HADES Platform RFI

Request for Information on Medium/Large Commercial Jet that will be integrated with Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (A-ISR) Sensors. Medium/High Altitude, Higher Airspeed (increased range/ operational area) day/night, all-weather, pressurized, large-size-cabin Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Regulation Part 25, Airworthiness Standards, certified executive jet-category aircraft. Synopsis: This Request for Information (RFI), issued in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), Exchanges with Industry before Receipt of Proposals, is for informational and planning purposes only. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government (USG) to contract for any supply or service. Responses are not proposals for contract award. The information obtained from this market research is for planning purposes only. The USG will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in responding to this RFI as all costs will be the Respondent's responsibility. The responses to the RFI are strictly market research IAW FAR Part 10, Market Research. The United States Army Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is seeking information on potential concepts and ideas for: The Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) Product Directorate of the Fixed Wing Project Office (FWPO) has an emerging requirement for up to fourteen (14) Medium/Large Commercial Jets starting in US Government Fiscal Year 2026 that will be integrated with Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (A-ISR) Sensors. Jets shall be Medium/High Altitude, Higher Airspeed (increased range/ operational area) day/night, all-weather, pressurized, large-size-cabin Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Regulation Part 25, Airworthiness Standards, certified executive jet-category aircraft. The Army will provide platforms as government furnished equipment to a system integrator. Integration of A-ISR capabilities will likely drive a need for wing hard points, belly canoe, and radome. The aircraft will require adequate Size, Weight, Power, and Cooling (SWaP-C) to support integration of multiple intelligence sensors. Only aircraft currently in production will be considered and to ensure suitable service life, only new aircraft will be considered. Provide a description of the services and capability to perform engineering support and studies related to Jet and potential Jet modifications required in the development of the A-ISR solution. Aircraft simulation and initial jet training services related to the proposed jet are being sought. The US Army would benefit from leveraging training, maintenance, and aircraft knowledge of other Joint Services (i.e. US Air Force or Navy) or US/ International Government Agencies have made prior procurement of the selected platform. UNCLASSIFIED RESPONSES REQUESTED: The USG is interested in receiving meaningful feedback on air platforms that meet the proposed requirements along with the information requested below. Interested sources that possess the technical capability and resources to fulfill the Government's requirements stated herein are invited to provide a Capability Statement describing how the Respondent would meet the following requirements. The Capability Statement format shall be Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Reader. Font size shall NOT be smaller than 12-point Times New Roman or Arial. Respondents should include a 1-page summary with a short description of capabilities and no more than 9 additional written pages with details on the Respondent's ability to satisfy the following: Aircraft Platform Requirements: a. New original equipment manufacturer (OEM) aircraft. b. Operate between 41,000 -51,000 feet Above Mean Sea Level (MSL) or above after integration of 6500lbs of Mission Equipment Package (MEP) integration. c. Minimum of 14,000 pounds of payload, while maintaining 12 hours or more of unrefueled flight endurance including Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) fuel reserve requirements as outlined in AR 95-1, Flight Regulations, (12 hours + 45 minutes Total). d. In-production through calendar year 2030. e. Aircraft fuselage and empennage skin and structural components shall not be composite materials. Limited use of composite materials for nose cones, tail cones, pylons, fairings and RADOMES is permissible. f. Capable of sustained transit speeds (at maximum operational altitude) equal to or greater than 450 knots true airspeed (KTAS). g. Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) and Future Air Navigation System 1/A compliant h. Fully enclosed Lavatory functional to aircraft exterior water and waste servicing ports. i. Established supplemental type certificates (STCs) to support Outer Mold Line (OML) efforts to support integration efforts. j. Ability to self-deploy with a range of 6000 nautical miles (NM). Aircraft Platform Information: a. Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost for a green platform. b. Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude cost for proposed STCs to support OML changes. (e.g. wing hardpoints, a belly canoe, and radome.) c. List any supplemental type certificates (or any foreseen challenges) to integrate wing hard points, belly canoe, Satellite Communication (SATCOM) cheek radome, and any A-ISR capabilities. List the Technology Readiness Level of Respondent's efforts. d. Provide an estimate of operational flying hour cost. e. Provide Respondent's capacity to support USG purchase of up to 4 aircraft in a year. Assuming Contract Award in Oct 2026, provide delivery timeline for a green aircraft and a shaped aircraft. f. Provide platform's (excess) size, weight, power, and cooling that can be applied to mission equipment. Describe platform's mission power distribution system. g. List any previous commercial determinations for existing products. h. If an aircraft OEM, list whether Respondent worked with ISR integrators to modify aircraft. At a minimum, describe Respondent's approach to Engineering Services, Data Acquisition, Airworthiness Certification/ Qualification, and any foreseen challenges. i. List other DoD or USG customers. Include information regarding an existing contract vehicle that would ease procurement of Respondent's platform. j. List any Foreign Military Sales or International Sales. k. State whether Respondent's platform has an existing flight simulator and the flight simulator level. List whether there is an existing training package that the USG could leverage. It is the intent of the FWPO to conduct individual conference calls with the viable Respondents after the closure of the RFI process. The USG may assess the capability of a Respondent's system. SUBMISSION: USG reserves the right to not respond, or to publish all questions and answers at SAM.gov. Submit RFI synopsis responses and comments via email NLT 28 June 2024 at 4:00 p.m. CDT to the following addresses: pamela.n.pritchard.civ@army.mil and james.h.pattullo.civ@army.mil. Frequently Asked Questiones: 1. Regarding Aircraft Platform Requirements: Paragraph b. requires that the aircraft must operate between 41,000 -51,000 feet Above Mean Sea Level (MSL). Our interpretation of this requires an aircraft that can operate at or above 41,000 MSL. And that there is no requirement to operate above 51,000 MSL. Is our understand, correct? Government Response: Yes, the assumption is correct. 2. Regarding Aircraft Platform Requirements: Paragraph c. requires us to support a minimum of 14,000 pounds of payload. [Note that paragraph B identifies 6,500 lbs. of MEP]. Can you clarify the nature of the additional 7,500 lbs.? Does it include personnel, baggage, supplies? Is it provided on pallets, or how is this packaged? Government Response: Yes, the additional 7,500 lbs. is to account for people, baggage, cabling, associated equipment and growth margin. 3. Regarding Aircraft Platform Requirements: In the description, the requirements are a Part 25, Airworthiness Standards, certified executive Jet-category aircraft. We do not know of a business/executive jet aircraft (comparable to the current HADES aircraft (Global 6500) that has a payload of 14,000 lbs. and can still meet 12 hours of endurance under normal cruise with modifications installed (OML). Can you clarify that the 12 hours endurance is in a loiter, reduced power, high altitude flight profile? Government Response: Yes, the 12 hours are reduced power and loitering. 4. Regarding Green Aircraft: Can you confirm that the Army desires for our input on the make and model aircraft and that the Army will source and procure the green aircraft for the contract? Would the government consider COCO operations and or a long term leased green aircraft? Government Response: Yes, the intent is to procure a green aircraft. The government is not currently interested in leasing an aircraft for this effort.