A -- ManTech Full Spectrum Protection Program

Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Integration & Technology Branch, is soliciting unclassified white papers and subsequent classified technical and cost proposals on the research effort described below. Unclassified White Papers should be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (POC) stated in Section VI of the pending Full Text Announcement. Upon notification by the Air Force, offerors will be requested to submit classified technical and cost proposals addressed to the Security Point of Contact stated in Section VI of the pending Full Text Announcement. White papers shall be handled in an unclassified manner. Classified proposals should be placed in two envelopes with the outer envelope addressed to the Security Point of Contact and the inner addressed to the Technical Point of Contact, as stated in Section VI of the pending Full Text Announcement. Offerors submitting unclassified white papers/classified proposals can respond to any one, multiple, or all of the possible 6 research topics. The ManTech Full Spectrum Protection Program aims to increase the produciblity and affordability of countermeasures in order to protect aircrews and weapon systems from a range of emerging threats. The FY06 - FY11 initiative will target technologies for:1. Improving the producibility and / or manufacturing processes for optically hardened materials or components for electro-optical systems and sensors. 2. Process improvements for optical filters for protective eyewear and optical devices. 3. Hardening of optical materials or intrinsically hardening the sensors themselves. 4. Demonstrating repeatable, high-yield processes that enable the production of affordable and high-quality filter materials for use in an aircrew visor format. The six (6) research topics are as follows: 1. Research Topic 1 Process Improvements for Optical Semiconductor Materials 2. Research Topic 2 Affordable Optical Filter Technology for Aircrew Protection 3. Research Topic 3 Improved Manufacturing Processes for Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Pop-up Filters 4. Research Topic 4 Affordable Fiber Optic Faceplates for Image Intensifier Tubes 5. Research Topic 5 Manufacturing Process Improvements for Optically Hardened Materials, Components, or Systems 6. Research Topic 6 Manufacturing Process Improvements for Life Support Equipment This BAA solicitation will consist of two steps for the overall Full Spectrum Protection program. During the first step, the Air Force will issue a BAA solicitation requesting within 30 days an unclassified white paper and rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimate. The BAA solicitation is anticipated to be released 31 Oct 05 and the due date for unclassified white papers is 01 Dec 05. Next, after Air Force evaluation of the unclassified white papers, the Air Force will either request a classified technical and cost proposal from offerors or suggest to offerors that the technical approach outlined in their white papers does not appear to be the direction the Air Force is considering. During Step 2, selected offerors will submit a detailed classified technical and cost proposal. Selected offerors will have 30 days from receipt of the Air Force response to their unclassified white papers to submit their classified technical and cost proposals. Direct questions to the Contracting points of contact identified above.