SOLICITATION NOTICE
16 -- Upgrade/modification or replacement of the Radio Frequency (RF) Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) Suite on the B-52H, AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H platforms Capabilities RFI
- Notice Date
- 4/21/2009
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 335999
— All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, ASC - Aeronautical Systems Center, 647 AESS/SYAB/EW Plans2145 Monahan WayBldg 28 Wright-Patterson AFB OH
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- RF_ECM_Multiple_Platforms_CapabilitiesRFI
- Archive Date
- 12/31/2009
- Point of Contact
- Mike Wilke (CTR), 937-255-3774<br />
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- TITLE: Upgrade/modification or replacement of the Radio Frequency (RF) Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) Suite on the B-52H, AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H platforms DESCRIPTION: The Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) 647th Combat Electronics Squadron is conducting market research analyses in support of examining technology levels and potential system availability to upgrade/modify or replace the RF ECM self-protection suites on the B-52H and the AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H aircraft. ASC is issuing this CRFI to gather information in conjunction with on-going Air Force Electronic Warfare Capabilities Investment Strategy (AFEWCIS) activities in support of the AF EW Life Cycle Management Group (LCMG). THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This CRFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This CRFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, ASC is not at this time seeking proposals, and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not p! ay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this CRFI. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. All costs associated with responding to this CRFI will be solely at the responding party's expense. Not responding to this CRFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. Small Businesses are encouraged to provide responses to this CRFI in order to assist ASC in determining potential levels of technology/systems available in the industry, as well as helping to establish a basis for developing any subsequent potential subcontract plan goal percentages. Only responses from US companies will be accepted. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor these sites for additional inform! ation pertaining to this CRFI. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this inquiry. This announcement is not to be construed as a formal solicitation. It does not commit the government to reply to information received, or to later publish a solicitation, or to award a contract based on this information. PROPRIETARY MATERIALS PROTECTION: This notice is part of Government Market Research, a continuous process for obtaining the latest information from industry with respect to their current and near-term abilities. The information collected may be used by the Government to explore acquisition options and strategies for the possible approaches within the military. All information received in response to this CRFI that is properly marked as "proprietary" will be handled accordingly. Proprietary information must be clearly marked on the outside container and on the materials inside. The Government shall not be liable for, or suffer any consequential damages, for any proprietary information not properly identified. Any materials submitted in accordance with this CRFI which contain information that is marked as proprietary will be protected as proprietary information. Such information will be reviewed by a team comprised of Government as well as support contractor personnel hir! ed to provide technical assistance in assessing the responses, consulting on potential operational requirements refinement, and assisting the Government in the preparation of any resulting acquisition strategy. All members of the team will be reminded of their obligation to protect such information to the maximum extent permitted or required by the Economic Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. 1831 et seq., and other applicable statutes or regulations. In addition, Government members will be reminded of their obligations to afford protection under the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. All contractor members are required to protect the information by the terms of their contracts. The Government has also determined that the contractor personnel have no organizational conflicts of interest that could adversely affect protection of the information. Responders may provide a response to an upgrade option, a system modification, a new ECM suite, or any combination of these solutions. However, if multiple solutions are presented each distinct solution should be fully documented as a complete response. The intent of this CRFI is to assist Air Combat Command (ACC) and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) with information needed to establish/refine operational requirements and set priorities for possible upgrades, modification or replacement of RF ECM systems on the B-52H and AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H. The goal is to identify new and existing technology investments that can that can provide the B-52H and AC/MC-130 the survivability assets essential to effective execution of their assigned missions. This CRFI includes all aspects of RF EW self-protection across all phases of combat. APPROACH: ASC 647th AESS (Combat Electronics Squadron) is requesting information on viable options that will upgrade/modify or replace the current B-52H and AC/MC-130 aircraft RF ECM self-protection suites, which include the ALQ-172, ALQ-155, ALQ-196, ALQ-122, ALR-20, ALR-46, ALT-16 and ALT-32. Please note that the ALQ-172 is common to both ACC and AFSOC and preserving a common system for both platforms is highly desirable. Respondents are asked to provide information on any present or near-term (2015) system/upgrade/concept/idea that meets the Air Force's desired capabilities. A CD identifying specific system desired capabilities will be made available with the CRFI release upon request from industry. Company responses should clearly indicate the solution(s) it is addressing and include a cover letter and a narrative summary of their approach as well as other pertinent data. Responses should include sufficient information (such as a plan of action and milestones) that desc! ribes how the recommended technologies/system would be able to meet the capabilities sought in this CRFI. Additional instructions for responders are provided in the CD. Wherever possible and practical, the utilization of open, digital, modular, scalable, sustainable and common architectures is encouraged. The responder's recommended solution(s) should include an implementation schedule for the development, procurement, and installation of possible solutions to include risk assessments and technology readiness levels. The goal is to develop a range of promising options at several capability and affordability levels. The response should define B-52H and AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H EW self-protection system ideas/solutions that are effective against current and future enemy threats and tactics. Respondents should characterize to what extent ECM suite commonality can practically be maintained between the B-52H and the AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H. Respondents ECM suite solutions should strive to provide EW functionality in a manner that allows the system to respond to changing threat environments, allow network compatibility, and be reconfigurable to reap the benefits of evolving technology. Respondents should provide an assessment (including potential costs and schedules) of any Group A changes necessary to implement their design. Group A generally refers to parts or components (including software) that are permanently or temporarily installed in a configuration item to support, secure, interconnect, or accommodate the equipment in a Group B kit. Upgrading may or may not require maintaining the existing group A provisions. Whereas, modifying or replacing with a new system implies a higher probability of extensive group A changes with non-recurring and recurring cost! s that should be quantified. The technical solutions requested by this CRFI are comprehensive and, in some cases challenging. The Air Force is looking to industry to identify solutions that address the bulk of them, but there is no assumption that one company can satisfy them all. Therefore, companies that have partial solutions are encouraged to respond and address the extent to which their solutions provide answers to the technology challenges presented by this CRFI. This feedback provides the Air Force with insights into what is readily available and where the Technology Readiness Level is for equipment that can meet these challenges. It also provides an indication of what operational needs are most critical to costs and technical performance. The Air Force plans to use this information to refine ACC and AFSOC 2012 POM planning exercises. To aid in the evaluation of affordability, rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimates should be provided. Data and information needed to perform these ROM estimates are provided within a separate capabilities document, which will be available on a CD or via special distribution. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Relative to present system(s) capabilities, in general, responders' ECM suite solutions should exhibit greater reliability, have a reduced risk of obsolescence, be interoperable with other aircraft systems, and strive for ease of future re-configurability and technology insertion. As stated earlier, specific effectiveness capability needs are provided under separate cover. DATA LIBRARY: The government will provide a electronic library (e.g. CDs) for responder's accessibility to government furnished information (GFI) data/documents. SUMMARY: The 647th AESS/SYAB, ASC, AFMC, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio will manage this CRFI. Respondents may reply to this CRFI within 60 days of this notice to: Chief, EW Plans Office, 647th AESS/SYAB, 2145 Monahan Way, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433. Electronic responses may be sent to: Wilke, Michael A CTR USAF AFMC 647 AESS/SYAB [Michael.Wilke.ctr@wpafb.af.mil] or Quillin, Linda F Civ USAF AFMC 647 AESS/SYAB [Linda.Quillin@wpafb.af.mil]. To further define CRFI information needs, an exchange of information between industry and government may be achieved by an industry day and/or one-on-one meetings with respondents to clarify the intent and resolve concerns. All interested parties are encouraged to respond. All responses submitted will be reviewed and assessed. All submissions properly marked will be considered proprietary and treated in accordance with their markings. Companies will be required to adhere to the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) procedures for the marking and transmittal of all information. Prior to any respondents coming on base, you must forward your companies security cage code. Also, send a visit request on all personnel that may visit to our Wing Security Office at our JPAS SMO code - WE1MFLNF6. As a reminder, companies are not limited to a single response. Submissions are due NLT June 8, 2009 by 8:00 AM. Program Office Address: 647th AESS/SYAB, Bldg. 28, Room 141, 2145 Monahan Way, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7017 For more information on "Upgrade/modification or replacement of the Radio Frequency (RF) Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) Suite on the B-52H, AC-130H/U and MC-130E/H platforms Capabilities RFI", please refer to:https://pixs.wpafb.af.mil/pixs_solicitation.asp?id=6075
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