SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- F-16 Lightning Diverter Strip
- Notice Date
- 12/2/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 811219
— Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, Hill AFB OO-ALC, OO-ALC/PKXB, 6038 Aspen Ave (Bldg 1289), Hill AFB, Utah, 84056
- ZIP Code
- 84056
- Solicitation Number
- FA8251-10-R-XXXX
- Archive Date
- 1/5/2010
- Point of Contact
- Shea Lynn Korth, Phone: 801-586-3426, Shea L Korth, Phone: 801-586-3426
- E-Mail Address
-
shea.korth@hill.af.mil, shea.korth@hill.af.mil
(shea.korth@hill.af.mil, shea.korth@hill.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- RFI for F-16 Lightning Diverter Strip F-16 Depot, 416 SCMS/GUMAE, is looking for sources to qualify a new lightning diverter strip for the F-16 radome. Qualification will involve two lightning strike tests and fabrication of two radomes with the new strips. One radome will be purchased new with the strip installed by the manufacturer. The second radome will use an existing stock item in the repair system. The organic Depot will install the new diverter strip. The qualification tests will be used to validate the ability of the new diverter strips to protect the radome from lightning strikes. Point of contact: Ogden Air Logistics Center, Ms. Shea Korth, Shea.Korth@hill.af.mil, OO-ALC/448 SCMG/PK BLDG 1215, 6050 Gum Lane, Hill AFB, Ut. 84056 Current Issues The function of the lightning diverter strip is to absorb and divert lightning strikes away from the radome and the critical radar equipment the radome houses. There are primarily two problems with the diverter strip currently used on the F-16. The first is that the individual segments are not robust enough to withstand the F-16 flight environment and fall off prematurely. Also, the current diverter strip has a static conductor strip that conducts the electricity from one segment to another and down the entire diverter strip. At times this causes the buttons to fall off. When 5% of the segments are missing, the field is required to send the entire radome back to the depot to replace the diverter strip. At the depot, the radome coating is stripped, the diverter strips are removed and replaced, the coating reapplied, and the radome sent through the radar test range to validate the performance of the radar in conjunction with the overhauled radome. The second problem with the current diverter strips is that their application involves a complex bonding process that requires 20+ man hours. The current effort is to qualify a technologically superior diverter strip (similar to that used on the F-22), one that is both more robust which will result in far fewer radome repairs, and one that is much easier to apply which will significantly reduce the time to repair the radome. Requirements Two radomes will be required for testing. One will come from the manufacturer with the new diverter strips installed. The other will come through the organic repair line that will have incorporated the new diverter strip installation process. The radomes will be required to be lightning tested to ensure the new diverter strips adequately protect the radome and the sensitive radar equipment it houses. The radome contractor will be responsible for fabricating a new radome with the new diverter strips incorporated. The organic repair shop will be responsible for installing the new diverter strips on a repaired radome. The contractor will be responsible for performing the lightning tests on both radomes and reporting the results to the government. Questions to be addressed by interested parties: 1. How do you propose to manufacture the radome? 2. How will your lightning diverter strip be more robust than the current strip? 3. What are the details of your new lightning diverter strip? 4. How do you propose to acquire the tooling necessary to make the radome? 5. What type of equipment do you have in your facility that would be used to manufacture the radome? 6. How do you propose to test the lightning diverter strip? Do you have your own electrical test facilities? Do you have radio frequency testing and measurement facilities? 7. Are you ISO 9001 certified? How do you ensure the quality of your products? 8. Describe how you propose supporting the logistics of these repairs? What is your ramp-up time? How do you propose handling travel, site access, security clearances, import of chemicals and materials required for repair? How will tooling and equipment affect schedules and travel? 9. What is your expertise with similar repairs and are you currently providing any similar support to the USAF? Do you presently have arrangements with sub-contractors to support a contract of this size? What type of partnering with subcontractors do you envision? Responses: Responses must be submitted in electronic mail (email), foreign responses must be in English. Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point formats are preferred. Responses should include an executive summary not to exceed 5 pages, then the body of the work not to exceed 20 when printed out in a font size 12. The potential future solicitation may allow for multiple awards depending on the response received from this announcement. Contractor questions regarding this RFI should be submitted via email to Shea Korth at Shea.Korth@hill.af.mil. No telephone inquiries will be accepted. Only email requests received directly from the requester are acceptable. CONTRACTORS This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation for Bid (IFB); it is only to obtain market capabilities/industry comments and is to be used for informational purposes only. The Air Force does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request, nor will the Air Force pay for the information requested. Your answers are intended to be used to help construct our acquisition strategy and may be used to structure the Government's RFP. Subsequently proprietary information should be appropriately marked, but is not encouraged. All responses to this RFI shall be submitted via email to Shea.Korth@hill.af.mil not later than 20 calendar days after posting.
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- Record
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