Office of Naval Research, 800 North Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660

A -- INTEGRATED AIR DEPLOYED STRIKE SURVEILLANCE (IADSS) POC G. Fisher, ONR 251 (703) 696-2602. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is pleased to issue a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Integrated Air Deployed Strike Surveillance (IADSS) Program, a five year program that begins in FY96. The IADSS goal is to advance the state-of-the-art in autonomous onboard sensor management, fusion, integration, processing, and communication for multiple dissimilar sensors co-located on the same platform and tasked to function cooperatively. The co-located integrated autonomous sensor suite consists of an Electro-optic/Infrared sensor, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) equipment, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a (duplex) communications capability, and an Autonomous Management Systems (AMS). It will allow full autonomous management, fusion, integration, processing, and communications interface of all components. ONR is soliciting pre-proposals for both the technology demonstration, and science and technology development. The IADSS-equipped platform will require mission search area coordinates, ingress and egress positions and time, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight parameters to operate. It will autonomously search an area and send designated recipients single or multiple perspective annotated images of detected targets. Typically, the IADSS system will be cued by the SIGINT system. Once a potential target is detected, IADSS will autonomously cue the appropriate imaging sensor (i.e., EO/IR (electro-optical/infrared)) and hand-off the target's geolocation ellipse. This information (i.e., SIGINT and imaging data) will be automatically fused into a single ''picture'' and sent to designated ground, airborne, and space-system recipients. Although IADSS will be capable of highly autonomous operation, provisions for direct interaction and command by off-board platforms will be provided. Responses should exploit technologies capable of being demonstrated on a single UAV compatible airborne platform, provide automated sensor cross-cueing and sensor/vehicle management, multi-sensor fusion (including image fusion), automatic target recognition, geolocation, and robust data and image compression for tactical dissemination. Sensors must feature high-resolution, high sensitivity, and fast update rates (e.g., SAR/GMT (synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indicator) radar should be capable of nominally one-foot resolution and detection of slow-moving (5-mph) vehicles, the multi-spectral EO/IR sensor should have several bands and high resolution IFOV (instantaneous field of view), and the SIGINT sensor should cover 2-18 GHz and with a nominally 0.5 degrees resolution). The IADSS communication link must be CHBDL (common high bandwidth data link) compatible. The demonstration should include airborne experiments that show that integrated sensor/processor/vehicle testbeds provide synergistic performance (vice multiple individual sensors not fused nor cued) in detecting and declaring targets within a complex environment. The capability to reduce false alarms (where the individual sensors generate false alarms due to clutter or sensor/processor noise) to a very low rate (e.g., less than one false target per hour of operation) is a prime consideration. Science & Technology Demonstrations (S&T) includes both RF (radio frequency), electronic, opto-electronic components, devices and associated algorithmic techniques. EO/IR: Technology developments focused on multi-spectral EO/IR sensors can include multi- spectral focal plane arrays (FPAs), ''smart'' multi-spectral FPAs (having readout circuits integral to the FPA) and associated multi-spectral signal and image processing methods (including electronic stabilization, non-uniformity correction, image segmentation, target detection/recognition, etc.). Emphasis is on integrated smart multi-spectral EO/IR focal plane arrays that overcome the shortcomings of current HgCdTe (Mercury Cadmium Telluride) FPA technology. Broad areas of new materials, e.g. GaInAsSb (Gallium Arsenide Indium Antimonide) strained layer superlattice (SLS), and device concepts, e.g. Quantum Well Infrared Photo detector (QWIP) that can be developed into 256x256 FPA are to be investigated. As a minimum the FPA must be dual-band with co-located pixels (high fill factor) and simultaneous readout of the images from the two bands, three bands are preferred. The IR detector device concept must be capable of providing intrinsic bandpass filtering suitable for ''color'' discrimination. Desirable features of the advanced sensors include the following: the FPA should be relatively uniform on gain, off-set, and sensitivity and should include on-chip uniformity correction if necessary, sensors operatig at temperatures higher than HgCdTe but with equal or better detectivity are preferable, the readout integrated circuits (ROICs) should be an integral part of the chip, the chip should exploit the multi-band ''color'' processing for enhanced target discrimination and identification in various environments, Individual pixels should be randomly addressable such that the FPA can be used for surveillance and target tracking. The integration of these desirable features preferably should be done monolithically or by means of multi-layered ICs (integrated circuits), but may required the use of epitaxial lift-off techniques or 3-D flip-chip IC and packaging. However, efforts which can simultaneously lead to low cost manufacture are encouraged. Low power circuits that will go on the 3-D chips may be necessary to minimize heat dissipation and to realize the intelligent ''color'' processing. SAR/GMTI and SIGINT: Of particular interest are the development of lightweight antennas with high efficiency, capable of operation over the spectral regime covered by the SAR and SIGINT systems. Also desirable are technologies which would enable an electronically or optically controlled shutter to further reduce the radar cross section of the UAV platform. Improvements to the signal processing associated with the SIGINT and SAR assets are desired including but not limited to higher speed A/D (analog-to-digital) devices with reduced power consumption based upon any technique. However, due to anticipated operational requirements, techniques which do not rely on over sampling and are capable of dealing with frequency-hopping and/or chirped signals will be preferred. Technologies which can improve the efficiency of prime power generation for the radars while reducing the weight associated with the prime power generation subsystem are encouraged. Of particular interest are solid state devices based upon wide band-gap semiconductors including, but not limited to GaN (Gallium Nitride), AlGaN (Aluminum Gallium Nitride), SiC (Silicon Carbide), as well as relatively narrower III-V devices based upon GaAs (Gallium Arsenide) and InP (Indium Antimonide). Sensor/Data Fusion: Improved techniques for sensor and data management are sought. In particular, innovative approaches to architectures for sensor cueing based on upon inferences from other sensors are desired, as well as the development of inferences employing data from multple sensors. It is also desirable to not only obtain fused decisions and data, but confidence measures associated with the fused decisions and data. The architecture to be developed must not only manage the fusion of data or sensors, but must also be capable of supporting/directing autonomous operation of a UAV. Successful approaches will enable modular representation and the development of an architecture which would allow bidirectional communication with the flight control system of the UAV. Efforts should be capable of being implemented in real time or near real time, and it is highly desirable that the implementation exploit existing commercial digital signal processing or reduced instruction ICs and chip sets. This notice constitutes a BAA as contemplated in FAR 6.102 (d) (2). Offerers are requested to submit an unclassified pre-proposal. The purpose of the pre-proposal is to preclude unwarranted efforts on the part of an offerer preparing a full proposal. Such an invitation does not assure subsequent contract award. All potential offerers must submit eight (8) copies, not exceeding 25 pages, in the following format: (1) Cover page, clearly labeled ''PRE-PROPOSAL'', including BAA title and date, proposal title, plus administrative and technical points of contact along with telephone and facsimile machine numbers, (2) Summary of the technical ideas for the proposed technology development, (3) Deliverables associated with the proposed technology development, (4) Schedule and milestones for the proposed technology development, including rough estimates of cost for each year of the effort and total cost, (5) Technical rational and approach containing arguments to substantiate claims made in the aforementioned sections, and (6) Key personnel, along with the approximate percentage of time required by each person, to be used during each contract year. Evaluation of pre-proposals and of later full proposals will be based upon the following criteria in order of importance: (1) potential significance and value of the effort to Navy surveillance and sensor requirements, (2) overall scientific and technical merits, (3) offerer's capabilities and related S&T experience, facilities, techniques or unique combinations thereof, which are integral factors for achieving the proposed objectives, (4) qualifications, capabilities and experience of the principal investigator, or team leader and personnel whoare key to program success, (5) cost realism. Submit pre-proposals by 1700 hours on 27 November 1995 to Office of Naval Research, Code 313-IADSS (BAA #96-003), 800 N. Quincy St., Ballston Tower #1, Arlington, VA 22217-5660. Details regarding the format requirements and submission date for full proposals will be sent with the invitations to those companies and institutions whose pre-proposals were determined to merit more detailed consideration. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some or none of the full proposals ultimately submitted. Questions regarding proposal preparation, business and contract issues, and legal matters relating to this BAA shall be submitted in writing to Office of Naval Research, Attn.: Ms. Glynis M. Fisher, Code 251, 800 N. Quincy St., Ballston Tower #1, Arlington, VA 22217-5660, or faxed to 703-696-0993. Technical questions shall be submitted in writing to Office of Naval Research, Attn.: Mr. James R. Buss, Code 313, 800 N. Quincy St., Ballston Tower #1, Arlington, VA 22217-5660, or faxed to 703-696-1331. (0324)

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