FA8620-16-R-ISR2282 SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS

SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ONLY. This announcement constitutes a Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) for the purpose of conducting market research only. No solicitation exists. This is not a request for a quote, request for proposal, or an invitation to bid, nor is this to be construed as a commitment by the US Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Information received as a result of this notice will be considered solely for the purpose of determining the appropriate acquisition decision for possible future procurement. A determination by the Air Force not to open the requirement to open competition, based on response to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Air Force. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for offers.The Government will not reimburse or pay for any information submitted in response to this SSS or any follow-up information requests. Introduction The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Sensors Foreign Military Sales (AFLCMC/WINI) intends to procure the requirements listed in Attachment 1: 1. C208B EX Grand Caravan aircraft and associate support components (see Attach 1, Section A for detail); 2. ISR payload to include Electro Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor, Data-link components for transportable Ground Station, Airborne Transmission Equipment and Tactical Receivers (see Attach 1, Section B for detail); and 3. Total System-of-Systems (SOS) integration, training, contractor logistics support (CLS), and delivery (see Attach 1, Section C for detail.) AFLCMC/WINI shall perform the primary role of coordination and direction between the three sources identified above. Any one contractor or group of contractors (via one stated primary contractor) is encouraged to respond to the requirements in one Section, part of a Section, or combination of Sections outlined in in Attachment 1. If the responder is considering supplying more than one Section, then the response shall be analyzed as independent Sections of supply/service. Within the response, the vendor shall provide insight for any efficiency that shall be gained to the technical, schedule and/or cost of the program by responding to more than one Section in Attachment 1. This system shall be presented as International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) compliant. All components are to have existing evidence of approved US Department of State DSP-5 documentation for release-ability into the AFRICOM baseline (or similar level) with respect to the historical ISR System of Systems (airborne and ground-based). Total system shall be composed of a series of critical components with established confirmation as to assessment, reporting and review with record, for Critical Program Information (CPI). All components shall present as Non-CPI and/or CPI accepted within a level that does not require the implementation of an active design series of Anti-Tamper techniques and/or monitoring. Program Content Final SOS is to provide airborne operations with MX-15 Electrical Optical / Infrared (EO/IR) sensor, Airborne Sensor Operator Console (ASOC) and Line-of-Sight (LOS) DataLink on a Cessna C208B EX (Grand Caravan). Ground nodes of tentative ISR SOS would include LOS operations of compatible Tactical Receivers (airborne-ground, short range) and LOS Ground Stations (airborne-ground, longer range to LOS at horizon) with respect to aircraft position. The SOS shall utilize an established COTS system and/or integrate non-developmental items from historically similar systems to the greatest extent possible. Allowances will be granted for modifications to an established design series for foreign release limits. The SOS shall have a pre-assessed and approved Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the FAA for the airframe and all associated modifications and safety standards. The Period of Performance for the acquisition of the entire SOS component, the integration of the payload on the C208B EX (GRAND CARAVAN), and provisions of the required associate ground-based equipment, shall not exceed 14 months from Award of Contract(s) (AOC) date. As such, the SOS shall have minimal developmental components for hardware and/or software, training, technical services and Contractor Logistical Support (CLS). The ISR sensor platform and associate ground nodes shall employ a communication structure that is compatible with the present and established interfaces across the AFRICOM deployments. The SOS shall be interoperable with a standard ground-based transportable ground station or (personnel carried) tactical receiver, and be matched by sufficient communications capabilities to enable their use in LOS tactical operations. The Airborne Sensor Operator Control (ASOC) station and associated peripheral devices shall fit within the Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP) limitations of the C208B EX Grand Caravan with enough margins left for three additional people beside the pilot, co-pilot, and sensor operator (six total). The system shall consist of an airborne ISR platform, at least four (4) tactical receivers, and an associated, dedicated ground station. There is no requirement for Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS), satellite or ground-based, communication capabilities for near-real-time (NRT) dissemination for intra-country C4ISR requirement for this system. The system shall contain two data links: one for tactical receivers on the ground and one for a ground station located at a forward operating site (CONOPs defined as within the LOS (RF horizon) limits of the airborne operational way-points of the mission.) The tactical receiver datalink shall be a one-way transmission of video data from the C208B EX (Grand Caravan) to the tactical receiver. The ground station datalink shall consist of a down link and uplink. The system shall simultaneously transmit the MX-15 video stream to the ground station through a directional datalink, and simultaneously to the tactical receivers using an Omni-directional scheme. Capabilities of airborne to ground-based fixed site nodes shall have an 80 NM (or greater) slant range to fixed site ground station and 8 NM or greater slant range to tactical receiver using Omni-directional antenna. All data links shall incorporate ONLY the allowed International Wave Form(s) (IWF) and have sufficient link margin to downlink full motion video and associated metadata ONLY from the MX-15 to a dedicated ground station and the uplink must contain only the information necessary to maintain link between the C208B EX (Grand Caravan) and ground station. The C208B EX (Grand Caravan) shall also be equipped with a HF and U/VHF voice communication suite to enable interaction and coordination between the aircrew, sensor operator, and ground station personnel. The voice communication shall use only AES Citadel encryption, ANW2Ce software, and be limited to 512 MHz maximum transmission frequency. Equipment racks and Group A wiring and antennas may be re-used where possible. The ground station shall receive and display the MX-15 video information and associated metadata. It shall also contain a communication suite compatible with the suite onboard the C208B EX (Grand Caravan). All system fixed and airborne nodes require the ability to display and record data. Minimum capacities shall exceed an eight-hour mission with full load of video streams and associated mission data content. Recorded mission data shall be capable of transfer from airborne node to ground node post mission. The ground station shall be portable and capable of being disassembled, transported by ground vehicle, and reassembled at another location with 1 hour minimum setup and return to transport time under normal situations by two people. All responses shall outline fully-deployed system support requirements with respect to Contractor Logistics Support (CLS), training, repairs and spares. The vendor shall minimize the use of special or unique tools to operate or maintain the system to the most economical extent possible. Assumptions need to account for forward operations under difficult conditions for manpower support and shipping. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 334511, size standard 750 employees. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. Information received as a result of this notice will be considered solely for the purpose of determining the appropriate acquisition decision for possible future procurement. A determination by the Air Force not to open the requirement to open competition, based on response to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Air Force. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for offers.