US Army, CECOM Acquisition Center, Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey 07703-5008

99 -- AUTOMATED TEST EQUIPMENT DUE 091297 POC Point of Contact TOM VACCARO,732-427-3044. E-MAIL: AUTOMATED TEST EQUIPMENT, Vaccaro@doim6.monmouth.army.mil. This is a market survey conducted by the Department of the Army to determine the existence of additional sources for automatic test equipment to support the development and initial production of the Advance SINCGARS Improvement Program(ASIP). The ASIP is a VHF/FM receiver-transmitter designed to operate in the 30 to 88 MHz frequency band in 25 KHz discrete channels for both frequency hopping and single-channel operation. The Electronic Counter-Countermeasures(ECCM) capability and the embedded Communications Security of the SINCGARS radio allow for secure voice and data operation in a jamming environment. Additionally, the ASIP radio and associated Internet Controller provides seamless packet data communication across the battlefield by automatically routing data messages through multiple SINCGARS nets to the intended message destination. The Army is looking for any potential suppliers of automatic test equipment that can fault isolate the ASIP down to the lowest Circuit Card Assembly(CCA). It must alsobe completely interoperable with all current Army SINCGARS ground and airborne radios, to include the SINCGARS Improvement Program(SIP)radios, set in all modes of operation to include frequency hopping, cipher text, and enhanced/packet data modes. The ASIP has the capability to retransmit voice operations in mixed voice and packet data nets. The ASIP also has the f1:f1 retransmit features (f1:f1 baseband repeater) which will reduce net fragmentation in Brigade and Battalion retransmit nets. This new feature retransmit voice messages in extended nets and provides fast channel busy indication on both sides of the voice net when data is being transmitted. The ASIP radio has also been designated to minimize net fragmentation within a packet network. The contention between multiple users on the same net trying to obtain voice access to the net is minimize. The ASIP waveform implements a fast channel access protocol to reduce late voice transmissions and subsequent net fragmentation. ASIP planned improvements to the current system will enhance the radio's ability to forward digital data messages in benign and hostile radio frequency environments; simplify and improve operation in the tactical internet; aid in the identification of friendly forces thereby reducing the incidence of fratricide; improve the man-machine interface for establishing circuit switched communications with the Area Common User System and procure documentation necessary for complete configuration control of the system to transition to the Army. The government presently does not have configuration control of drawings nor sufficient software documentation to support development of a technical data package. This notice is not a request for bids or proposals, but rather a survey to determine the existence of an automated test equipment that can support the ASIP program as stated above. The hardware and software development effort must be completed by July 1998 to support the US Army fielding of the ASIP. The deadline for response to this notice is 10 Sep 1997. (0239)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0341 19970829\99-0012.SOL)