Air Launched Effects (ALE) UAS Configuration Trades and Analyses - Request For Information

Air Launched Effects UAS Configuration Trades and Analyses This announcement is a Request for Information (RFI) in support of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC), Technology Development Directorate - Aviation (TDD-A). This RFI is solely for planning purposes and to identify interested sources. It shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to invest in or acquire any products or services. Currently, Army aircraft lack adequate reconnaissance, targeting and weapon options to engage and defeat threat targets at standoff across the full range of engagement profiles and can no longer achieve overmatch due to limitations in locating, identifying, targeting, and options for precision and non-precision munitions. The future multi-domain operational environment will present a highly lethal and complex set of traditional and non-traditional targets that will include networked and mobile air defense systems with extended ranges, and long and mid-range fires systems that will deny freedom of maneuver. To gain and maintain overmatch in the future conflict, Army Aviation must modernize and distribute its reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition (RSTA) and lethality with an advanced team of manned and unmanned aircraft as part of an ecosystem including Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and Air Launched Effects (ALE). The synergistic effect of the ecosystem enables the penetration and dis-integration of an adversary's Anti-Access Area Denial (A2AD) environment, which is comprised of an Integrated Air Defense System (IADS), Integrated Fires Complex (IFC), and electronic warfare (EW) systems. ALE must be able to detect, identify, locate, report (DILR), and deliver lethal and non-lethal effects against threats across multiple scenarios and domains in a constantly changing Operational Environment (OE). ALE will provide RSTA and organic extension/standoff to the FARA ecosystem, using supporting Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) to deliver effects against peer threat IADS, IFC, and electronic warfare (EW) systems. Simply put, ALE is a critical component of the FARA ecosystem's ability to regain the asymmetric advantage in reach, stand-off, protection, and lethality required in the execution of joint combined arms and maneuver operations. TDD-A has an interest in exploring the development of advanced technologies to inform Air Launched Effects (ALE) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) investment decisions. The ALE UAS Configuration Trades and Analyses (CTA) is planned to be a FY21-22 science and technology (S&T) effort to inform the ALE requirements and enable the development of an acceptable-risk acquisition program intended for a new Army Aviation capability. The objective of the ALE CTA is to provide conceptual designs, trade-space analyses and sensitivities intended to inform ALE requirements and acquisition decisions in concert with the planned ALE program of record. Specific information requested in this RFI includes comments on the nature and details of the enclosed DRAFT Request For Proposal (RFP) announcement. TDD-A welcomes white papers recommending technical approaches that address the DRAFT RFP scope, deliverables, and schedule. In addition, white papers should include a statement of interest and provide a summary of experience related to aircraft design. For this RFI, TDD-A will not consider information regarding potential ALE solutions beyond a summary of prior experience. White papers should not exceed 20 pages in length using Times New Roman or Arial font with a font size no less than 10 pitch and include a cover letter and point of contact information including company name, contact name, company address, contact phone number and email address, and company website (if available). Submission Instructions: Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this RFI by no later than 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday, 7 December 2020. Submissions larger than 5MB should be submitted through the DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE) at https://safe.apps.mil/. Note non-DoD submissions through SAFE site require an email with subject - Drop-off Request ALE to the Government Points of Contacts (POCs) and a submission link will be provided. Electronic delivery is preferred, but if other delivery methods are required, please e-mail the POCs. Responses to this RFI must be unclassified. All questions must be submitted via e-mail to the POCs for this RFI; Kenny Hood at kenneth.m.hood.civ@mail.mil and Genie Williams at genie.s.williams.civ@mail.mil. No telephone inquiries or requests will be entertained. The Government will utilize non-Government personnel (support contractor) to review and evaluate white papers submitted in response to this RFI. If any respondent does not currently have a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that would permit the TDD-A support contractor listed below to review the respondent's RFI submission, the respondent is encouraged to sign NDAs with the listed support contractor for this purpose. In any event, any markings on the submissions in response to this RFI should reflect that the information is releasable to the identified support contractor solely for the purposes stated herein. The contractor listed below will be precluded from submitting a response to this RFI or any subsequent solicitation for this effort. The following support contractor will review and evaluate the white papers: Company, Individual, Email Address: Science and Technology Corp., Mark Scott, mark.w.scott47.ctr@mail.mil Science and Technology Corp., Jeff Sinsay, jeffrey.d.sinsay2.ctr@mail.mil This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to invest in or acquire any products or services. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of any submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Department of Defense in developing its acquisition strategy and statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. In an effort to ease the coordination for potential need of nondisclosure agreements between multiple parties as part of the Government's market research, the following disclaimer is provided: The Government will treat all RFI responses as proprietary and will disclose the contents only for the purpose of Government market research and acquisition planning activities. Standard proprietary disclaimers notwithstanding, the Government intends to use non-Government technical support contractors and technical experts who have signed a nondisclosure agreement with the Government. All proprietary information is submitted with the above understanding and should be marked accordingly.