Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety - Phase II

Advance Notice - Research & Development Sources Sought 1. BACKGROUND/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate is the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) primary research and development arm. The DHS S&T Directorate's mission is to provide Federal and local officials with state-of-the-art technologies, capabilities, and other resources to protect the homeland. The Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) - Borders and Maritime Security Division (BMD) supports this mission by developing and transitioning technical capabilities, enhancing the Homeland Security Enterprise's (HSE) mission of maintaining U.S. border security without impeding commerce and travel. In support of this mission, DHS S&T will conduct assessments and training on small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) and their airborne sensors for transition to the HSE. The Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) Project, Phase I invited SUAS suppliers to participate in DHS S&T conducted field assessments of supplier systems. During RAPS Phase I, each SUAS was evaluated against key performance parameters under a wide variety of relevant simulated, real-world operational scenarios such as: law enforcement operations; search and rescue; and fire and hazardous material spill response. The upcoming RAPS Phase II will focus primarily on border security and law enforcement capabilities and provide training opportunities for border security operators to assess SUAS supplier systems under typical border mission scenarios. The SUAS suppliers will provide technically mature, flight-proven vehicles and their fully-integrated sensors for evaluation. Safety concerns will also be assessed such as the aircraft's capability for safe flight in the event of a loss of communications between the aircraft and the ground controller. 2. OBJECTIVE The objective of the Request for Information (RFI) is to collect data from the SUAS supplier community to inform DHS S&T and its stakeholders in the Homeland Security Enterprise of current SUAS capabilities. DHS S&T will use airspace under an agreement with the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to conduct SUAS training and operational activities to evaluate and develop Concepts of Operation (CONOPS) for various SUAS. This location will provide restricted airspace with unimpeded access for SUAS flight, in addition to various environs to simulate realistic first responder, law enforcement, and border security scenarios. DHS S&T is also working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to acquire a series of Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COA) to fly at an alternate location, if necessary. DHS S&T requests that SUAS suppliers submit a response describing the capabilities, maturity, flight experience, and safety performance of each platform meeting the Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) outlined in Section 2.1 below. SUAS may be fixed-wing or rotary-wing systems, and multiple platforms may be proposed for the purposes of this RFI. Each SUAS supplier, if chosen for the RAPS Phase II project, will be provided a flight exercise plan and assigned five (5) consecutive flight days in advance of their system's evaluation by DHS S&T. The flight exercise plan will be the same for all SUAS suppliers, and range support and airspace access will be provided by DHS S&T. Travel and other associated supplier expenses shall be incurred by the SUAS supplier. Official terms of the agreement between the parties will be detailed in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Note: This is a demonstration of SUAS capabilities; and therefore, is no guarantee of an award between DHS S&T and SUAS suppliers. During the exercise scenarios, each SUAS shall be assessed against the KPPs (Section 2.1) and scenarios (Section 2.2) outlined below, resulting in a report detailing its performance. DHS S&T's customers for RAPS Phase II will be on-site and engaged in all training and assessment activities. The information within each assessment report will be controlled as For Official Use Only (FOUO), and will not be shared with the general public. See complete copy of RFI attached.