Nose Weather Radar System for NOAA WP-3D Orion Aircraft

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought notice to determine what sources exist that could provide a Nose Weather Radar System for use in the NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft as the primary flight safety radar. Background The NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) instruments, maintains, and operates aircraft in support of a variety of meteorological and oceanographic research projects. Two of AOC's aircraft are WP-3D Orion (a variant of the Lockheed P-3C), manufactured in the 1970's. Each aircraft is equipped with a Collins WXR-700 C Weather radar system mounted in the nose of the aircraft. The system was originally installed in 1984. This system is no longer being manufactured and some repair parts are no longer available. NOAA/AOC is considering alternatives to replace the nose weather radar system with a commercially available system. Since these aircraft are primarily used for weather research the ability of the radar to penetrate and identify severe weather is critical to the safety and success of the aircraft mission. Potential Missions and Associated Capabilities Standard Flight Capability - Weather radar shall meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for Airborne Weather Radar Equipment for transport category aircraft including Technical Standard Order (TSO) C63d. The system shall have sufficient documentation in order for AOC to certify the air worthiness of the installation. AOC uses similar standards as the FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) process even though the WP-3D are not FAA type certificated (TC) aircraft. Hurricane and other Severe Weather Reconnaissance - The WP-3D aircraft fly in close proximity to and penetrate the severe weather in hurricanes and thunderstorms. These flights are often conducted at very low altitudes. It is desired that the weather radar system have features that improves the situational awareness of the flight crew under these circumstances. It is also used to identify weather features important to the mission such as Hurricane eye location. It should have features to allow the crew to adjust the system parameters to fit the mission situation in order to best map the weather hazards. An example would be the capability to adjust the radar to minimize radar shadowing while giving up DBZ accuracy. It should not have automatic features that are difficult to disable, that adjust radar modes based on typical commercial or military flights that would prevent the operator from using the system to its best advantage. Installation The current system has a 28 x 30 inch phased array antenna with a beam width of 5.4 degrees. The pedestal and antenna weigh approximately 30 pounds and are mounted at Flight Station (FS) 146. They are connected to the receiver/transmitters (RT) by a short length (18 Inches) of RG-8 coaxial cable and a longer length of C band waveguide. The 2 RTs are located in the aircraft B1 and B2 Cabinets at FS 386 and 397. The primary display is located on the flight deck with additional displays at the Navigator's station FS 312, flight meteorologist station FS 309 and the radar scientist station FS 541. The Navigator and Flight Meteorologist can share scans with the flight deck to allow different radar settings for the flight deck. The current system is stabilized by three wire synchro signals from a Replacement Inertial Navigation Unit (RINU). The RINUs primary output bus is Mil-STD-1553, and also has other formats available. NOAA is interested in vendors that can provide a commercial system with the capabilities needed to perform the missions listed above. The ideal proposed system should have features that meet the FAA TSO C63d. It should have multiple display options and be capable of being displayed on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) multifunction displays. The system antenna is to be mounted in the unpressurized aircraft nose and should have a similar beam width as the existing antenna. The RTs may be mounted in the nose, B1 or B2 cabinet or other available location. The system should be controllable from at least two locations and a shared scan or similar capability is highly desired. Although there may be some software customization and a custom physical installation in NOAA's unique aircraft, the basic hardware (Line Replaceable Units), processing software, and user interface should be a proven solution with commercial (FAA) and/or military (US DOD) certification/qualification. Interested vendors should provide information about systems they may offer, including name/model number, publicly available technical specifications, and information about certification/qualification and/or examples of existing aircraft installations. Responses should include a statement regarding their capabilities and qualifications to provide the required item; sufficient information that describes or demonstrates the firm's technical capability to provide the specified item; time of delivery to include design and manufacture of the item that meets NOAA requirements in months or weeks after receipt of a contract; sufficient information that describes or demonstrates the firm's technical capability to provide the specified required item; and if the item cannot be manufactured as defined by NOAA, provide rationale. Responses This RFI is not a solicitation, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the Government, implied or otherwise, to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses to this RFI will be used by NOAA, in conducting market research of industry, to identify sources that can meet the NOAA requirements. Responses to this notice are voluntary. The Government will not pay for costs incurred in responding to this notice. Along with the requested capabilities information, interested sources should provide the following business information: 1. Company Name/Address 2. Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code 3. DUNS Number 4. Point of Contact Name 5. Phone Number 6. Email Address 7. Company Website 8. Business size relative to the size standard for the NAICS Code and socioeconomic category (i.e. Small Business, Other than Small Business, 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business). All business information and capability statement packages are required to be submitted by the date and time specified for responses. Packages should be sent electronically in a format compatible with Adobe Reader to Michael Dolly via email at Michael.s.dolly@noaa.gov. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. Capability statement packages will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining the availability and adequacy of potential sources prior to determining an acquisition strategy and contract strategy. DOC, Eastern Acquisition Division-Kansas City Office requires that all contractors doing business with this office be registered with System for Award Management (SAM). No award can be made to a company not registered in SAM. For additional information and to register in SAM please access the following web site: http://www.sam.gov. In order to register, all vendors must have a Dunn & Bradstreet Number. A Dunn & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dunn & Bradstreet on-line at http://www.dnb.com/eupdate or by phone at (800) 333-0505.