Concept QUAD for BLOS Comm RFI

The purpose of this Amendment is to re-issue the RFI incorporating the changes below: Solicitation Number: RFI-AFRL-RIK-18-06 Notice Type: Modification Synopsis: Request for Information (RFI) on Non- Satellite Communication (SATCOM) Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) Communications FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue a RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. 1.2 FEEDBACK. Submission of an abstract is voluntary. Respondents are advised that AFRL and foreign partners are under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. 1.3 REGULATORY GUIDANCE. This publication constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), "RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract." 2.0 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) The RFI seeks to obtain information on the current state-of-the-art and the future development potential for non-SATCOM BLOS technologies (e.g. troposcatter, HF, UAV relays, passive reflector systems, etc.). Further, it seeks to obtain information about current and planned development initiatives, technology maturity, fabrication methods, availability, schedule and cost of such materials for potential use in anticipated military applications. This announcement is not a request for proposals; therefore, responses to the RFI are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The information submitted will be part of a collaborative approach and peer review across other services, agencies and federal departments and coalition government partners to ensure appropriate coordination and understanding of interdependencies with relevant defense, homeland security, and intelligence authorities. It will also draw upon the deep knowledge, experience, and capabilities within global industrial and academic centers of gravity. Refer to Section 3 of this announcement for instructions on submitting a RFI abstract. 2.1 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: The focus of this RFI is on the identification of existing technologies and the near to long-term development potential for the next generation of non- Satellite Communication (SATCOM) Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communication systems. Non-SATCOM BLOS communication systems that exist today include tropospheric scatter and high frequency systems as well as various tethered and untethered unmanned aerial vehicles that act as relays. We are interested in systems that would provide the best redundancy to SATCOM systems in terms of performance characteristics. These systems may include the above mentioned systems as well as less known systems such as passive scatter systems, e.g. aircraft and meteor burst scatter, or an entirely novel idea of achieving BLOS communications. The response should address aspects such as operating distance of each technology, reliability, throughput, latency, time of day and weather dependence, etc. Information incorporating quantifiable justifications are desired. For example, what are the projected timelines to achieve the proposed BLOS communication methods with the identified technologies? 3.0 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND FORMAT 3.1 SUBMISSIONS DUE DATE: RFI abstract due date is 29 Jul 2019. 3.2 CONTENT AND FORMAT: NO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE RFI RESPONSE. NO EXPORT CONTROLLED INFORMATION WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RFI RESPONSE. INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE RFI RESPONSE MUST BE SHARABLE WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS. Therefore, general scientific/mathematical information. Abstracts must not contain any US Export Controlled information Submissions should briefly summarize the technical concepts and approaches within a maximum of four pages (as broken down in paragraphs c, d and e below), excluding quad chart, figures, references and the cover page. a. Quad Chart (1 page): The template for this is attached to the solicitation. b. Cover Page (1 page only) which must include: 1) Title; 2) Organization; 3) Respondent's technical and administrative points of contact (names, addresses, phones, and email addresses); and 4) Applicable Core Function(s) for the technology/concept or approach: (e.g., air, space, cyberspace, C2, ISR, mission support). c. Executive Summary (1 page only): Summarize concepts, associated challenges as well as approaches to address the enumerated challenges. Respondents are encouraged to be as succinct as possible while providing sufficient detail to adequately convey the concepts, challenges and approaches. d. Technology/Concept Description (2 pages only): Provide an enhanced view of the concepts you are proposing, focusing on the advantages of the technology application and its applicability to the future military needs, indicating the technology maturity and timeline for initial operational capability. The description of each solution should include the current state of development and the predicted performance levels the technology should reasonably achieve. The description should justify why this is a novel idea but also provide evidence as to its realism/feasibility. This should include a technology readiness level, manufacturing readiness level (if appropriate), and cost. e. Applicability to future military needs (optional) (1 page only): Identify and expound upon the potential military benefits, concentrating on the added capability this solution provides that currently does not exist. Indicate if this applies to more than one domain (e.g., air, space, cyberspace, land, and sea). Respondents are encouraged to be as succinct as possible while providing sufficient detail to adequately convey the capabilities these innovative solutions have to military missions. You must submit a CD and a hard copy of the response. The size of the CD submission will be limited to 20 MB. The hard copy format specifications include 12 point font, single-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 by 11 inches paper, with 1-inch margins in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Abstracts must not contain any US Export Controlled information. Unclassified abstracts and CDs must be mailed to the POC listed below: AFRL/RITF Attn: Michael Little 26 Electronic Parkway Rome NY 13441-4514 Telephone: +1 (555) 000-0000 Email: contact@example.gov 3.3 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. The submitted documentation becomes the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned. No solicitation documents exist at this time. This is NOT an Invitation for Bid (IFB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request. This is a request for information announcement for planning purposes only. The Government will not reimburse costs associated with the documentation submitted under this request. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this inquiry. Although proposal terminology may be used in this inquiry, your response will be treated as information only and will not be used as a proposal. This announcement is not to be construed as a formal solicitation. It does not commit the Government to reply to information received, or to later publish a solicitation, or to award a contract based on this information. 3.4 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. This notice is part of Government market research. Proprietary information will not be included, as no guarantees can be made to the protection of this information. All information must be releasable to foreign governments identified in Section 3.5. Information submitted will have the following statement applied to all material(s): This document contains information which is provided in confidence to the Governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States under The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) among these Governments. The information contained herein may be used and disseminated for national defense purposes only within the recipient Governments and their national defense contractors. 3.5 REVIEW PROCESS. Submissions may be reviewed by Government personnel, Federally Funded R&D Centers, support contractors to the Government, and by The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP). TTCP is an international organization that collaborates in defense scientific and technical information exchange, program harmonization and alignment, and shared research activities among the nations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States. 4.0 ELIGIBILITY. The Air Force invites submissions from all those engaged in related research activities and appreciates responses from all capable and qualified sources including, but not limited to, universities, university-affiliated research centers, federally-funded research centers, private or public companies, national laboratories, and government research laboratories. 5.0 INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS. AFRL/RI representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential responders. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements. 6.0 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS. Multiple abstracts within the purview of this RFI announcement may be submitted by each responder. 7.0 IMPORTANT NOTE. Submission ideas may be used in the formulation of TTCP government research plans. We may invite the very best RFI respondents to present at a future workshop. Ideas that have comparatively superior and best substantiated system, operational and cost benefits together with achievable realism that promises the most benefits, may be selected for future discussion. 8.0 AGENCY CONTACTS. Verification of government receipt or questions can be directed to the cognizant technical point of contact (TPOC): AFRL/RITF Attn: Michael Little 26 Electronic Parkway Rome NY 13441-4514 Telephone: +1 (555) 000-0000 Email: contact@example.gov Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant Contracting Officer, as specified below: Amber Buckley Telephone: +1 (555) 000-0000 Email: contact@example.gov