This is a Request for Information (RFI); neither a draft statement of work nor specifications are available. The information received will be used as part of a market survey. Issuance of this RFI should not be construed as obligating the Department of Nav

In the FY2010 to FY2012 time frame, the Government intends to begin procurement of - wide field-of-view (WFOV) night vision goggles/devices for aviation applications in Navy and USMC fixed and rotary wing aircraft. This RFI is designed to aid in the market survey of current and future technologies that can meet the requirements of a WFOV Night Visions Device (NVD). Background: Over the past 20 years night vision devices have become standard equipment in Navy/USMC rotary wing and TACAIR aircraft. Today all Navy and USMC night vision equipped aircraft fly with the AN/AVS-9 night vision goggle (commonly referred to as the ANVIS-9). This night vision goggle (NVG) has a forty (40) degree field of view which limits the ability of the aircrew to view an operational environment without significant head movement known as the NVG head scan. The NVG head scan can be tiring and fixation on one area of the scan can result in a loss of situational awareness of the scene outside of the 40 degree NVG field of view. For these reasons the Navy aviation fleet has developed a requirement to identify available technologies to support fielding of a night vision device that significantly exceeds the current 40 degree field of view. During the past decade the Army has performed several research projects comparing pilot performance with night vision field of view. The general conclusion was that a field of view beyond the current 40 degree field-of-view resulted in an increase in performance that was somewhat linear through approximately 70 - 80 degrees field-of-view (i.e., as field of view increased, so did pilot performance). Beyond 80 degrees field-of-view the performance continued to increase, but not at as significant a rate as it did between 40 and 70 degrees. It is the procurement goal of this future Navy program to field a WFOV night vision device to all of the current and future NVG compatible Navy/USMC rotary wing and TACAIR aircraft. Although performance tradeoffs are expected, the technical goal for this program includes no significant degradation in NVG performance from our current AN/AVS-9 NVGs (resolution, gain, signal-to-noise, eyebox, weight, etc.) while at the same time significantly expanding the field of view. Technologies are not limited to image intensifier tube technology night vision goggles. It is a further technical goal of the Navy to maintain a peak 40 degree vertical field-of-view but technologies that result in a vertical field-of-view as low as 30 degrees will be considered. The technology must increase horizontal field of view to at least 50 degrees with 70 - 80 degrees being a mid-range goal and beyond 80 degrees being a long range goal of the program. This RFI represents the current description of the user's requirements and is being published in order that the Government may establish early communications with industry for a future acquisition and solicit comments and questions prior to development of a future RFP. We encourage and welcome all detailed comments, questions and written correspondence concerning the clarity, completeness and competitiveness of the RFI. There is no prescribed format for the response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI should consist of a discussion, in broad terms, of 1) the commercially available approach(es) which could be used or updated to meet the Navy's requirement; 2) a rough estimate of the price of each approach; 3) a discussion of the extent of research and development (technology risks, schedule, cost) required to mature the product to a point where it could be produced in quantity; 4) a discussion of any potential participation by small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, or woman-owned small business concerns; and 5) a statement as to whether the firm responding to the RFI is a small business. It is requested that any written responses to this RFI be submitted no later than 4:00 P.M. (Local Time, Patuxent River, MD) on 25 September 2008. All responses to this RFI shall be submitted to: ATTN: David Borne Naval Air Systems Command, AIR 2.4.2.2.3, BLDG 2272, Suite 350 47123 Buse Rd. Patuxent River, MD 20670. For information concerning this RFI contact David Borne at david.borne1@navy.mil. Response should include a company point of contact. Responses received after this date may or may not be considered in determining whether to issue a Request for Proposal. Small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and woman-owned small business concerns are encouraged to submit responses to this RFI.