Loren Data Corp.

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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF NOVEMBER 21,1996 PSA#1726

R&D Contracting Directorate, Attn: WL/AAKE, Bldg 7, 253 C Street, WPAFB OH 45433-7607

A -- IMAGING SEEKER COUNTERMEASURES SOL PRDA #97-08-AAK (PAR POC Contact Edward J. Caulfield, Contract Negotiator, (937) 255-2976 or Nancy Stormer, Contracting Officer at (937) 255-5311. A--INTRODUCTION: (PART 1 OF 2) Wright Laboratory (WL/AAKE) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research efforts described below. This announcement contains sections A through F. Proposals in response to this PRDA shall be submitted by 23 January 1997, 1500 hours Eastern Standard Time, addressed to: Attn: E.J. Caulfield, Bldg 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7607. Proposals shall not be submitted via facsimile transmission. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. Proposal receipt after the cut-off date and time specified herein shall be treated in accordance with the restrictions of FAR 52.215-10, copy of this provision may be obtained from the contracting point of contact cited in Section F. There will be no other solicitations issued in regard to this requirement. However, a classified annex for the Imaging Sensor Countermeasure Follow-On (ISCF) is available upon request to qualified offerors. These offerors should submit facility and personnel security information to the contracting address below. Offerors should be alert for any amendments to this solicitation that may be published. This PRDA may be amended to permit subsequent submission of proposal dates. Offerors should request a copy of the WL Guide entitled, ''PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry''. This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process. Copies may be requested from the contracting point of contact or obtained on-line via the world wide web from the WL/PK Contracting Directorate at http://www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract. B--REQUIREMENTS: 1) Technical Description: Technology for imaging seekers continues to mature, and a number of anti-aircraft imaging missile systems are under development. The purpose of this Imaging Seeker Countermeasure PRDA is to address both surface-to-air and air-to-air imaging seeker threats and define and develop innovative countermeasure (CM) solutions, methods, and/or techniques to defeat them. Existing CM techniques have been optimized against reticle scan missile seekers. New systems will need to address current and advanced (imaging) missile threats. A PRDA is being used for this solicitation to encourage new and innovative concepts for both near term and far term applications. This program consists of three technical efforts to accomplish this goal. These efforts are: Imaging Threat Investigations (ITIV), Imaging Sensor Countermeasure Follow-On (ISCF), and the Imaging Countermeasures Concept Development (ICCD) Program. Alternative approaches will be given consideration provided they clearly offer a feasible solution, method, and/or tool to defeat an imaging threat. The three efforts are more fully described below: (a) The objective of the ITIV effort is to determine possible imaging threat seeker configurations and key technologies. Of particular interest are surface-to-air and air-to-air configurations which shall be directed against US Air Force aircraft. Understanding the threat is mandatory in determining what its vulnerabilities are. This effort shall investigate components, subsystems, and technologies used in imaging seeker development. This program shall begin with a survey of key technologies and existing data describing system functions of potential imaging threats. This shall include optics, sensors, processors, and architectures, as well as, image processing techniques and tracking algorithms. During this investigation, the offeror shall combine R&D with available Intelligence Information to predict one or more imaging seeker configurations. This effort shall postulate hardware configurations, and define and create software flowcharts and/or block diagrams for each imaging seeker threat defined. Components shall be identified along with equations, transfer functions, or any other necessary information to model the threat system and/or subsystems. The contractor should anticipate using a graphical/visual language environment such as KHOROS, MATLAB, WITFLOW, etc. to do seeker definitions. (b) The objective of the ISCF effort is to evaluate the performance of signature management based countermeasures (CM) against imaging seekers through field testing. This program shall continue the development of candidate technologies and techniques for imaging sensor countermeasures. The need exists to explore concepts which are robust against an expected difficult threat. This effort shall take advantage of, and then advance the results of contract F33615-93-C-1224 (Imaging Sensors CM (ISCM) Program) which performed countermeasure and signature analysis against imaging sensors. Information on the ISCM is available from the classified annex (see paragraph A above.) The ISCM Final Report, etc., shall be made available to the contractor after contract award. This new ISCF effort shall concentrate on testing the CM concepts in the field. A determination shall be made if signature management based CM concepts are a viable means to defeat imaging sensors. The approach for this effort is to first review the Final Report and auxiliary data from the ISCM program, then evaluate the progress that was made. Next, explore new and/or past paint/coatings technology and its application to countermeasure concepts. This technology may be either new or resulting from the ISCM contract. This effort shall also update the CM concept priority list developed on the ISCM program. Field testing is expected to make use of radio controlled models and appropriate sensor devices to evaluate performance. It is important that lessons learned from the first program combine with the contractors expertise to define and execute a field test that adequately evaluates CM concept performance. The contractor shall develop a methodology (test plan) that tests the concepts to clearly determine if the CM techniques merit transition to full scale. Some critical areas to be considered are 1) The problems associated with field testing and 2) The unique problems of scaled testing. Unique, imaginative use of available scale model technology and resources are encouraged. Concepts tested shall not enhance current seeker performance, but may allow improved conventional CM performance against imaging seekers. This effort shall implement these Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) concepts (from both the previous ISCM and this contract) by obtaining the material, coatings, etc., that exhibit the desired effects, and test for effectiveness. Effects may have to be simulated where technology is unavailable or too expensive for this effort. If possible, this effort shall take advantage of other programs or contractors' own IR&D to supply technology. If information is available in a timely manner, this effort may take advantage of findings from the ITIV effort to a) help predict potential vulnerabilities of imaging seekers, and b) use the predicted threat configuration(s) for the advanced sensors required during field testing. An Associate Contractor Agreement may be required to coordinate the ITIV with this effort. The first effort (ISCM) used one scale model, tested at one geographical location, using limited flight profiles, and did not attempt cooperative concepts. The goal of this effort is to demonstrate the performance of the best concepts under a wider range of environmental conditions, more small scale aircraft vehicles, additional scenarios, and combinations with traditional CM's, if possible. Testing should include flightworthy (full scale) materials when possible, and shall use advanced sensor platforms which allow determination of effectiveness and robustness. The test results will be analyzed in order to determine if integration of the ideas and concepts into a USAF aircraft countermeasure system is possible. (c) The objective of the ICCD effort is to develop innovative CM solutions, implementation techniques, and methods to defeat the anti-aircraft imaging seeker threats. This program shall research and evaluate past and existing imaging seeker CM work to focus on solutions to defeat the threat. As it becomes available, this effort shall utilize any findings from the parallel ITIV effort described above. (If required, an Associate Contractor Agreement shall be established.) From this review and the contractors' own expertise, the contractor shall theorize a potential set of CM solutions, and outline methods to implement them. Potential countermeasures should consider the overall systems approach as well as address operational issues. The results shall be tested using a missile simulation (and environment) in-order to rank and evaluate the countermeasure effectiveness. The 'environment' used for testing shall include a missile model(s) that includes all necessary components, preferably industry recognized. Selection and use of a model shall be discussed at the Design Review prior to testing. The best techniques identified shall be sufficiently defined with block diagrams/flowcharts so that the concepts can be later evaluated with other Air Force graphical or visual programming language evaluation tools (i.e. KHOROS, MATLAB, etc.). It shall be a goal of this effort to breadboard at least one concept and demonstrate performance. Analysis of the results shall be used to determine feasibility and robustness of the CM solutions. This will be used to make recommendations for imaging seeker CM concepts for follow-on advanced development efforts. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be proposed for each contract: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, monthly, (b) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T, monthly, (c) Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, monthly, (d) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly, (e) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-MGMT-81468/T, Quarterly, (f) Presentation Material, DI-ADMN-81373/T, as required, (g) Test Plan, DI-NDTI-80566/T, ASREQ, and (h) Scientific and Technical Reports, Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Reproducible Final). (3) Security Requirements: TEMPEST requirements will apply. Generation of classified material for this solicitation effort is authorized only on equipment approved for classified processing by Air Force TEMPEST authorities. It is anticipated that work performed under this contract will be classified up to and including the SECRET level. Wright Laboratory's Electronic Warfare Security Classification Guide, 1 Mar 89, with Letter Change No. 1, dated 16 Aug 91, is the overall classification authority for these efforts. It is also anticipated the ISCM Follow-on shall involve Special Access Required (SAR) material. Responders are reminded that classified responses shall be properly packaged, marked, transmitted, and addressed to the correct authority listed in Section A of this PRDA. Guidance concerning handling of classified information is contained in the ''Industrial Security Manual for Safeguarding Classified Information,'' available from the Defense Investigative Service. (4) Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Regulations apply. PL 98-94 applies. Offerors must submit an approved DD Form 2345, ''Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement'' with their proposal. (END OF PART 1) (0324)

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