI:
1. Offeror shall provide Contract Specialist (Mr. Ray Cannon) with the following information:
a. Company Name
b. POC with contact information
c. UNCLASSIFIED and CLASSIFIED shipping addresses, and
d. whether the Offeror would prefer to have all GFI delivered in a single package to the CLASSIFIED shipping address.
2. Contract Specialist will provide AIR 7.4 (Security) with the above information
3. Once AIR 7.4 confirms that the CAGE code has a valid Facility Clearance with approved safeguarding for the GFI, the GFI will be packaged for shipment.
4. Contract Specialist will provide a tracking number to the Offeror for the GFI shipment(s).
5. Upon receipt, Offerors shall provide confirmation to Contract Specialist.
6. Upon completion of the competition, the Offerors shall:
a. Return the GFI to the Government, or
b. Destroy the GFI and provide confirmation of the destruction to the Contract Specialist.

Section L - MTA Requirements: Page 63 of 94
x. Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP): The Contractor shall provide describe a SEMP for the analysis of technical and operational capabilities for the RADAR system. The SEMP shall include plans for the technical analysis of such impacts as thermal, size, weight and power as specified in the SOW para 4.3, 4.3.1.

y. Test & Evaluation Approach: The contractor shall describe the process for development and submissiont of an Electromagnetic Environment Effects Integration and Analysis E3IAR report. The E3IAR shall provide the design measures and test data required to be collected for the evaluation of the RADAR System as specified in the SOW para 5.2, and specification paragraphs 4.0, and 4.1-2 including all appendices.

z. Risk Management: The Contractor shall describe the process for conducting risk assessments and provideing mitigation plans for each identified risk factor as specified in the SOW para 3.3.

Section M - MTA Requirements: Page 87 of 94
Same changes as in section L shown above.

The process for Offerors to request and receive FOUO GFI data and/or the CLASSIFIED PBS Annex, for purposes of responding to the final RFP, is as follows:

1. Offeror provides the NAVAIR contract specialist with a valid CAGE Code and shipping address (Includes both UNCLASSIFIED and CLASSIFIED shipping addresses).

2. NAVAIR will verify that the CAGE Code has a valid Facility Clearance and determine acceptance to request of information.

3. NAVAIR will copy data to compact disks for the UNCLASSIFIED and CLASSIFIED information, wrap and FEDEX material to the approved addresses.

4. The Offeror will be provided a tracking number.

At the completion of the competition, the Offerors will be required to:
a.) Return the data or,
b.) Destroy the data and provide confirmation of destruction.

Due to comments and suggestions made from Industry Day held on 29 July 2015, the final RFP release date of 19 August 2015 has changed. The Government intends to provide the final Request for Proposal (RFP) package by 31 August 2015.

Revisions to the RFP remain in process. The Government intends to post the final RFP during the week of 14 September 2015. The revised proposal receipt date will be provided once the final RFP is released.  

Due to comments and suggestions made from Industry Day held on 29 July 2015, the final RFP release date of 19 August 2015 has changed. The Government intends to provide the final Request for Proposal (RFP) package by 31 August 2015.

THIS IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE.

***INDUSTRY DAY***

The Program Executive Officer, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO (U&W)) and PMA-266, Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Air Systems Program Office are surveying industry for current Airborne Radar/Antenna capabilities that can serve to meet MQ-8C Fire Scout (MQ-8C) RADAR capability requirements. The MQ-8C is an unmanned U.S. Navy vertical lift aerial platform made from a modified commercial Bell 407. The information obtained through this effort will be used to further assist in the formulation of requirements, and acquisition approaches/plans for future investment. The MQ-8C can operate from all air capable ships as well as confined area land base and is designed for modular mission payloads, autonomous vertical launch and recovery, autonomous waypoint navigation, and command override capability. The Navy's desire is to produce and integrate MQ-8C Radar/Antenna capability enhancements for implementation in the 2019 timeframe - concurrent with other planned improvements.

NAVAIR will host an Industry Day for the Radar Effort on 29 July 2015. The Industry Day will be conducted at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, Center Hall, 44219 Airport Road, California, MD 20619. Check-In for attendees will occur between 0800 and 0830. Industry Day will begin at 0830 and briefings will continue through 1130. Lunch will occur from 1130 to 1300 and will not be provided as part of Industry Day. One-on-one meetings for potential contractors will be scheduled from 1300 to 1700.

This Industry Day will provide an opportunity for Navy leadership to brief industry on highlights of the RADAR capability requirements and tasks, as well as, review proposal preparation procedures and the source selection process. A question and answer session will be conducted after the briefings.

One-on-one meetings for potential contractors will be individually scheduled during the one-on-one timeframe. Only those registered participants who attend Industry Day and intend to provide a RADAR for the MQ-8C may be considered eligible to also participate in one-on-one meetings. The Government reserves the right to extend the one-on-one timeframe to allow for additional meetings.

Pre-registration for the Radar Industry Day is required. Attendance at Industry Day is limited to a maximum of 5 individuals per organization and/or each business sector of an organization. To register for Industry Day, and to separately request a one-on-one meeting complete the attached registration form and email Mr. Raymond Cannon at Raymond.C.Cannon@navy.mil.

Responses shall include:

1. Organization name, address, and CAGE Code;
2. Primary Organization Point of Contact (POC) name, email and phone number;
3. List of Organization Attendee's to include full name, email, and phone number;
4. Indicate organizational request for one-on-one meeting participation.

Registrations by telephone will not be accepted. Security clearances are not required and all discussions will be unclassified. The deadline for submitting registration requests is 22 July 2015.

All registered participants may submit proposed questions in advance of Industry Day. Any proposed questions are to be submitted to Mr. Raymond Cannon at Raymond.C.Cannon@navy.mil no later than 22 July 2015. Pre-printed questions in advance of industry day are requested. The Government will either address the questions at Industry Day itself or provide answers after the event.

Government Contractor Support Service (CSS) personnel may be in attendance at Industry Day to provide administrative support. CSS companies include: Ausley Associates Inc, Wyle Aerospace Group, and Camber Corporation.

The Government will NOT assume liability for costs incurred by an Industry Day participant for travel expenses, presentations, marketing efforts or data offered for examination.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This announcement is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for any information solicited or provided. This is not a commitment by the Government to issue an RFP, pay for any proposal or proposal preparation costs, or award a contract.

This is an UNCLASSIFIED meeting. All information discussed must be unclassified. All information provided by or discussed by attendees must not be Contractor Proprietary or Business Sensitive Information. Any information or ideas shared during this industry day will be used to develop Radar technical and/or acquisition documents.

While Industry Day will be conducted at the UNCLASSIFIED level, organizations must have a SECRET facility clearance and safeguarding capability (Form DD-254 required) in order to receive classified information in the future.

The Government intends to provide a Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) and Industry Day Briefing Package in advance of Industry Day.

THIS IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE.

***INDUSTRY DAY***

The Program Executive Officer, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO (U&W)) and PMA-266, Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Air Systems Program Office are surveying industry for current Airborne Radar/Antenna capabilities that can serve to meet MQ-8C Fire Scout (MQ-8C) RADAR capability requirements. The MQ-8C is an unmanned U.S. Navy vertical lift aerial platform made from a modified commercial Bell 407. The information obtained through this effort will be used to further assist in the formulation of requirements, and acquisition approaches/plans for future investment. The MQ-8C can operate from all air capable ships as well as confined area land base and is designed for modular mission payloads, autonomous vertical launch and recovery, autonomous waypoint navigation, and command override capability. The Navy's desire is to produce and integrate MQ-8C Radar/Antenna capability enhancements for implementation in the 2019 timeframe - concurrent with other planned improvements.

NAVAIR will host an Industry Day for the Radar Effort on 29 July 2015. The Industry Day will be conducted at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, Center Hall, 44219 Airport Road, California, MD 20619. Check-In for attendees will occur between 0800 and 0830. Industry Day will begin at 0830 and briefings will continue through 1130. Lunch will occur from 1130 to 1300 and will not be provided as part of Industry Day. One-on-one meetings for potential contractors will be scheduled from 1300 to 1700.

This Industry Day will provide an opportunity for Navy leadership to brief industry on highlights of the RADAR capability requirements and tasks, as well as, review proposal preparation procedures and the source selection process. A question and answer session will be conducted after the briefings.

One-on-one meetings for potential contractors will be individually scheduled during the one-on-one timeframe. Only those registered participants who attend Industry Day and intend to provide a RADAR for the MQ-8C may be considered eligible to also participate in one-on-one meetings. The Government reserves the right to extend the one-on-one timeframe to allow for additional meetings.

Pre-registration for the Radar Industry Day is required. Attendance at Industry Day is limited to a maximum of 5 individuals per organization and/or each business sector of an organization. To register for Industry Day, and to separately request a one-on-one meeting complete the attached registration form and email Mr. Raymond Cannon at Raymond.C.Cannon@navy.mil.

Responses shall include:

1. Organization name, address, and CAGE Code;
2. Primary Organization Point of Contact (POC) name, email and phone number;
3. List of Organization Attendee's to include full name, email, and phone number;
4. Indicate organizational request for one-on-one meeting participation.

Registrations by telephone will not be accepted. Security clearances are not required and all discussions will be unclassified. The deadline for submitting registration requests is 22 July 2015.

All registered participants may submit proposed questions in advance of Industry Day. Any proposed questions are to be submitted to Mr. Raymond Cannon at Raymond.C.Cannon@navy.mil no later than 22 July 2015. Pre-printed questions in advance of industry day are requested. The Government will either address the questions at Industry Day itself or provide answers after the event.

Government Contractor Support Service (CSS) personnel may be in attendance at Industry Day to provide administrative support. CSS companies include: Ausley Associates Inc, Wyle Aerospace Group, and Camber Corporation.

The Government will NOT assume liability for costs incurred by an Industry Day participant for travel expenses, presentations, marketing efforts or data offered for examination.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This announcement is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for any information solicited or provided. This is not a commitment by the Government to issue an RFP, pay for any proposal or proposal preparation costs, or award a contract.

This is an UNCLASSIFIED meeting. All information discussed must be unclassified. All information provided by or discussed by attendees must not be Contractor Proprietary or Business Sensitive Information. Any information or ideas shared during this industry day will be used to develop Radar technical and/or acquisition documents.

While Industry Day will be conducted at the UNCLASSIFIED level, organizations must have a SECRET facility clearance and safeguarding capability (Form DD-254 required) in order to receive classified information in the future.

***EXTENSION:
Submittals of the RFI has been extended till COB (5:00pm EST) 22 August 2014.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

SUMMARY

This announcement constitutes an RFI notice for market research purposes. This is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP). NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS EXIST.

PMA-266 is surveying industry for current Airborne Radar/Antenna capabilities that can serve to meet MQ-8C Fire Scout (MQ-8C) Radar capability requirements. The MQ-8C is an unmanned U.S. Navy vertical lift aerial platform made from a modified commercial Bell 407. The information obtained through this effort will be used to further assist in the formulation of requirements, and acquisition approaches/plans for future investment.

Note: Provisions have been made to handle proprietary and classified documentation in accordance with applicable DoD requirements.

CONTENT OF RFI RESPONSE

To understand each company's radar/antenna equipment, certain data documenting the technology, design, performance characteristics and associated costs are desired. Describe your product(s), their current state of maturity, and GIVE CONSIDERATION to addressing the following questions, where possible and to the extent practical.

In addition, any substantiating supplemental background, comparative analysis or trade studies that can be provided will greatly improve the government's understanding of your product(s).

GENERAL

1. Provide a general description of the system(s) and/or component(s). The system should be able to meet the following requirements:

a. Architecture. Compatible with Ethernet System architecture.
b. Interfaces. Comply with common standards (i.e. CD-2, Asterix, Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP/IP RS-232, STANAG).
c. Operational capabilities. Sea Surface Search, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), and Weather modes are required, equipped with an antenna/array with a minimum of 180 degree Field Of Regard (FOR). Periscope detection and discrimination, Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI), High Range Resolution (HRR), maritime classification aids, and radar resource management are desired.
d. Operational supportability. This system would be installed on the MQ-8C air vehicle which is planned to deploy on small air-capable ships (e.g. Littoral Combat Ship).
e. Remote Control Capability (i.e. capability of being controlled from shipboard MQ-8 control station). Must be capable of being transmitting data on Ku band TCDL. Desired C band TCDL
f. System status monitoring capability. System must be capable of monitoring and reporting system status to the operator.
g. Data Display. System should have a Plot Extractor, Track Data and Data Formatter capability.
h. Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). Radar system has been allocated the following:
i. Size. A total external volume of 12 inches maximum below the aircraft structure with a maximum diameter of 30 inches is allocated for the antenna pedestal and array. Remaining components are allocated a volume of 27 in X 46 in X 20 in internally to the aircraft.
ii. Weight. Total system weight excluding the radome is less than 180 lbs.
iii. Power. Must be compatible with 28VDC input power with a continuous draw less than 1 kW.

2. Describe your company's integration history on other unmanned or similar sized aerial platforms.

3. Describe the system(s) modes of operation (i.e. operational capabilities, maintenance, standby, limited, other).

4. Describe any power filtering/conditioning before/after going to the system(s) subunits.

5. Is your system(s) currently in production and if so, what is the current production rate? What is the production lead time for your system(s)? If not in production what is the anticipated production start date?

Provide the overall system(s) and individual subsystems' Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL) and method used to make the determinations. (Refer to DoD Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) Guidance, April 2011 for Technology Readiness Level definitions, descriptions and supporting information. For MRL definitions, refer to DoD Manufacturing Readiness Level Deskbook Version 2.0, May 2011.)

6. Does your system(s) contain any critical technology element? Does your system contain any known Critical Program Information (CPI)? Does your system contain any Military Critical Technologies, per the Military Critical Technologies List (MCTL)?

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION

7. Provide a thorough description of all search modes, to include, but not limited to:

a. Field of View (FOV)/Field of Regard (FOR)
b. Maximum and minimum detection ranges.
c. Resolutions.
d. Geolocation, azimuth, and range accuracies. Assume that the MQ-8C uses a LN-251 Navigator.
e. Search Frame Times.

8. With regard to the track data; provide the following information:

a. Plot and Track Update Rate available to an external display system.
b. Data Latency.
iv. From beam illumination of target to plot and track data output, at the proposed system output port before the external display system. Include the following processing times in your latency calculations: receiver, signal processing time, plot extractor, plot combiner, sensor tracker and data formatter.
c. Track.
v. What is the maximum track (provisional and confirmed) capacity of your system(s) tracker?
vi. What is the track initiation range and track accuracy of your system(s) for various types of maritime targets (e.g. tanker/cargo, large combatant, small combatant, RHIB, etc.)?

9. What is the Probability of Detection (Pd) for various types of maritime targets for each of your system(s) search modes? Please provide detection curves for each mode against 10 dBsm and 30 dBsm surface targets based on 1 false displayed track per hour given a 30 second declaration time. Assume a Douglas sea state 3 with an operating altitude of 8,000 ft AGL at mid latitudes with clear air propagation.

10. What is the radar system(s) capability of detecting maritime targets in rain conditions? Perform the same analysis as paragraph 8, but use rain conditions instead of clear air. Please include attenuation and backscatter data. Assume a rainfall of 4 mm/hr and a weather cell propagation width of 5 km. Assume that the target is within the rain cell and is moving with the rain.

11. Does the radar system(s) have any environmental operating limitations?

12. What is the operating frequency(s) of the radar system(s)? Is your system(s) Spectrum Certified and/or have a Frequency Allocation?

13. For imaging modes, specify the default resolution ranges that are available.

14. For weather modes, specify the capabilities (i.e. rain density, turbulence, wind shear).

INTERFACES

15. What type of system cooling is required?

16. Address your system(s) compliance with Open Architecture standards, and barriers and/or imposed restrictions. Please address your restricted data rights assertions.

17. Provide the following information as it pertains to target output to the external display system:
a. Type and format.
b. Standards supported.
c. Physical connections.
d. Supported data rates including plots, tracks, weather, status and control messages.
e. Can digitized video be provided as an output?

Ethernet

Does your system(s) send radar data out over an Ethernet network?

18. What protocols are supported (i.e. IPV4, IPV6, etc.)?

19. Does your system(s) support Gigabit Ethernet data output?

20. Does the system(s) support User Datagram Protocol (UDP), broadcast, multicast?

21. What messages are provided (i.e. status, 3d target position, weather, etc.)?

22. Does your system(s) accept control messages via Ethernet?

Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)

23. Can a Government furnished IFF interrogation antenna be co-mounted with your radar system(s)?

24. Is there an IFF system embedded in your system(s)?

25. If the system(s) already has IFF functionality, describe the type of IFF input/output interfaces available (i.e. Ethernet, RF, ACP, Remote Control etc.).

SECURITY

26. What security provisions does your system(s) provide and/or require?

27. What is the data storage and download capability of your system(s)?

SUPPORTABILITY

28. Provide supportability data of your radar system(s) to include:

a. Operational availability (AO).
b. Mean Time Between Operational Mission Failure (MTBOMF).
c. Mean Time Between Maintenance (MTBM).
d. Mean Time To Repair (MTTR).

29. Do your system(s) have an integrated BIT/BITE capability?

30. What is the maintenance philosophy of your system(s)?

31. Identify Special/Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE) requirements.

32. Do any training materials/trainers exist?

COST

33. Provide the following Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) substantiating data to include fees and others charges that convert all costs to the total price. Substantiation should be based on analogous cost history with any adjustments for complexity, work content, etc.

34. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) of your system(s) to include:

a. An estimate of the non-recurring costs to modify your existing system(s) for installation and operation in the MQ-8C. Assume the SWaP allocation is available for your system(s) installation. Non-recurring costs include qualification to MIL-STD-810 (particular attention to maritime environment), MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-704.
b. The flyaway cost of the basic system(s) at a rate of 2, 6, and 10 per year.
c. Any support equipment, data/pubs, training, and logistics and spares costs (and supporting sparing analysis) to be paid by the Government.

RESPONSE SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Address all inquiries to (POC) Ms. Amy Lankford at (301) 757-5897 or amy.lankford@navy.mil. All responses to this notice must be postmarked no later than 11 August 2014.

All responses submitted must specify on the cover page of the response or in the transmittal letter submitted with the response, the business size/status of the organization (i.e., large business, small business, certified 8(a) concern, veteran-owned, hubzone, women-owned, etc.). Small businesses that possess the required capability are encouraged to submit responses to this notice.

Interested parties should respond to the RFI with the requested data and provide a single Point of Contact (POC) for any necessary clarifications. All data submissions shall include electronic media, Microsoft Office 2010 compatible, and one hard copy.

Send to:
Naval Air Systems Command
Bldg 441, Rm 134
AIR 2.4.2, ATTN: Ms. Amy Lankford
21983 Bundy Road
Patuxent River, MD 20670-1906.

**To the extent practical, responses should be UNCLASSIFIED, complemented by CLASSIFIED appendices if necessary. If a CLASSIFIED response is required, contact the POC for further instruction.

This RFI is issued for the purpose of market research to determine capabilities, feasibility, and capability of sources and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Proposals (RFP), a Request for Quotes (RFQ) or an indication that the Government will contract for any capability and/or services contained in this notice. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. The Government is only seeking information, current capabilities, and industrial views of future capabilities for informational purposes. No solicitation document exists. No reimbursement will be made for any costs to provide information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests.

Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced under a separate Federal Business Opportunities announcement.