RFI;TANDEM PASSENGER & BUNDLE DELIVERY SYSTEMS

MARKET SURVEY-REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON TANDEM PASSENGER & BUNDLE DELIVERY SYSTEMS The Combat Capability Development Center - Soldier Systems, Natick, MA is conducting a market investigation to identify domestic products, suppliers, designers and manufacturers of tandem passenger and bundle delivery systems with the potential to meet emerging requirements for an improved military tandem parachute system. Primary interest of this Survey is to seek out and identify mature tandem passenger and bundle delivery products/technologies, and firms with the requisite technical, design, manufacturing, and production capabilities, that have the potential to provide an improved military tandem parachute system which can be readily qualified for use. Current requirements necessitate more than one model of tandem passenger and bundle delivery system. One tool cannot meet expanded capability requirements for low altitude/water operations, high altitude/glide operations, and heavy weight operations. Updated solutions must be cost effective. The current effort is focused on heavy weight capability. Future efforts will address low altitude/water operations and high altitude/glide operations. Candidate System/s should utilize a common form and shape solution that can be employed in all above conditions with identical function handles. Information requested on system attributes for heavy weight operations are list below: o Maximum exit altitude without need for specialized ancillary equipment (Threshold -25,000ft MSL, Objective - 35,000ft MSL). o Maximum deployment altitude without need for specialized ancillary equipment (Threshold-25,000ft MSL, Objective-35,000ft MSL). o Minimum free fall deployment altitude (Threshold/Objective - 5,000ft MSL). o Maximum altitude loss during free fall main canopy deployment below 15K MSL (Threshold -1,500ft, Objective - 1,200ft). o Maximum altitude loss during free fall reserve canopy deployment below 15K MSL (Threshold -800ft, Objective - 600ft) o System weight for Tandem System (Threshold/Objective - 80lb) o System weight for Bundle Recovery System (Threshold-30lb Objective - 20lb) o Maximum All Up Weight for Tandem System (Threshold/Objective - 1000lb). o Maximum suspended weight for Bundle Recovery System (Threshold - 700lb, Objective - 800lb). o Minimum suspended weight for Tandem System (Threshold/Objective - 260lb). o Main Canopy Lift-to-Drag Glide Ratio (Threshold - 3:1, Objective 4:1). o Reserve Canopy Lift-to-Drag Glide Ratio (Threshold - 3:1, Objective 4:1). o Capability to not incorporate a spring-loaded Pilot chute deployment method for the main parachute. o Capability of being configured for self-set drogue, and static line drogue. o Capability to employ multiple drogue size and shape configurations to facilitate a variety of all up weight jump profiles. o Capable of multiple drogue designs to limit the trap door effect experienced during main canopy deployment. o Capability to include an expanding drogue tether to prevent drogue entanglements. o Capability to include improved slider size and grommet size to prevent wear/tear on line sets. o Capability to include a slider that is simultaneously collapsible and removable. o Capability to incorporate primary and secondary means of manual activation. o Capability to incorporate a safety mechanism to increase tandem master/passenger survivability during an abnormal high G force opening sequence. o Capability of main and reserve canopies to provide same flight performance characteristics. o Capability to scale main and reserve canopy aspect ratios to enable tandem masters flying different size canopies to fly and land together in various formations. o Capability of Main and Reserve canopies to provide safe landings onto high elevation drop zones (Threshold - 8,000ft MSL, Objective - 15,000ft MSL). o Capability to incorporate an electronic activation device designed to deploy the reserve canopy in the event of a main canopy malfunction, or failure of the main canopy to be manually activated. o Capability to incorporate a Main-Assisted Reserve Deployment (MARD) system to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of main and reserve canopy entanglement. o Capability to incorporate a Collins-Lanyard to ensure both main canopy risers release near simultaneously while initiating reserve canopy deployment during a cut-away. o Capability to include control toggles for turns at high altitude while both brake toggles are stowed. o Visibility of reserve pin and AAD display windows for JMPI checks. o Capability to co-locate main container closing and drogue attachment system. o Capability of equipment attachment points high on the parachute harness. o Capability to attach a Parachutist Oxygen System that supplies oxygen individually to both the tandem master and passenger. o Capability to attach and remove Parachutist Oxygen System from either side of the container system. o Capability to attach a rear-mounted accompanying load designed to not interfere with main parachute deployment and cut-away procedures. o Capability of tandem system passenger to attach a front-mount accompanying load designed to not interfere with tandem system activation and cut-away procedures. o Capability to attach equipment bundles to the tandem system in a manner that enables the bundle to be suspended below the tandem master during flight while not interfering with safe landings. o Capability to attach an external parachute designed to safely land cut-away payloads. o Capability to cut-away equipment bundles and automatically deploy a separate recovery parachute capable of safely landing the payload without sacrificing payload survivability. This recovery parachute should be equipped with a MARD. o Capability to activate symmetrical release of a bundle in any attitude that could induce an overall G-Force up to 4 Gs with associated average pull force and standard deviation. o If multiple systems are proposed, capability of each system to be manufactured, operated, and function as close to the others as reasonably possible. o Capability of harness/container to incorporate main and reserve parachute capabilities in a single integrated system. o Capability of Harness/containers to be adjustable to accommodate 5th to 95th percentile of anticipated users for each size. o Capability for Harness/containers to incorporate predetermined color coded sizes on the main lift webs. o Capability of Harness/containers to be available in tan/grey scale color (separate components colors, if necessary) o Capable of 10 year Service Life of system major components, assuming proper maintenance is performed. o Geographic location of material/component sourcing and manufacturing (Berry Amendment). o Documentation of main and reserve canopy packing procedures and needed tools to maintain. o Capability of no less than 365 day reserve canopy repack cycle. The following are capabilities intended to be part of this family of systems. o Capability of container form factor to accommodate multiple sizes of main and reserve canopies. o Capability of container form factor with various models to support maximum and minimum suspended weight jump profiles. o Capability of container form factor to support land and water jump profiles. o Capability of container form factor with various models to support high and low altitude land jump profiles. o Capability to incorporate materials/components constructed of material resistant to periodic prolonged immersion in seawater. o Capability of Corrosion-resistant hardware to be Rigger-replaceable without needing to cut and resew harness/container stitching. o Capability to incorporate quick-release hardware on the leg straps. o Capability of harness/container to incorporate a saddle designed for extended duration under canopy. o Subsequent models within the family must not exceed 10% cost over heavy-weight version. Interested sources must, within thirty (30) days following the publication of this synopsis, respond with information on their current commercial product(s)/technologies and how they might address this emerging Military requirement. Interested sources shall include information detailed in the FedBizOps Note 25 regarding a firm's experience, personnel, and facilities. Information should include cost, technical information/specifications/qualifications (i.e., technical literature, data, test reports, illustrations, photographs, patents, etc.), level of product maturity (i.e., is the product in the research, development or production phase?), product history (i.e., who is the product used by and in what applications?), relevant company background/experience. Firms responding shall indicate whether or not they are a small business. Any information submitted will not be returned. Responses to this notice are to be sent electronically to shawn.m.brown4.civ@mail.mil. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Questions concerning this RFI will only be answered via email response and email response ONLY. This notice is for market research only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. No solicitation document exists. The information received under this announcement may be used to purchase items for Government testing and/or prepare a solicitation package.