Request for Information (RFI): Expeditionary Precision Approach Landing Capability (EPALC)

MARKET SURVEY – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION:  The Naval Air System Command (NAVAIR) is requesting information from industry and other organizations (e.g. non-profits, research laboratories, and universities) on existing products to meet the requirements defined in the request for information. NAVAIR is looking to enhance the United States Marine Corps (USMC) by providing the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) with a materiel solution to provide an Expeditionary Precision Approach Landing Capability (EPALC) during Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) in support of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO).

Specific information sought is cited below.

RFI Response Content: This RFI is intended to inform NAVAIR on the current status of industry sources, technical capacity, and operational capability.  Responses will allow NAVAIR to conduct and identify possible sources in the commercial marketplace capable of providing Expeditionary Precision Approach Landing Capability (EPALC). Interested firms should submit a response with a written statement or capability, including plans, schedule, progress, and comments to the attached performance specification.  Please do not submit marketing material.

RFI Responses[MS1] : Written comments should be submitted by the closing date.  Only unclassified responses will be accepted.  Responses should be limited to no more than ten (10) pages and should be submitted, electronically, in PDF via email.  Receipt will be acknowledged by the Government.  Telephone and regular email responses will not be accepted.

Document Markings: It is incumbent upon sources providing responses to this RFI to accurately mark all data with all appropriate data rights and distribution markings.  Interested sources are advised that the employees of commercial firms under contract to the Government may serve as technical reviewers of information provided in response to this RFI.  By submission of a response, a source gives the Government permission to release the entire response (inclusive of proprietary information) to employees of these organizations.  All employees of these organizations that will have access to RFI response data will have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in place prior to accessing the data.

Beyond the above commercial firms, the Government will not release any data received in response to this RFI, for which it has less than Government Purpose Data Rights, to any firm, agency, or individual outside the Government.

Disclaimer: This RFI DOES NOT constitute an Invitation For Bids (IFB), a Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the Government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  The U.S. Government is in no way liable to pay for or reimburse any Contractors or entities that respond to this announcement.  Additionally, any costs incurred by interested Contractors in response to this announcement will NOT be reimbursed and are NOT considered allowable direct charges to other contracts or tasking.

System Performance

• Must support all Type Model Series (T/M/S) within Marine and Navy Aviation, to include Unmanned Aircraft.
• Must provide precision approach guidance to aircraft during inclement meteorological conditions to a minimum of 200-foot ceiling and 0.5 statute miles (SM) of visibility.
• Must have Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) Mode 5 Level 2.
• Must be capable of autonomous continuous operation for 72 hours.
• Must be able to service multiple landing points simultaneously.
• Must share tracks with Air Command and Control (AC2) systems.
• Must be able to ingest Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) and Automated Terminal Instrument Procedures data to generate Instrument Approach Procedures.
• Must be Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) compliant.
• Capable range of 20 nautical miles (nm).

Environmental

• Must be environmentally hardened and ruggedized for field operation.
• Must be capable of operating in temperatures ranging from -20 to 145 degrees F and humidity levels reaching 85% without external environmental control.

Signature

• Must not be susceptible to GPS meaconing, jamming, intrusion, interference, or spoof.
• Must operate in low spectrum / low power envelope.
• Can operate with low signature/passive.
• Must be able to operate silently until an aircraft interrogates it for operations.

Logistics

• Must be deployable internally by MV-22, CH-53, and C-130.
• Must be capable of powering via batteries, solar, shore power and generator not to exceed two-person lift.
• Must be capable of operating with variable power sources preexisting within the USMC inventory.
• Must be no more than four-person lift.

Manpower

• Must have less than 90-minute set up time by a four-person team.

FAQ:

Question 1: Is the request for Mode 5 Level 2 limited to passive acquisition, or is active interrogations desired?

Answer 1:  Mode 5 interrogations are limited to passive acquisition only.

Question 2: How many simultaneously supported aircraft at a time?

Answer 2: At this time, the requirement for simultaneously supported aircraft at a time has not been determined.