PROPOSERS' DAY CONFERENCEDARPA will host a Proposers' Day Conference in support of the Optical RF Communication Adjunct (ORCA) program on 11 July 2007 at George Mason University, Arlington Campus Professional Center, 3401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 329, Arlington, VA; beginning at 8:00am and lasting until 5:00pm. The purpose of this Conference is to provide information on the ORCA effort, promote additional discussion on this topic, address questions from potential proposers, and provide a forum for potential proposers to present their capabilities for teaming opportunities. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION ORCA is the Son of the Optical RF Combined Link Experiment (ORCLE). This effort restructures ORCLE to meet a new customer requirement that requires aircraft operation in a more challenging atmospheric environment located at 25, 000ft MSL. The ORCA program seeks to design, build and test a secure hybrid electro-optical/radio-frequency, IP (Internet Protocol) based, communication system for tactical reach-back applications. There is a need for high capacity links for tactical applications due to the increasing use of video and the aggregation of low rate data sources from forward areas for transmission to Tactical Operations Centers. This aggregated information is placing increasing demands on the throughput of current RF systems and RF satellite links. In addition, increasing commercial demands on satellite links and radio-frequency (RF) spectrum requires the incorporation of optical communication capability to relieve RF congestion and more efficiently use allocated RF capacity for the most critical traffic. The objective of this effort is a prototype demonstration between a ground-based moving node to an aircraft loitering 50km distant and flying at 25,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL). One aircraft relays information to another aircraft flying at 25,000 feet MSL and at a distance of 200km (124 miles) and may also be 50km from a fixed ground station with connectivity to a ground network. The objective is to finish the program with a level six Technology Readiness Level (TRL-6) system and provide a leave behind capability for any potential users of this equipment. This effort is divided into three phases. The objective of Phase 1 is a mountaintop to mountaintop, air to mountaintop, and mountaintop to valley-floor series of tests culminating with a Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The preliminary design effort shall consist of design and engineering of a hybrid Free Space Optics/Radio Frequency (FSO/RF) high capacity data link and network system. This effort shall include, but shall not be limited to, performance studies, modeling and simulation of the system and its components and the development of a System Requirements Document. Furthermore, a System Concept analysis shall be performed resulting in the production of a System Concept Document to be presented at the PDR. During this phase the contractor should also propose a series of wind tunnel test with the objective to validate the performance and operating environment impact on the perspective system. This should include the wind tunnel test plan, expected results, and metrics on results and comparisons to theory and prior research. Also, the proposer should provide Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies on the dome and window configurations and a plan for test and result reporting. Construction and test of a prototype breadboard system in the Phase 1 objective environments shall precede the PDR. The construction of hardware shall include, but shall not be limited to, one breadboard ground terminal, one breadboard air terminal, and replacement parts for both air and ground terminals. The PDR experiments can be accomplished in sequence over several events. The contractor shall integrate and test these terminals to assure they meet specifications and present results of ground tests and design impacts at PDR. The objective of Phase 2 is an air to air, mountaintop to mountaintop, air to mountaintop, and mountaintop to valley-floor series of tests culminating with a Critical Design Review (CDR). The contractors shall perform higher level engineering on the hybrid reach-back system and sub-systems. Phase 2 efforts shall include, but shall not be limited to, the creation of a prototype System Design, leading into a mid-phase System Design Review (SDR). The objective of Phase 3 is to manufacture, integrate, interface, and test the hybrid reach-back system in a limited user experiment. The objective is to finish Phase 3 with a TRL-6 quality system demonstration. Phase 3 efforts include but are not limited to the generation of Flight and Ground Test Plans, Operating Manuals, Interface Control Documents, support for Flight Readiness Reviews, Technical Review Boards, and Safety Review Boards, as well as documentation, fabrication, and test of prototype equipment for ground and aircraft installation and test. The specific objectives of all Phases of the ORCA program will be presented at the Proposers' Day meeting. DARPA currently plans to solicit proposals for all Phases of the program at this time. REGISTRATION INFORMATION Workshop Participants are requested to register not later than close of business (5:00 PM EDT) 6 July 2007, at the following website: https://www.enstg.com/Signup/default.cfm?ThisCode=OPT14263. Directions to the facility and other materials are also available on the website. Please keep attendance to only those personnel required to appropriately represent your organizational purposes and goals. The attendance roster will be released to all attendees after the conclusion of the conference. There is no registration fee for attending this conference. The Proposers' Day will be unclassified and open to the general public. All attendees will be required to present government issued photo identification upon entry to the event. Additionally, Non-US citizens are required to submit a DARPA Form 60 "Foreign National Visit Request". This form can be found on the registration website and should be faxed to 703-741-0077 (Attention: Jackie Lynch). Attendance is not required to propose to any associated BAA. Additionally, attendees who would like to present company overviews during the conference, discuss their technology expertise, and/or discuss teaming opportunities in scheduled presentations at the conference may request to do so. Presentations may contain up to 4 slides and are limited to five (5) minutes each (including logistical issues). Attendees desiring to reserve a time to present at the meeting should send the presentation in a PowerPoint or PDF electronic format not later than close of business (5:00 PM EDT) 6 July 2007 to BAA07-55@darpa.mil. All material to be displayed at the conference must be approved in advance by both the organization that funded the research and the DARPA Program Manager. The DARPA Program Manager will screen the proposed material for sensitive but unclassified material and approve/disapprove in advance of any presentations. It is the presenter's responsibility to ensure that all material they plan to present at the Proposers' Day Conference has been approved by the funding organization in advance. An electronic copy of all material to be presented must be provided to the DARPA Program Manager for review not later than close of business (5:00 PM EDT) 6 July 2007. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER IDENTIFIED BELOW WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROPOSERS' DAY ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT INSTEAD ADDRESS ALL INQUIRIES AS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED HEREIN. In the event that there is a discrepancy between information posted here and on www.fbo.gov, the FedBizOpps site takes precedence.
