US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, CSSD-CM-CK, PO Box 1500, Huntsville, AL 35807-3801/106 Wynn Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805-1990

A -- BAA FOR NEW AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS IN TACTICAL HIGH ENERGY LASER (THEL) TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT SOL DASG60960048-PART 1 POC O. Wayne Koger, Contract Specialist, 205-955-3001; Donald C. Reesman, Contracting Officer, 205-955-3000. New and Innovative Ideas in Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) Technology Development--Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). (NOTE THAT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS BEING MADE IN TWO PARTS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.) The U.S.Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (USASSDC), Missile Defense and Space Technology Center (MDSTC), Weapons Directorate announces interest in receiving proposals for research and development (R&D) in the general area related to utilizing Tactical High Energy Lasers (THELs) for air defense missions. These efforts are for the conduct of research which defines new, innovative, and/or emerging critical technologies for high energy lasers (such as, but not limited to, chemical lasers, diode pumped solid state lasers, or free electron lasers, and their requisite Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing (ATP) requirements) and associated concepts that have high potential for use in a high energy laser weapons system and an integrated weapon level demonstration by the year 2002 or sooner. Each proposal must include technical, management and cost presentations for: (1) The refinement/amelioration of a THEL weapon concept based on the proposed new, innovative, and/or emerging critical technologies. (2) The refinement/amelioration of a technology development plan identifying detailed simulation, analysis, modeling, component testing, and critical technology demonstrations to be performed to allow insertion of identified technologies into an operational THEL weapon system targeted for the 2002 time frame. THEL Mission Requirements: The primary mission for the operational THEL system is protection of forward area maneuver forces. The operational system must be a highly mobile and deployable self-contained fire unit capable of providing lethal, cost-effective point defense of critical assets in the forward battle area. The THEL weapon operational system must be capable of supplanting current Stinger missile-based air defense weapons. The system must also perform non-lethal mission disruption of airborne sensors and platforms at ranges substantially beyond those of current low altitude systems, and at relatively low operational cost per engagement. The ''firepower'' of the system shall be nominally fifty catastrophic (aerodynamic platform) ''kills'' before reloading, and be capable of early entry insertion by C-17 aircraft. Secondary missions include counter-reconnaissance area defense, and support of peace-keeping operations. Operational System Considerations: Environmental impact, atmospheric propagation to include turbulence and inclement weather, reduction of thermal signature, prime power requirements, logistics, eye safety, target vulnerability considerations, target queuing through standard air defense sensors and command and control architectures, time delay from target queue to beam on target, and time delay from beam on target to catastrophic target destruction. Operational System Threat Set: The projected threat target set consists of low altitude, late detection threats conducting saturation attacks. Specific targets include: anti-radiation missiles, deployed submunitions, tactical air to surface missiles, attack helicopters, cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (lethal attack/reconnaissance), short range rockets, precision guided munitions, and artillery and mortar projectiles. Technical Considerations: Key HEL performance parameters include output power, wavelength, aperture diameter, beam quality, high frequency jitter, mirror distortion, height of aperture, duty factor, and total run time (fuel on board). Selections for contract award will be based on an evaluation conducted by USASSDC/MDSTC using the following criteria: (I) Technical Area: The offeror's proposal will be evaluated considering: (A) The understanding and comprehension of overall functional/operational requirements for a THEL weapon system demonstrated therein, specifically including the applicability of proposed technologies to these requirements, and an initial assessment of simulation, analysis, modeling, component testing, and critical technology demonstrations required to mature the proposed technologies for insertion into a THEL weapon system targeted for an integrated weapon level performance demonstration by the year 2002. (B) The merit of the proposed critical technology and concept in light of the THEL Mission Requirements, Operational System Considerations, Operational System Threat Set, and Technical Considerations described in the BAA. (C) The extent to which preliminary experimental and/or theoretical results are included which support the proposed technical approach to refinement of concept and technology development plan. (D) The extent to which the offeror's proposed resources, specifically including the qualifications and relevant experience of key personnel, are appropriate to accomplishment of the proposed effort. (II) Management Area: The offeror's proposal will be evaluated considering: (A) The offeror's approach to the overall scheduling and planning for performance of the effort. (B) The offeror's record of past performance on similar previous efforts. (III) Cost Area: The proposal will be evaluated to assess the likelihood that the technical and management approaches proposed can be accomplished at the cost proposed, and to develop the government's estimate of the most probable cost to the government of successfully completing the contract using the technical and management approaches proposed. (IV) Relative Importance of Areas & Factors: The technical area is significantly more important than the management area. Within the technical area, the technical factors, (A), (B), and (C) are of equal importance, and are each of slightly greater importance than (D). Within the management area, the management factors are of equal importance. The cost area is an evaluation factor, however, it is of minimal importance in comparison to either the technical or the management areas. The government will select for award the proposal(s) which represent(s) the best value, i.e., is (are) the most advantageous to the government, considering the Technical, Management, and Cost Areas, its(their) relative merit and importance to the USASSDC program seeking the results of this R&D, achievement of a balanced investigation of promising THEL technologies/concepts, and funding availability. (CONT'D IN PART 2). (0123)

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