Requirements for the CH-53E Helicopter to perform stable landing in the Degraded Visual Environment

Request for Information (RFI): - 1.0 Description The Naval Air Systems Command, Aircraft Support Contracts Department (AIR 2.3.2.1), Patuxent River, MD is seeking industry input to identify potential sources that may possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the requirements for the development, qualification, and production of a system That enables the CH?53E helicopter to perform stable landings in the Degraded Visual Environment. This effort will focus on stabilizing the aircraft during the landing, taking off, and hover to pick up and deliver of external loads in a Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) with the intention of procuring the system and services on a competitive basis. The results of this Request for Information (RFI) will be utilized to determine if any Small Business Set-Aside opportunities exist. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. The place of performance for this effort is expected to be Patuxent River NAS, MD or New River MCAS, NC with final evaluations to be on MCAS Yuma, AZ The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 334511 and the proposed Product Service Code (PSC) is 1520. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to award a contract as a result of this announcement. Further, the GOVERNMNET is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the expense of interested party. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this website for additional information pertaining to this requirement. INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND IN NO WAY BINDS THE GOVERNMENT TO SOLICIT OR AWARD A CONTRACT. - 2.0 Background The respondent should address its ability to perform each of the following and include a response to each of the specific requests identified below. The Automated Flight Control System (AFCS) on CH-53E can be classified as a limited-authority stability augmentation system. The AFCS is a Digital Computer set up as a dual redundant system with two separate computers that contain all the necessary hardware to run in a simplex manner. Each computer interfaces with two data buses: Analog Bus 1 and Analog Bus 2. When both computers are functional during normal operation, they each contribute half of the correction signal for the AFCS servos and actuators. Flight Qualities and associated Fight Controls Requirements: System Capabilities Translational Rate Command (TRC) TRC shall be pilot selectable/de-selectable. TRC shall drive aircraft longitudinal and lateral inertial velocities towards zero in a predictable manner when the pilot/copilot is not imparting commands on the cyclic. TRC shall respond to piloted longitudinal/lateral cyclic inputs by commanding aircraft longitudinal/lateral inertial velocities proportional to cyclic inputs. Position Hold (PH) PH shall be automatically armed when TRC is engaged. PH shall only engage when the pilot/copilot is not imparting commands on the cyclic, while the system is commanding zero longitudinal/lateral inertial velocities, and when TRC is engaged. Upon engagement, PH shall establish a lat/long reference based on current aircraft location. Decel-To-Hover (DTH) DTH shall be pilot selectable/de-selectable. DTH shall decelerate the aircraft in a predictable, repeatable manner. DTH shall respond to a forward application of cyclic by extending the deceleration profile proportionally to cyclic input. DTH shall respond to a rearward application of cyclic by shortening the deceleration profile proportionally to cyclic input. DTH shall drive aircraft lateral inertial velocities towards zero in a predictable manner when the pilot/copilot is not imparting commands on the cyclic. DTH shall respond to piloted lateral cyclic inputs by commanding aircraft lateral inertial velocities proportional to cyclic inputs. DTH shall automatically engage TRC/PH and HH once the aircraft has reached the end of the DTH profile. Direction (Heading) Hold (DH) DH shall be pilot selectable/de-selectable. DH shall drive yaw rate towards zero in a predictable manner when the pilot/copilot is not imparting commands on the yaw pedals. DH shall hold heading while the pilot is not imparting commands on the yaw pedals and while the system is commanding zero heading rate. DH shall respond to piloted yaw pedal inputs by commanding aircraft yaw rate proportional to pedal inputs. Note: The baseline AFCS already provides an DH functionality which may or may not be utilized for this capability Height Hold (HH) HH shall be pilot selectable/de-selectable. HH shall hold altitude with respect to ground level while the pilot is not imparting commands on the collective and while the system is commanding zero rate of climb. HH shall respond to piloted collective inputs by commanding the aircraft to climb/descend at a rate proportional to collective inputs around the original trim location. Note: The baseline AFCS already provides an HH functionality which may or may not be utilized for this capability Wave-Off (WO) WO is intended to stabilize the aircraft and increase separation from the ground in a rapid fashion. It is intended to be used when the pilot or the aircraft has an issue (ie. loss of all visual cues or loss of GPS) that makes it unsafe to be near the ground and/or in DVE. WO shall fly a wave-off profile when commanded to do so by the pilot. WO shall arrest any lateral drift when a wave-off command is initiated. WO shall arrest any yaw rate when a wave-off command is initiated. WO shall fly a set airspeed and altitude profile when a wave-off command is initiated. WO shall automatically engage HH and DH once the aircraft has reached the end of the WO profile. Approach to Point (APTP) (Optional) APTP shall be pilot selectable/de-selectable. APTP shall decelerate to a stop along a pre-selected deceleration profile to a pre-selected inertial location when APTP is engaged. APTP shall descend to a pre-selected altitude along a pre-selected descent profile when APTP is engaged. APTP shall adjust yaw so the aircraft is heading towards a pre-selected inertial location when APTP is engaged. APTP shall automatically engage TRC/PH, HH, and DH once the aircraft has reached the end of the APTP profile. Departure (DPT) (Optional) DPT shall be pilot selectable/de-selectable. DPT shall fly a departure profile (vertical, lateral, and longitudinal) when DPT is engaged. DPT shall fly a pre-selected airspeed profile when DPT is engaged. DPT shall depart at a pre-selected heading when DPT is engaged. DPT shall automatically engage DH and HH once the aircraft has reached the end of the DPT profile. Pilot Annunciation The system shall provide clear indication of the current mode of operation to the pilot. The system shall clearly cue the pilot when an augmented control mode has completed its pre-determined profile and captured its final state (if applicable). The system shall clearly cue the pilot if the system is no longer capable of maintaining inertial position hold due to a failure, atmospheric disturbance, or other reason. The system shall clearly cue the pilot if the system is no longer capable of controlling inertial velocities due to a failure, atmospheric disturbance, or other reason. The system shall clearly cue the pilot if the system is no longer capable of holding altitude due to a failure, atmospheric disturbance, or other reason. The system shall clearly cue the pilot if the system is no longer capable of holding heading due to a failure, atmospheric disturbance, or other reason. System Engagement/Disengagement/Mode Switching The pilot and copilot shall have the ability to disengage any augmented mode through a single, hands-on stick (cyclic or collective) action. The pilot and copilot shall have the ability to engage DTH and WO modes though a single, hands-on stick (cyclic or collective) action. The system shall cause minimal transients while transitioning from augmented control mode to legacy control mode operations in the case that aircraft states or piloted inputs exceed system parameter limits. The system shall cause minimal transients while transitioning from augmented control mode to legacy control mode operations in the case that the system is explicitly disengaged through pilot action. The pilot shall have the ability to override any uncommanded augmented input The system shall cause minimal transients while transitioning from legacy control mode to augmented control mode operations. The system shall cause minimal transients while transitioning between different augmented control modes. Failure Tolerance/Response The system shall remain engaged for any single failure. (Desired) The system shall not cause unsafe transients due to any single or combination of failures of the system. The system shall not cause transients worse than the legacy control system when the system is operating and the legacy control system experiences a single failure. System Interfaces (beyond those necessary for system operation) The system shall provide an interface that outputs all aircraft state data used by the system in real time. The system shall provide an interface that outputs all control law target state values used by the system in real time. The system shall provide an interface that outputs system status and mode of operation in real time. Use Cases below provided as Reference for Context: Global Pre-conditions/Assumptions: Fully functional EGI Upon any regime initiation, system will hold heading within +/-5 degrees Pilot induced flight control inputs should not automatically deactivate the system. Individual aircraft will not interact via DVE system therefore multi-ship considerations must be accounted for in operational doctrine. DVE Solution will not drive changes to CONOPS. Use Case: Approach to Pre-planned Coordinates Id: UC- 1 Description Intercept standard H-53 approach to hover or No-hover landing within 15ft of pre-planned coordinates. 1.1 Primary Actor: Pilot 1.2 Supporting Actors - 1. Navigation system - 2. Heading - 3. Air speed - 4. Ground Speed - 5. Altitude - 6. Co-pilot - 7. Crew chief 1.3 Pre-Conditions - 1. Functional nav system - 2. Landing coordinates entered into nav system - 3. Aircraft below 500ft AGL - 4. Approach termination defined (Hover/no-hover landing) 1.4 Post Conditions 1.4.1 Success end condition - 1. Intercept and fly standard H-53 approach as defined in NTTP 3-22.3-CH53 - 2. Safe termination of approach (Hover/No-hover landing/wave-off) - 3. Within 15ft of prescribed coordinates - 4. 0kts lateral speed - 5. <1 kts forward ground speed - 6. <200 ft/min decent rate 1.4.2 Failure end condition: - 1. Aircraft/Personnel sustains damage - 2. >360 ft/min decent rate - 3. >5kts forward speed - 4. >1kt lateral speed - 5. Landing more than 15 ft from designated coordinates 1.5 Trigger Pilot initiation DVE System self-initiation once pre-conditions are met. 1.6 Main Success Scenario - 1. Safe completion of approach within 15ft of pre-planned coordinates. 1.7 Extensions - 1. Altitude - 1 High - 2 On (300ft) - 3 Low - 2. Airspeed/Ground Speed - 1 Fast - 2 On (80kts) - 3 Slow - 3. Approach Termination - 1 Hover - 2 No-hover landing - 4. Flight parameters prevent safe approach (Wave-off) Question: How far outside NTTP specified flight conditions can the system be prior to initiating/queueing wave-off? Use Case: Approach to Adhoc LZ Id: UC- 2 Description Intercept standard H-53 approach to hover or No-hover landing. 2.1 Primary Actor: Pilot 2.2 Supporting Actors - 1. Air speed - 2. Ground Speed - 3. Altitude - 4. Co-pilot - 5. Crew chief - 6. Heading 2.3 Pre-Conditions - 1. Aircraft below 500ft AGL - 2. Approach termination defined (Hover/no-hover landing) 2.4 Post Conditions 2.4.1 Success end condition - 1. Intercept and fly standard H-53 approach as defined in NTTP 3-22.3-CH53 - 2. Safe termination of approach (Hover/No-hover landing/wave-off) - 3. 0kts lateral speed - 4. <1 kts forward ground speed - 5. <200 ft/min decent rate 2.4.2 Failure end condition: - 1. Aircraft/Personnel sustains damage - 2. >360 ft/min decent rate - 3. >5kts forward speed - 4. >1kt lateral speed 2.5 Trigger Pilot initiation 2.6 Main Success Scenario - 1. Safe completion of approach. 2.7 Extensions - 1. Altitude - 1 High - 2 On (300ft) - 3 Low - 2. Airspeed/Ground Speed - 1 Fast - 2 On (80kts) - 3 Slow - 3. Approach Termination - 1 Hover - 2 No-hover landing - 4. Flight parameters prevent safe approach (Wave-off) Use Case: Wave-off Id: UC- 3 Description Terminate approach prior to hover/no-hover landing and initiate departure. 3.1 Primary Actor: Pilot 3.2 Supporting Actors - 1. Co-pilot - 2. Crew chief - 3. Air speed - 4. Ground Speed - 5. Altitude - 6. Heading 3.3 Pre-Conditions - 1. Aircraft has entered approach - 2. Pilot/aircrew identifies need/desire to wave-off 3.4 Post Conditions 3.4.1 Success end condition - 1. Safely enters departure regime 3.4.2 Failure end condition: - 1. Aircraft fails to depart - 2. Aircraft/personnel sustains damage 3.5 Trigger - 1. Pilot initiation 3.6 Main Success Scenario - 1. Safe transition from approach to departure phase and successful departure from landing zone 3.7 Extensions - 1. Altitude - 1 High - 2 On (300ft) - 3 Low - 2. Airspeed/Ground Speed - 1 Fast - 2 On (80kts) - 3 Slow Use Case: Departure Id: UC- 4 Description Safe departure from current conditions 4.1 Primary Actor: Pilot 4.2 Supporting Actors - 1. Air speed - 2. Ground Speed - 3. Altitude - 4. Co-pilot - 5. Crew Chief - 6. Heading 4.3 Pre-Conditions - 1. Engine power is sufficient for load 4.4 Post Conditions 4.4.1 Success end condition - 1. Altitude 300ftAGL +/-25ft or if above 300ft, altitude hold - 2. Airspeed 80ks +/-5 - 3. Constant heading +/- 5 degrees 4.4.2 Failure end condition: - 1. Aircraft fails to depart - 2. Aircraft/personnel sustains damage 4.5 Trigger - 1. Pilot initiation 4.6 Main Success Scenario - 1. Safe transition to Success End Conditions 4.7 Extensions - 1. From Hover - 2. From ground - 3. From Approach - 4. Pilot initiated early termination Use Case: Hover Id: UC- 5 Description Safe sustainment of hover over designated location 5.1 Primary Actor: Pilot 5.2 Supporting Actors - 1. Navigation system - 2. Heading - 3. Air speed - 4. Ground Speed - 5. Altitude - 6. Crew Chief - 7. Co-pilot 5.3 Pre-Conditions - 1. Sufficient engine power - 2. Altitude between 5 and 100ft AGL - 3. No more than 10kts ground speed in any direction 5.4 Post Conditions 5.4.1 Success end condition - 1. Aircraft maintains safe hover - 2. Altitude hold within +/- 5ft AGL - 3. <10ft variation from hover point 5.4.2 Failure end condition: - 1. Aircraft/aircrew sustains damage - 2. Aircraft fails to maintain desired altitude/heading - 3. >+/-5ft from desired hover altitude - 4. >10 ft variation from desired hover point 5.5 Trigger Automated DVE System transition from approach Pilot initiation to enter Pilot initiation to exit 5.6 Main Success Scenario - 1. Aircraft maintains safe hover 5.7 Extensions - 1. Slide any direction X ft - 2. Vertical landing - 3. Pilot input (other than collective) to change set altitude between 0 and 100ft AGL - 4. Vertical take-off Efforts include, but are not limited, to the following: - a) Development, manufacture and installation of engineering change proposals for upgrades, and forward fit kits including but not limited to associated production assessments/life cycle analysis, non-recurring engineering, systems engineering, integrated logistics support, production support, prototyping, validation and verification of changes, development, validation and verification of technical publications, manuals, changes, directives, associated logistics impacts, testing of retrofit safety and test equipment changes, spare and repair parts for aircraft, subsystems, and support equipment and related software efforts. Obsolescence management efforts, including but not limited to, system health analysis depicting current and potential component/material deficiencies, intellectual data/system Bill of Materials (BOM) used primarily for DMSMS/Obsolescence management, identification of suitable alternate components or manufacturers for piece parts contained within BOM . Logistics support which will include providing repair of repairable; Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) updates; updated spares drawings or models for repairable and consumable parts; repair of Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE) to include redesign and retest; procurement of new PSE; providing Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA); performing Reliability Centered Maintenance analysis;; providing engineering and sustainment support to the Fleet Common Operating Environment (FCOE); provide concurrency of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. (SAC) and NAVAIR Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) information systems and the development and delivery of Operational Test Program Sets for the Program Loading Set for Contractor Furnished Equipment. The system shall provide a built in test (BIT) mechanism to detect and report system malfunctions. - b) Training support and development of training courseware efforts, including but not limited to, updates to pilot and maintenance System Development and Demonstration training devices and courseware to bring up to SDTA configuration, and develop Front End Analysis (FEA) and Instructional Media Design Package (IMDP) for new accession training. - 3.0 Requested Information As a result of this RFI, NAVAIR expects to receive a Letter of Intent (LOI) from each interested respondent and a concept summary, which contains a detailed description of the Request for Information described in paragraph 2.0 written from a system solution perspective and outlines development concepts that ensures maximum utilization of infrastructure and platform integration elements that already exist. Prospective offerors should explain how they are able to work with the Government and the aircraft manufacturer to integrate the proposed RFI into the H-53 program. In addition, the proposer should have or had a working relationship with the H-53 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) (Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation) and be familiar with the CH-53E platform. 4.0 Responses Data Markings. In order to complete its review, NAVAIR must be able to share an interested respondent's information both within the Government and with covered Government support contractors as defined in DFARS clause 252.227-7013 Rights in Technical Data - Noncommercial Items (FEB 2014). Any responses marked in a manner that will not permit such review may be returned without being assessed or considered. All submissions (both the Letter in Intent (LOI) and the full response) must include a statement which clearly allows for the information to be disclosed with covered Government support contractors. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). If the respondent is a foreign concern or if a US respondent has a team member or partner who is a foreign entity, adherence to all ITAR regulations is required. In order to receive classified information pertinent to this RFI, responding parties must submit an unclassified Letter of Intent (LOI), not to exceed twenty single-spaced pages, to Ms. Dorothy Smith (Dorothy.smith@navy.mil) no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) 09/01/2016. The LOI shall include the following information to verify credentials (do not submit classified information): - 1. An UNCLASSIFIED description of the BOA solution - 2. CAGE code and Classified mailing Address - 3. POC the receive additional information or clarification - 4. POC to permit NAVAIR to obtain additional data to support analysis - 5. Describe your company's ability to manage and secure up to SECRET information. Record of Receipt. Responding parties must submit a record of receipt of the classified information, to Ms. Dorothy Smith (Dorothy.smith@navy.mil) by 5:00 PM EDT ) 09/01/2016. Full Response Submissions. Full response submissions to the above requested supporting unclassified data must be received no later than 5:00 PM EDT ) 09/01/2016 to the following address - NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND ATTN: DOROTHY B.SMITH (AIR, 2.3.4.3.3) 21983 BUNDY ROAD BLDG 442 PATUXENT RIVER, MD 20670-1547 Ms. Smith's phone number is (301) 342-1063 and the email address is Dorothy.smith@navy.mil. Provide full unclassified response via two hardcopies and two CD ROM with electronic media that is Microsoft Office 2010 compatible. It is requested that the response, regardless of its classification level have a page limit of 25 pages, and must be in English. DO NOT SEND ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION VIA UNCLASSIFIED EMAIL. Classified information (up to SECRET) shall be in compliance with current DoD directives and procedures (i.e. DOD 5200.22-M, SECNAV M-5510.36, DOD 5200.01).