USFS Joint Precision Air Drop System Capability Solutions

Special Notice Number: SN-2018-09 Agency: United States Forest Service Office: Washington Office, Acquisition Management, Incident Support Branch Location: Various Locations RFI Issue Date: August 07, 2018 RFI Response Date: September 07, 2018 NAICS Code: 334511, Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing Size Standard: 1250 employees Potential Quantity: 10-30 units Submittal of information: The information requested by this RFI shall be provided, in writing (electronically), by close of business (4:00 p.m. Mountain Time) September 07, 2018 to the following address: U.S. Forest Service National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) 3833 South Development Avenue Attn: Mr. Kasey Aldrich, Owyhee Building 106, Suite 1101-1 Boise, Idaho 83705-5354 Or contact@example.gov, Synopsis: This Request for Information is for Market Research and Planning purposes only. THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT ON THE BASIS OF THIS RFI OR TO OTHERWISE PAY FOR THE INFORMATION SOLICITED. This RFI does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this contemplated effort. This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as a request for proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this RFI or the Government's use of such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor's input resulting from this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Whatever information is provided in response to this RFI may be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for future needs. The information provided may be utilized by the US Forest Service in developing its acquisition strategy and in its Statement of Objective, Statement of Work, and/or Performance Specifications. The information resulting from this RFI may be included or combined with other submissions in one or more options considered in the analysis of alternatives. Any proprietary information that is submitted may be used in establishing requirements of the future system but specific information will be safeguarded as proprietary. Contracting Office Address: Owyhee Building - MS 1100 3833 S. Development Ave. Boise, ID 83705 Primary Point of Contact: Kasey Aldrich, Contract Specialist contact@example.gov +1 (555) 000-0000 Technical Points of Contact: Mike Fritsen (Primary) contact@example.gov +1 (555) 000-0000 Or Justin (JT) Gilman contact@example.gov +1 (555) 000-0000 Background: This Request for Information (RFI) briefly describes the current United States Forest Service (USFS) Joint Precision Air Drop System Ultra-Light Weight (JPADS-ULW) program/acquisition approach, identifies key events in the JPADS-ULW acquisition program schedule, and requests information to assess industry's capability to provide a materiel solution that will meet the draft JPADS-ULW system requirements. The program office is currently planning to employ an evolutionary acquisition strategy to procure a commercially proven product based on mature technology and variant of the JPADS Family of Systems (FoS) for fielding of a new JPADS solution. Information gathered from vendors to this RFI will be used to help refine USFS JPADS performance requirements. The information provided in this RFI is notional and may change. The Government will provide any additional information and issue any additional requests for information at its sole discretion via the FedBizOpps. Description: USFS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) is conducting an Analysis of Alternatives for High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) systems that can perform some or all of the core tasks and missions of the USFS smokejumpers Aerial Delivery. One of these missions is re-supply of firefighters in remote locations, under low-visibility conditions (smoke, night, etc.). This RFI will provide the opportunity for contractors to describe, in detail, the ability of their candidate systems to accomplish this mission. In those situations, firefighters are operating in areas requiring an autonomously guided aerial delivery system that can deliver critical supplies and equipment when precision and standoff are required due to ground threat, terrain, or winds. HAHO re-supply systems allow aircraft to operate above and offset from problem terrain or decreased visibility. The objective of this RFI is to identify potential solutions, technologies, and state of the art approaches to the precision air drop capability to re-supply firefighters in the operational environment. Requested Information: Vendors are requested to provide information on the ability of their system to meet the following notional performance specifications: 1. Is this system and program sold to the general public or offered for sale to the general public? If so, please provide information on where to purchase and market prices. 2. System Characteristics: The system should allow it to be an aircraft deployed, under a steerable canopy system, equipped with hardware and software to deliver 250 to 550 pound cargo loads safely and effectively from 24,500 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL) through hardware and software altitude control and glide management of system descent and landing. System hardware and software should function up to deployment altitudes in an un-pressurized cabin environment. The system should allow interface, be deployable by static-line drogue, and double or single bag static line. The USFS smokejumpers typically utilize fixed wing with either side-door or rear door deployments. The JPADS-ULW must be compatible with palletized or boxed cargo rigged under acceptable smokejumper paracargo methods. 3. Weight Carrying Capabilities: The system must be capable of delivering cargo loads with suspended weights of 250 to 550 pounds. A maximization of cargo capacity and minimization of system weight is a key consideration. 4. Deployment Altitude, Feet Mean Sea Level (MSL): The system when rigged with cargo loads of 250 to 550 pounds should have an operational airdrop range of 2,500 to 24,500 feet MSL. 5. Offset Requirement: The JPADS-ULW should allow for a minimum of an 8 km horizontal offset from the intended impact point. The offset is defined as the horizontal distance from a 24,500 feet MSL release point to a zero MSL landing point in zero wind conditions. 6. Descent Speed: The system should maintain a stable descent rate, which must result in a descent speed, vertical and horizontal, which will allow cargo to survive. 7. Landing Requirements: The system should deliver cargo on target, in condition for operational use. Rapid de-rigging, with soft landing, is highly desired. 8. Precision of Delivery (Accuracy): The System should have an accuracy of 80 meter radius from the intended impact point (IP), with reasonable assumption that user experience and vendor collaboration will yield improvements in this standard. 9. Interface to JPADS-Mission Planner (JPADS-MP): The system must have the capability to interface with a mission planner. The FS does not currently have MP developed. Please provide in your response, your existing capability to aid in development, or provide existing. 10. Major Components List: The system must consist of an Autonomous Guidance Unit (AGU), able to interface equipment to cargo and cargo aircraft as needed and be compatible with assorted government provided deceleration systems in use by the smokejumper program, both current and yet to be developed. Currently the smokejumpers utilize Performance Designs CR-360, Airborne Systems DC-7. 11. System Weight: The weight of the JPADS-ULW Autonomous Guidance Unit will not exceed 44 lbs. 12. Guidance Control Unit: Must be capable of being programmed by downloading information from a computer with readily available commercial interfaces. The destination coordinates should be able to be programmed into the GPS unit / navigation package by a user within 5 minutes. The system must be able to accept coordinates in latitude/longitude and military grid coordinates as a minimum. Positive feedback must be provided to ensure that the system is properly programmed. The system must be capable of accepting programming/reprogramming using a standard computer. The system must be capable of onboard computational capabilities to aid in determining course made good, wind speed and direction, control values for optimal performance, and in making go/no go decisions. The navigational package must allow go/no go decisions to be made en-route to drop, based upon previously calculated information. Way point navigation is desired. 13. Test and Diagnostic Equipment: Must be provided or built in to the equipment and software to ensure proper functioning of the equipment prior to the actual delivery of cargo. 14. Navigation Package: Must be designed to facilitate repair at the lowest possible level within the fire cache system. Where possible, the electronics must be modular in nature. 15. Physical Characteristics: The physical dimensions of the JPADS-ULW system must be defined as height above rigged cargo box or palletized load. 16. Interface Requirements: The JPADS-ULW system must be capable of being delivered from standard smokejumper aircraft, including but not limited to Twin Otter, SD3-60 Sherpa, CASA 212, Dornier 228, at 90 - 120 KIAS (objective) must be compatible with current accepted methods of rigging and dropping. 17. JPADS-ULW System: Must interface to a variety of cargo configurations using standard military or smokejumper cargo rigging procedures according to the Interagency Smokejumper Operations Guide. 18. Interface Connection between the Navigation Unit and the Laptop Computer: Must be a standard serial, usb or parallel port type connector or wireless connection. The system must be able to receive a signal inside the aircraft with a GPS repeater type system. 19. System: Must be able to receive a signal through a receiver to a mission planner if provided or developed. 20. Reliability: System must be able to be reused with no major repairs 20 times (threshold) and 30 times (objective) and must meet a 95% reliability rate with 90% confidence. 21. Maintainability: Maintenance of the parachute and suspension system must be accomplished, where appropriate, by smokejumper paraloft personnel. Deployment systems may be OFS, or developed by FS personnel and compatible with current smokejumper cargo delivery operations. 22. Environmental Conditions: The JPADS-ULW system must be designed for operational use, storage, and transit in climatic variables to include US Navy amphibious shipping. These variables may be hot, cold, and basic temperature ranges as defined in referenced document AR 70-38 as well as defined in MIL-STD-810-F, Method 509.4 (Salt Fog), Method 510.4 (Sand and Dust), Method 520.2 (Temp, Humidity, Vibration and Altitude) and Method 506.4 procedure III and method 507.4 (rain drip). 23. Transportability: System must be capable of being transported by highway, rail, marine, and air modes, world-wide. The applicable transportability criteria are set forth in referenced documents AR 70-47 and MIL-STD-1366. If the JPADS-ULW uses lithium or lithium ion batteries, the batteries must meet the criteria in NAVSEAINST S9310-AQ-SAF-010 "Technical Manual for Batteries, Navy Lithium Safety Program Responsibilities and Procedures" of 19 August 2004 and 49cfr173.185. 24. What is the estimated delivery time from the time or order? 25. What is the estimate cost per unit? 26. What is the location of the manufacturer? 27. Who is the manufacturer or are you a third party distributor? 28. Any additional information that may be pertinent to the operation of your system? Company Information: Vendors/contractors who respond to this Request for Information (RFI) are requested to provide all of the following information in writing and in accordance with the directions below: 1. Company name 2. Company mailing address 3. Company point of contact (name & title) 4. Point of contact's telephone numbers (office & fax) 5. Company's size standard for the NAICS information provided above Note: You may provide any other pertinent information that may contribute to efficiencies related to this RFI that will assist the Government in developing specifications for future solicitations.