Request for Information - Delivery Drone Concept

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Delivery Drone Concept Disclaimer: THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY FOR USE BY PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER, UNMANNED AVIATION AND STRIKE WEAPONS (PEO(U&W)), NAVY AND MARINE CORPS SMALL TACTICAL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS PROGRAM OFFICE (PMA-263), PATUXENT RIVER, MD. THIS IS NOT A SOURCES SOUGHT. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION OR A COMMITMENT TO ISSUE A SOLICITATION, AND IT SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY SUBMISSIONS BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS RFI ARE STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES WEBSITE (FBO.GOV). Objective In support of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), PEO(U&W), PMA-263 is conducting market research to identify existing market capabilities, specifically a small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) or family of UAS consisting of, likely, Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and a common handheld Ground Control Station (GCS) capable of transporting material. Operational performance characteristics are described below. The system should be rugged, lightweight, and ready to use as delivered with minimal logistics, training, and support requirements. The air vehicles should be capable of autonomous remote launch or a safe manual launch with a minimum of support equipment from a small confined area, and should be capable of either an autonomous or manual recovery within the same area as launch. The recovery method should be adequate to prevent system damage and allow for short turn-around times between missions. The GCS should be man-portable, control the UAS movement, and consist of the necessary equipment to monitor each UAV's position and status. Assumptions The following assumptions should be considered when providing a response to this RFI. Delivery Drone concepts should describe any significant deviations from these assumptions. - Delivery Drones would be available for USMC operational use as early as the 2019-2020 timeframe - All Delivery Drones will abide by commercial unmanned air vehicle and integration requirements PEO(U&W), PMA-263 is specifically interested in systems with the following characteristics: 1. Lightweight vehicle (notionally under 1,320 pounds max gross take-off weight), all components easily man-portable (small size vehicle), with minimal support equipment and maintenance (logistical footprint) required. 2. Carry approximately 25-500 pounds of cargo. 3. Daytime and nighttime operation. 4. Operate in varied environmental conditions. 5. Minimum range of 10 kilometers. 6. Time to set-up and launch from field packed state (field packed system is defined as having all the required equipment to accomplish a mission and be in a state safe for transportation): 30 min. 7. Currently technologically mature enough to demonstrate operational capability. Response Guidelines Respondents are requested to include an explanation of the following items: 1. Entity information: a. Name b. If applicable: CAGE code, NAICS business size(s), Business status: 8(a), Small Disadvantaged Business, HUB Zone, etc. c. Status as a U.S. entity, or foreign-owned, foreign-controlled, or foreign-influenced company d. Receipt of funds from governmental agencies for development of your system e. Partners, funding sources, investors f. Contact information 2. Summary of previous relevant experience, to be included in PowerPoint slides 3. Delivery Drone concept: a. Picture or image, description (e.g. mass, volume, operations concept, expected lifetime, method of propulsion, etc.) b. Hardware and software architecture description c. When Delivery Drone would be available for service d. Required Delivery Drone logistical footprint for a system with two UAVs e. Landing site and flight constraints f. Maximum cargo capacity dimensions in feet and weight in pounds g. Tradeoff between payload weight and range h. Endurance between refuel or recharge, and if battery powered, how the batteries are recharged, how much time is required to return to full charge following a maximum endurance flight, and equipment required to recharge i. If applicable, data link used for communications between the GCS and each UAV, to include waveform, operational frequency band, analog or digital, and encryption capabilities. j. Assembly required to ready the air vehicle for operation from its field packed state Provide detailed information in response to the questions listed below: 1. Has your company worked with alternative power options? If so, please describe the technology (including technology readiness level), fielding, and logistics involved. 2. Has your company worked with Artificial Intelligence in relation to UAVs? If so, please detail the technology (including technology readiness level), fielding, and logistics involved. 3. Do you have additional autonomy innovations in development for your UAV? If so, please detail the technology (including technology readiness level), fielding, and logistics involved. 4. What are the different types of flight modes and mission control characteristics used by the system (manual, autonomous, waypoints, loiters, hover and stare, etc.)? 5. What safety features (i.e. lost link, lost GPS) are built into the system? 6. What level of encryption does the system use? What other security features does the system have, and how customizable are they? 7. Is the system capable of simultaneous air-vehicle operations from a single Ground Control Station? 8. Is the system capable of navigation in GPS denied environments? If so, how? 9. Is there any recovery equipment required? If so, please provide a description. 10. How many people are required to operate the system and what roles are required? How many people are required to maintain the system and what roles are required? 11. How many cubic feet of space is required to store the system when not being operated? 12. What is the size and weight of the ground control station? 13. From which countries are hardware and software sourced? Responses All interested, capable, and responsible sources that wish to respond to this RFI, please respond with a PowerPoint presentation via electronic mail no later than 30 days from the date of RFI release. Please limit responses to no more than 20 slides, not including preprinted product data sheets or marketing materials. Interested sources may provide multiple responses, one per potential solution, to this RFI. All responses must be UNCLASSIFIED. All responses should be sent to Christina Petrow. Email: Christina.Petrow@navy.mil Phone:(301)-342-3221 DO NOT SEND ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. Interested respondents are hereby notified that Covered Government Support Contractors as defined in DFARS 252.227-7013 Rights in Technical Data - Noncommercial Items (Feb 2014) will have access to the respondent's RFI response submittals. The Covered Government Support Contractors are employees of Avian LLC and Bowhead Science & Technology under Government contract that includes DFARS 252.227-7025, Limitations on the Use of Disclosure of Government-Furnished Information Marked with Restrictive Legends (May 2013). Any responses marked in a manner that will not permit such review may be returned without being assessed or considered. All submissions must include an affirmative statement permitting the Government to disclose your company's RFI submittal to Covered Government Support Contractors.