SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Ground Instrumentation for Time & Space Position Information (TSPI) System
- Notice Date
- 10/17/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334511
— Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFFTC - AF Flight Test Center, 5 S WOLFE AVE, Edwards AFB, California, 93524-1185, United States
- ZIP Code
- 93524-1185
- Solicitation Number
- FA9302-08-R-0011-TSPI
- Point of Contact
- Judy K Pace,, Phone: 661-277-8801, Mike L Keeling,, Phone: 661-277-8512
- E-Mail Address
-
judy.pace@edwards.af.mil, mike.keeling@edwards.af.mil
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Request for Information (RFI) Ground Instrumentation for Time and Space Position Information (TSPI) System Schedule Closing Date: 14 November 2008 Background Currently the AFFTC does not have the capability for high accuracy tracking of non-cooperative test assets. Real time tracking, using range acquisition data or autonomous closed-loop data, is needed, including the capability of tracking two objects during separation events. The ground instrumentation sought would provide high resolution position data for post mission trajectory reconstruction of multiple non-cooperative objects associated with testing, for example munitions and parachute drops. The AFFTC also needs the capability to provide ground instrumentation trajectory data, along with post mission derived velocity and attitude, to complement accurate TSPI results from test assets equipped with GPS TSPI instrumentation. Scope The AFFTC is seeking industry information on available products and technologies to further define/refine the requirements and the acquisition approach for the Ground Instrumentation Azimuth/elevation/range for Non-GPS TSPI (GIANT). Interested sources shall address their capability to provide accurate trajectory data to support TSPI missions for both non-cooperative and GPS instrumented test assets to reestablish high-accuracy TSPI capabilities formerly provided by Cinetheodolite devices. A TBD number of radar and/or optical instrumented sites will be implemented in a single or phased procurement. It is envisioned that the instrumentation will operate from prepared sites overlooking the various ranges on Edwards AFB. The sites will be equipped with power, concrete pads with anchor bolts, and fiber connection to a centralized control and data van, all provided by AFFTC. The system proposed must include a mobile or transportable capability to support autonomous but infrequent testing from unimproved sites within AFFTC test ranges. The trajectory and raw measurement data, including optical and/or radar imagery data, produced by the proposed system will be used by AFFTC flight test programs in post flight analysis to produce refined TSPI results. A subset of the data will be provided in real time to support AFFTC situational awareness. Calibration, environmental and supporting setup data from the instrumentation will be applied in real time and/or post flight to produce high quality trajectory inputs for the for the final analysis steps. Description The key characteristics of the sought capability are contained in the table below. Note: ‘threshold' indicates a basic requirement while ‘objective' indicates a goal. Goals are not required but are considered very desirable. All requirements listed below are ‘threshold' unless otherwise identified as an ‘objective' requirement. Characteristic Description TSPI Accuracy 1) The trajectory results, after post mission analysis, from data merged from three instruments with similar measurement errors, obtained by tracking the same point on the test object at a common range of 8km but with different view angles, after calibration corrections and after being smoothed over a 1 second sliding time window, must provide a net error less than + 1 meter (1 sigma, 3-axes) for absolute trajectory position. 2) The instrumentation shall be capable of high spatial resolution of multiple objects within the test scene, such as a 15 bomb cluster, to detect relative spacing, bomb orientation and spin characteristics (See FOV 1.). 3) The deliverable star calibration software and resulting data for each instrument shall be of such quality that, when the azimuth and elevation corrections are applied to the mount, a mapping of an independent set of stars results in a calculated pointing error (1 sigma, 2-axes) of + 5 arc seconds (objective), + 10 arc seconds (threshold). 4) The instrument shall perform factory and delivery acceptance tests which demonstrate functional and performance TSPI capabilities. Tracking 1) The dynamic (5 degrees per second slew) line-of-sight tracking error (noise) of each instrument, for wind free conditions, when smoothed over a 1 second sliding window shall be < 10% contribution to the processed absolute trajectory result (objective). 2) The system shall be able to track aircraft flying at speeds up to Mach 0.95 and as low as 200 feet above the ground with a point of closest approach to the instrument of 0.5 nautical miles. 3) The system shall be capable of acquiring and tracking an anomalous hypervelocity aircraft event through a Mach 10 over-flight at a closest-approach range of 50,000 feet and elevation of 75 degrees. 4) The system shall be capable of acquiring and tracking high elevation (75 degrees) aircraft spin tests up to a range of 50,000 feet from provided acquisition data (650 feet precision). 5) Acquisition and tracking capability shall include autonomous operation, with no human in the loop, and semi-autonomous operation with operator override capability. 6) The instrumentation shall be able to acquire and track aircraft at 15 nautical miles range and autonomously (objective), or with operator assistance (threshold), acquire and track a single bomb release from the aircraft at 6 nautical miles range and continue tracking the bomb through separation, fall and impact. 7) The instrument shall be capable of acquiring and tracking (from provided ephemeris data) large (5 meters across), low-earth-orbit satellites in termination condition (instrument in darkness, satellite sunlit) to verify dynamic performance (objective). 8) The instrument shall be capable of acquiring and tracking stars selected from the Yale Bright Star Catalog or equivalent, to support star calibrations of the sensor and its pedestal mount exterior orientation parameters and angle alignment offsets between the sensor optical axis and its pedestal mechanical pointing angle measurements. 9) The tracking system architecture shall be able to reacquire test assets, with high probability, in cases of tracking loss. 10) The system shall be capable of being slaved to another similar system or other tracking system. 11) The system shall include mission planning software to predict performance for given mission parameters (objective). Field of View (FOV) 1) The system shall be able to detect and record raw TSPI trajectory data for an aircraft munitions release of 15 bombs from separation at 6 nautical miles range to impact at 4 nautical miles with a cluster spread of 400 horizontal feet. 2) The system shall be able to detect and record raw TSPI trajectory data for a multiple paratrooper exit sequence from two sides of a cargo aircraft with a scene extent beneath and aft of the aircraft of 300 x 100 meters at a range of 2 nautical miles from the instrumentation. 3) For optical TSPI instrumentation, the system shall be capable of using target range data (provided) to maintain the scene extent in the image within + 20% during the range evolution of a typical multiple bomb drop from release through impact (See FOV 1. above.), either by multiple fixed focal length metric lens systems (threshold) or by a metrically controlled and recorded zoom capability (objective). 4) For optical instrumentation, the instrument shall be capable of using target range data (provided) to maintain optical focus of the test objects within the image during the range evolution of a typical aircraft multiple bomb drop from release through impact (See FOV 1. above.). 5) Radar solutions shall be capable of resolving range ambiguities for all described scenarios. 6) Radar solutions shall be capable of resolving range in zero Doppler target conditions without data degradation. Field of Regard (FOR) 1) The instrument shall be capable of greater than or equal to + 270 degrees line-of-sight travel operation in azimuth (threshold) or continuous line-of-sight travel operation in azimuth (objective). 2) The instrument shall be capable of greater than or equal to + 105 degrees line-of-sight travel operation in elevation. 3) The instrument shall be able to operate in normal or plunge/dump mode to optically view standard range target-boards at 1kilometer distance to support setup leveling, orientation and calibration procedures. 4) Radar solutions shall have bore sighting capabilities to the instrument line-of-sight and data procedures that support standard TSPI analyses after the mission. TSPI Data 1) The instrumentation sensors shall output data in digital format suitable for transmission and/or on-site recording. 2) The electronic control and data system shall operate the system from the provided central control van (with rack space provided), but the individual instruments will be capable of autonomous operation at the various sites, which will be part of the acceptance test. 3) The instrument sensor shall be capable of saturation and gain control. 4) The system shall be capable of collecting and recording raw trajectory data at rates from <30 up to >200 samples per second. 5) The sensor sampling integration time shall be selectable, independent of the sample rate, with exposure time settings ranging from 50 microseconds (objective) or 100 microseconds (threshold) up to the entire sample period. 6) The raw data shall be recorded with GPS/IRIG-B timestamp. Calibration procedure will be required for measuring any offset between the external timestamp and the actual exposure time for the sensor image recorded. 7) The instrument shall be capable of continuous recording of raw TSPI trajectory data in 5 minute continuous files and be capable of storing 10 data files per mission day. 8) The recorded data files shall be individually accessible for playback or high speed transport. Environment 1) The individual instruments shall be capable of stand-alone operation. 2) The system shall be capable of withstanding environmental conditions found at test ranges. The system shall withstand ambient temperatures from -25˚F to +130˚F. It shall withstand exposure to harsh weather in non-ideal testing conditions for up to 8 hours. The system shall be capable of withstanding exposure to harsh weather for up to 4 hours in its collection ready configuration. 3) The instrument shall be able to acquire and track in wind conditions up to 30 mph (threshold) with < 30% degraded tracking jitter performance (objective) compared to wind free conditions. 4) The instrument sensors shall be sealed (threshold) and over-pressurized (objective) to prevent exposure to airborne environmental hazards. 5) Active sensors will have to undergo Spectrum Certification Compliance (as required), laser eye safety certification (as required), and applicable range certification procedures. 6) Documentation consisting of mechanical and electrical drawings and software source codes and/or manuals, shall be adequate to support minor repairs and trouble shooting by operations personnel. Transportability 1) The system shall be self contained except for power. External power shall be  50 amps and 110/ 220 volts at 60Hz. 2) The system shall be mobile capable and shall include all equipment necessary for set up, bore sighting, calibration, and operation. 3) Set up time for the system (from arrival on site until it is calibrated and ready to collect data) shall be less than four hours. Data collection and set-up shall require no more than two people. 4) Transportation to the test range may be on military vehicles or commercial shipping. Once it arrives at the range and completes delivery testing, the system shall be transported to the data collection site. The transport vehicle is not part of this system. Training and Maintenance 1) The procurement contract shall include terms for training of government operators and analysts as well as maintenance agreements. Instructions AFFTC is looking for suppliers who can provide instrumentation and precision pointing platforms that may be used alone or in conjunction with other systems to provide the required capability. Technologies of specific interest include radar systems, imaging electro-optical systems operating in one or more wavelengths, non-imaging electro-optical systems operating in one or more wavelengths, and two axis precision pointing platforms. Commercial and non-development solutions are preferred where the end-system would provide the capabilities stated above. AFFTC is also interested in suppliers that can provide a completely integrated capability. All respondents are asked to provide the following. 1. Include a technical description of the potential solution or complete capability. The description should answer the following: a. What part of the overall capability does your solution addresses? b. How does your solution work? c. What are the limits of your solution? d. How many instrumented sites does your solution require? e. What are the physical dimensions and weight of your solution? f. How much power does your solution use? g. Does your solution require cooling? h. How effectively has your solution been used in similar range TSPI systems or outdoor applications? i. What evidence exists that your solution is applicable if it has not been used in similar TSPI systems? j. How mature is your solution? k. Is your solution new development? l. Does a prototype of your solution exist? m. Is your solution similar to previous successful developments? n. Is your solution an extension or evolution of an existing product? o. Is your solution already in production? p. State additional key assumptions which were needed to simulate the scenarios provided in the requirements table above. 2. Include a schedule estimate from contract award to operational capability. 3. Include a cost estimate to produce the initial unit and any estimated cost reductions for additional units. 4. Include recommendations where performance can be traded for reduced costs or where performance can be added for little or no cost. 5. Is the proposed solution a commercial item (reference Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101 for definition) 6. Include warranty terms. 7. Include a description of past similar efforts. 8. Include a description of any teaming or joint ventures proposed and extent of subcontracting. 9. Include your firms business size based on the NAICS code used form this RFI. 10. Include typical pricing terms (i.e. fixed price, cost-plus fixed-fee) and payment terms to include need for progress payments. RFI Purpose and Limitations The Government's intention is to better understand the current state-of-the-art and to determine the best acquisition approach. Industry feedback is vitally important and the Government will be receptive to any and all ideas received from industry. This RFI is an expression of the Government's interest only and does not obligate the Government to pay for the requested information nor respond to any submissions. Proprietary information is not being solicited; however, if it is submitted, it should be appropriately marked. All information provided will be protected as Procurement Sensitive per Federal Acquisition Regulation 3.104. Please limit your response to no more than 15 prepared text and figure pages. In addition, you may include up to five attachments that consist of pre-printed commercial brochures or sales literature. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. Electronic responses shall be in MS Word or Adobe PDF format. Please submit responses to Judy Pace. Information must be received no later than 4:30 PM Pacific Time on 14 November 2008.
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=9570af27e2b9d2820497e65af8031db0&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Place of Performance
- Address: EDWARDS AFB, EDWARDS, California, 93524, United States
- Zip Code: 93524
- Zip Code: 93524
- Record
- SN01693056-W 20081019/081017214301-9570af27e2b9d2820497e65af8031db0 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |