SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) on Future Electronic Warfare (EW) Receiver Systems
- Notice Date
- 11/17/2014
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541330
— Engineering Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFLCMC/PK - WPAFB (includes PZ, WL, WW, WI, WN, WK, LP, WF, WK), 2275 D Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 45433-7218, United States
- ZIP Code
- 45433-7218
- Solicitation Number
- FA8604-15-R-7001
- Archive Date
- 2/7/2015
- Point of Contact
- Jonathan J. Fredrick, Phone: 9372558922
- E-Mail Address
-
jonathan.fredrick@wpafb.af.mil
(jonathan.fredrick@wpafb.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- FBO # FA8604-15-R-7001 SPECIAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) on Future Electronic Warfare (EW) Receiver Systems Notice Date: Notice Type: Special Notice Contracting Office: AFLCMC/PZITC ZIP Code: 45433 Response Due: 23 January 2015 Archive Date: 23 February 2015 Description: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION PLANNED AT THIS TIME. This Request for Information (RFI) 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 request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. The Government WILL NOT PAY for any information received in response to this request for information nor will the Government compensate the respondent for any cost incurred in developing the information for the Government. Respondents may provide more than one response. It is left to the responder's discretion whether to provide data on a new EW receiver system architecture. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP. Any comments provided may or may not be included in a formal solicitation. The Government will not release any information marked proprietary received in response to this RFI to any firms, agencies or individuals outside the Government without written permission in accordance with the responder's proprietary stipulations. Purpose: The objective of this RFI is to give the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) the information needed to develop a near to mid-term (present-2025) technology roadmap including required investment funding to advance the state of practice of EW receiver technology and architecture to address modern and future radar agile threat waveforms. AFRL and AFLCMC/XZ will utilize this data to identify potential technology investment and maturation efforts needed to develop next generation receiver systems. Background: Based on U.S. and foreign radar weapon system developments, the USAF EW community has become increasingly concerned about the current state of practice of EW receiver's ability to address radar waveform agility advancements and the complex electromagnetic operating environment that are part of the modern battlefield. These modern agile threats include adaptive/interleaved multi-mode waveforms based on engagement scenarios; use of Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA) antennas; wide RF operating bandwidths and agilities; variable pulse widths (including very long) with coded modulations; and including operations within multi-signal and dense background RF environments. EW receiver functions include Radar Warning Receivers (RWR), EW jamming system Receiver/Processors (R/P), Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Electronic Support Measures (ESM), and other applicable RF receivers In 2012 AFLCMC/XZ directed a series of studies to assess AESA radar capabilities and their impacts on legacy EW systems. In 2013, in conjunction with AFRL/RYW, a study was conducted specifically to identify characteristics of modern/future agile radar threat waveforms; assess key threat waveform drivers on EW receiver types, and to propose candidate EW receiver architecture and concepts of operation. The results of these study efforts are provided as classified attachments and help to define the RFI focus. Scope: This RFI is being released to help the Air Force assess industry thinking on future EW receiver concepts and to determine the availability of technologies required to address the current and future agile radar threats that are becoming part of the modern electromagnetic operating environment. Information obtained in response to this RFI will be used to help develop a technology roadmap for future EW receivers. Specifically, this RFI seeks to identify potential future EW receiver architectures, receiver concepts of operation, and required technology and/or component developments necessary to affordably implement those architectures. Items to be considered include: •· Receiver types; number of receiver modules; antenna configuration(s); processing structure, processing capacity and speed, etc. •· Software/Firmware algorithm concepts; threat parameters to be measured and measurement accuracies required •o Receiver optimization/adaptation for a broad range of target and background waveforms across the RF spectrum; waveform isolation/interference reduction, sensitivity maximization based on RF and video bandwidths, more accurate feature extraction and waveform reporting •o Sorting and identification of increasingly ambiguous waveforms; increased used of spatial discrimination, increased exploitation of both intentional and unintentional pulse modulation features; new feature exploitation approaches, including behavioral characteristics, beyond traditional parametric features •· System architectures that provide more environment and emitter waveform information while retaining the capability to meet short response times of high priority threats; capture emitter behaviors such as dwell characteristics, prioritize and optimize search, track and response timelines based on the perceived state of the environment •· Identify future receiver system characteristics such as sensitivity, instantaneous dynamic range, probability of intercept (POI) and angle of arrival (AoA) accuracy If possible, responses should include substantiated technology readiness levels (TRL) of key components associated with the respondent's submittal. Additionally, EW receiver system operation should be addressed within a multi-threat and background RF environment (sample background environment and listing of signals of interest is provided in classified attachment). Responses may also include information regarding data fusion and correlation techniques with other on- or off-board sensors that improve overall EW receiver system performance against modern and future agile threat waveforms. These design concepts need to be appropriate for airborne applications to include fighter and UAV size aircraft. RFI Objectives: •1. Overall future architecture concept: Please identify the specific functions you believe each subsystem in your architectures should accomplish. What kinds of threat signal parameters need to be measured and how that information would be used in a system? These may differ for the different applications such as RWR/SA, jammer support, and ISR receivers. •2. Hardware/Firmware/Software technology needs: Please identify the types of technology that need to be developed/refined to fully implement your concepts. Include an assessment of the technology readiness of critical components and define needed maturation activities. •3. Mission Data Requirements: Identify what data types will be required for the system to perform (EO/IR/RF signatures, parametric data, Order of Battle information, characteristics and performance data, etc.). Identify if the system will utilize information available from standard DOD intelligence databases (or products). Identify any other intelligence inputs required for reprogramming and/or mission planning to include Geospatial Intelligence products. Define fidelity requirements of input data (e.g. parametric accuracy, minimum resolution values, and acceptable data confidence levels, acceptability of modeled versus collected/observed data, etc.) •4. Potential system interfaces: Identify on-board or off-board systems that could be used to improve the performance of your concepts. Identify how your concepts will perform in the presence of onboard RF systems and those of wingmen. Identify the antenna concepts your approach needs to achieve its' desired performance. •5. Test Requirements: Please identify the types of test capabilities you envision will be required to fully evaluate your receiver concepts. •6. Technology Development Roadmap: Please identify your plans and estimated schedules to fully develop the necessary architectural concepts and related technologies. Identify your planned investment funding profile and expected performance over time. •7. Cost and Risk Analysis: Identify and quantify risks associated with your solution(s). Be as specific as possible in regards to potential cost and schedule impact of the identified risks. Please identify where potential government investment could be used to reduce risk and mature technologies for each proposed concept. If possible, discuss your rationale for investment funding estimates and the degree of risk associated with each element. Additional Information provided with this RFI: DATA LIBRARY: The government will provide a classified electronic library (e.g. CDs) that gives responder's access to government furnished information (GFI) for those responders cleared to receive classified data at the secret level. Classified information will include specific capabilities of interest as well as present threat capabilities and future threat projections. Also included is a representative background environment and analyses of current systems versus the modern threat. This data can be accessed in the following ways: 1) via classified mail with respondent's verification of their Facility Clearance Code and classified mailing address, 2) over SIPRNet email if the vendor has this capability, or 3) personal pick-up at the EW Plans Office, Room 053, Building 16, Wright Patterson AFB. Respondents may submit a request for information up to the secret level to: AFLCMC/XZAB, 2275 D Street, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433. Access to classified information shall only be for the duration of the RFI including the period of government review of the RFI responses.
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