US Army Aviation and Troop Command, 4300 Goodfellow Blvd, AMSAT-A-PNCB, St. Louis, MO 63120-1798

16 -- DEPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE DEVICE (DAD) FOR T10 PERSONNEL PARACHUTE SOL DAAK01-95-R-0066 DUE 090895 POC Marie Pendergast, Contract Specialist, Area Code 314-263-2960. The US Army is soliciting proposals for a quantity of 20,000 each Deployment Assistance Devices (DAD)s for use with the T10 reserve personnel parachute. The DAD will increase reliability of the T10 reserve parachute deployment and reduce chances for reserve entanglement with the T10 main parachute. The DAD will exhibit the following characteristics: The DAD shall be activated by the reserve handle currently used for the T10 reserve parachute, and shall be fully compatible with the T10 reserve parachute. Pyrotechnic devices are not permitted for use with the DAD. No modification to the T10 reserve parachute shall be permitted, although modification to the deployment bag to accommodate the DAD is acceptable. The DAD shall provide positive means of deployment under all main parachute malfunction modes. Offers will accepted only from firms that can provide data demonstrating the following performance: at least five (5) deployment tests under full open main parachute, at least ten (10) deployment tests under a streamer (fully reefed) main parachute, and at least thirty (30) deployment tests under 30 percent (30 % reefed) partial main parachute malfunction with five (5) line twists. Data shall be submitted on video or film no later than at the time of closing and shall show the entire deployment sequence from reserve activation through ground impact for each test. For those 45 demonstrated tests, there shall be not more than three (3) failures of the reserve parachute that are related to reserve parachute deployment or the DAD. Failures shall be considered as any event that does not permit the reserve parachute to fully inflate, line snags excepted. Average opening times for the reserve parachute with the deployment assistance device shall be less than 12.75 seconds for full open main parachute, less than 1.70 seconds for a main parachute streamer malfunction, and less than 5.20 seconds for a 30 percent partial main parachute malfunction. Contractor will be required to install the device on T10 personnel parachutes which will be provided as Government Furnished Property. Completed assemblies will be shipped FOB Destination to Ft Bragg, NC, Ft Benning, GA and Ft Lee, VA. Contractor will be required to produce the DAD at a rate of 2,000 units per month beginning 120 days after date of contract award. Procurement is unrestricted. (0199)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0445 19950719\16-0001.SOL)