Seeking Enhanced White Papers (EWP) for the design, development, integration, and deployment of prototype technologies for Hardware-in-the-loop of Advanced Navigation & Guidance Sensors (HANGS).

The mission of the Air Force Test Center (AFTC), 96 Test Wing (TW), and 782d Test Squadron (TS) – Guided Weapons Evaluation (GWEF), is to test and evaluate weapon systems performance through development, fielding, and sustainment. Exercising open and closed Hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations of tactical hardware provide a high-fidelity performance assessment for weapon system development, risk mitigation prior to live flight tests, testing scenarios that are not feasible for live flight, and evaluation of candidate components and technologies for system improvements.

The 782d TS GWEF is seeking Enhanced White Papers (EWP) for the design, development, integration, and deployment of prototype technologies for Hardware-in-the-loop of Advanced Navigation & Guidance Sensors (HANGS).  Offeror EWP’s must express interest and demonstrate a thorough understanding of project scope and potential solutions.

The Government seeks prototype technologies that improve Government test and laboratory facility capabilities, to perform HITL in the following Technology Areas (TAs):

Technology Area #1: Dynamic real-time multispectral scene generation and projection/injection systems. Scene generation is the process of rendering band specific imagery intended for projection or injection into one or more sensors. Projection/injection is the process of transmitting the rendered imagery to the sensor, either “through-the- lens” (free-space projection) or electronically/digitally (injection).

• Simultaneous synchronized/correlated imagery for multiple spectra including Electrical-Optical (EO)/Infrared (IR) Ultraviolet (UV), Visible (Vis), Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR), Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR), Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) and RF (Ku, Ka, & W bands).
• High resolution complex and dynamic multi-object, clutter, and background scenes including empirical or physics-based sky, terrestrial, maritime, and celestial targets and backgrounds; propagation/environmental attenuation; countermeasure effects.
• Target and background modeling systems that enable rapid model development, possibly utilizing readily available data (commercial, satellite, data collects, etc.).
• Compatibility with industry standard digital video interfaces such as Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), and DisplayPort, and existing high-bandwidth, high- speed transfer technologies such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) over fiber.
• EO/IR characteristics - High apparent temperatures (≥ 2000 degrees Celsius), large frame sizes(≥2048x2048), high frame rate (≥400Hz), wide field-of-view (≥30 degrees), high radiance resolution(≥16-bit), low jitter (< 1 microradian) and low latency (< 1 frame or microseconds).
• RF characteristics – High image content (>2400 scatterers per-target X 8 targets plus backgrounds), high frame rates (>1200Hz), wide field-of-view (≥30 degrees), high dynamic range, low jitter (< 1 microradian) and low latency (< 1 microseconds).

Technology Area #2: Midcourse and navigation environment emulation/simulation. Simulation/emulation and real-time projection/injection capabilities for PNT such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and alternative PNT solutions. Solutions shall include propagation, environmental, and countermeasure effects.

Technology Area #3: Datalink and radio communication emulation/simulation. Real-time projection/injection for multi- protocol datalink and radio communication to/from/between multiple guided weapon systems and/or digital simulations of weapon systems (e.g. swarm) including propagation, environmental, and countermeasure effects; emulation/simulation of large networks, network loading, and transport; emulation/simulation of commercial low earth orbit satellite communication networks.

Technology Area #4: High frame rate real-time simulation execution. Compute systems that can execute correlated real-time flight simulations for multiple systems at very high frame rates, for example, graphics processor-based computation.

Types of instruments that may be awarded: Other Transactions for Prototype, under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022.

See attached 'Request for Enhanced White Papers' for complete details on submission, content, and evaluation requirements for this effort.