99 -- DIGITAL RF DATA LINK FOR COUNTER BATTERY ATTACK MISSILE

Notice Date

May 16, 2001

Contracting Office

Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, Code 210000D, 1 Administration Circle, China Lake, CA 93555-6100

ZIP Code

93555-6100

Solicitation Number

N68936-01-R-0084

Response Due

July 3, 2001

Point of Contact

Jerry Manley, Contract Specialist, 760-939-4273, Contracting Officer -- Doreen Robbins, 760-939-9665, manleyja@navair.navy.mil

Description

The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division is seeking sources capable of providing information on advanced technologies in digital multi-user RF communications as it applies to the Counter Battery Attack Missile (CBAM) project. Of particular interest are digital RF communications links to receive and transmit information for the successful prosecution of targets by the notional concept of operations for CBAM. The information that is collected will be used to aid the development of subsystem requirements. CBAM is an S&T demonstration program funded under the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Time Critical Strike (TCS) Future Naval Capabilities (FNC) project. The objective of CBAM is to demonstrate the capability to counter-attack a Transporter Erector Launcher. The CBAM project starts in the fiscal year 2002 and completes in fiscal year 2006. A notional concept of operation for a CBAM is as follows: A TBM launch is detected using either an E2-C or AEGIS radar system. Those systems perform a track-back function and locate the launch point within a given accuracy. That launch point is used as a targeting resource to a CBAM missile located aboard a ship. In response to the TBM launch, a CBAM missile is launched at the TEL located in the vicinity of the TBM launch point. A combination of imaging sensor(s) and autonomous recognition signal processing is used to determine the final target location. As new information is received while the CBAM is ingressing, the RF communications link will be used to receive the new information. CBAM flies out to that calculated launch point and begins imaging the area using a seeker. Once the TEL is located, the CBAM missile will engage the TEL destroying it. The following are important notes regarding the CBAM concept of operations: Due to the very short dwell time of the TEL post launch, the CBAM fly-out must be very fast. It is envisioned that the weapon will fly supersonic to the launch point and then slow to just over mach 1 for the end game. This will limit the amount of time that will be available to transmit and receive data. Data may include (but is not limited to) target location and velocity information, target imagery information, weapon location information, status information, information used for Bomb Hit Indication (real-time moving imagery). It is anticipated that the short duration of flight and the quantity of information will force the data bandwidth to be in excess of 1.5 MBPS. Potential exists for the ingressing weapon to encounter ground based ECCM systems. The RF link will have to be robust enough to complete operation within such a degraded RF environment. Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) operation is anticipated for CBAM. Intermediate relay RF systems will be used to allow BLOS. Since real time data will be utilized in the CBAM operation, the RF link will need to exhibit low latency. The antennas for the RF data link will need to be integrated with the CBAM airframe for omnidirectional operation. With the high-speed aspect, it is anticipated that the antennas will be conformal. RF spectrum consideration will include operation for training and operational purposes in CONUS and in theater. No peculiar RF spectrum Built-in-Test equipment should be required. Because of the time critical strike aspect of CBAM, a priori mission planning must be a minimum for the RF links. The CBAM RF data link will use modern autonomous network construction and deconstruction to facilitate operation in a complex RF environment. Of particular interest is unit cost. The CBAM data link will need to be cost effective and cost information for the implementation in the weapon will need to be included. Information on cost for inclusion of CBAM connectivity with a relay platform terminal (UAV) and terminal cost for shipboard installation will need to be included. Information of interest includes the following: a) contact; b) company; c) brief technical description of the approach; d) brief description; e) brief description of how the approach has been applied to other applications; f) brief description of how the approach has been tested; g) brief description of the approach performance. Item c through g must not exceed 15 pages in total length. The above information will be used to assess the following: a) applicability to CBAM; b) maturity of the approach; c) external information required for the algorithm and format; d) amount of required user interaction, if any; and e) approach performance assessment. The information collected will be used to support the planning process for identifying RF data link technologies that meet the requirements for the potential CBAM Follow-on program. Interested parties shall provide their information to Commander (Code 210000D), NAWCWD (Attn.: Jerry Manley), 1 Administration Circle, China Lake, CA 93555-6100 no later than COB 3 July 2001. Contractors should appropriately mark any data that are proprietary or that has [have] restricted data rights. Additional technical information may be obtained through the point of contact at NAWCWD, Valerie Rogers, and (760) 939-3515. This sources sought is not a formal request for proposals and in no way obligates the Government in an award of any contract.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010518/99SOL005.HTM (W-136 SN50M332)