Munitions Contracting Division (AFRL/MNK), Building 13, 101 West Eglin Boulevard, Suite 337, Eglin AFB, FL 32542-6810

A -- REVOLUTIONARY GUIDANCE AND ORDNANCE TECHNOLOGY SOL BAA No. MNK-99-0002 POC Linda Weisz, Contract Specialist, (850)882-4294, ext. 3206 E-MAIL: Linda Weisz, Contract Specialist; Charles Cottrell,, weisz@eglin.af.mil">weisz@eglin.af.mil;cottrell@eglin.af.mil. 17. The Munitions Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin AFB FL is interested in revolutionary munitions related research that has the potential to shift the current airframe/ordnance and guidance/control technology weapon paradigms. One of the goals of this program is to develop highly innovative solutions relating to munitions ordnance packages and airframe technology for the purpose of defeating a variety of targets including fixed and moving targets, hard and soft targets, and above ground and deeply buried targets. Ideas and concepts are sought that represent new approaches lethal and non lethal to defeat these targets. For example, dropping a 2000 pound bomb on a chemical weapons factory represents a standard lethal approach to defeat the target. Alternatively, an approach may be to detonate an acoustic energy warhead which neutralizes the biological agent within the facility. This represents an innovative, non-lethal approach to the problem. These are the types of concepts beingsought, i.e., solutions that shift the current ordnance package and delivery system technology paradigm. With this type of revolutionary thinking, as opposed to evolutionary incrementalism, order of magnitude increases in performance may be realized. The military payoff would be in terms of significant munitions weight and size reduction, reduced weapon cost, and improved effectiveness. Non lethal approaches also have the benefit of disabling enemy capabilities with reduced loss of life. Another goal of this program is to develop highly innovative concepts and approaches in guidance and control technologies for air deliverable autonomous munitions. This program may develop advanced concepts in such areas as electro-optical, millimeter wave, and radio frequency seeker technology with the components and signal processing systems used in such seekers. Advanced concepts in the guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) of munitions airframes will also be sought. Munitions airframes under consideration include air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface munitions (general purpose bombs and hard target penetrators), submunitions, and projectiles. Guidance and control of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) is a key technology area. The basic seeker technology to be considered includes: sources and materials, sensing elements for target characterization, autonomous target acquisition algorithms, signal processing algorithms, and multi-sensor data algorithms. The basic GN&C technology includes: miniature inertial measurement units (IMUs), Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance, jam resistance GPS, optimal guidance law development, and advanced adaptive autopilots. In addition to advancements in the basic technology, revolutionary changes that shift the current guidance and control paradigm will be developed. Novel concepts such as ultra-light integration of GN&C, seeker, and warhead technologies will be considered. Ideas and concepts such as smart skin (for sensing and controlling the ambient aerodynamic environment) and microelectromechanical systems (e.g., micro gyros and accelerometers) will be explored. This radical type of technology has the potential to increase weapon performance by orders of magnitude over existing systems. The technology developed under this program will support the far term goals of the Anti-Materiel Munitions, Small Smart Bomb, Hard Target Smart Munitions, and Air Superiority Missile Technology Integrating Concepts. The Munitions Directorate welcomes innovative research proposals in the following areas: (Please note that this list is not intended to be restrictive. Proposals dealing with other areas of revolutionary munitions ordnance or guidance technology will also be welcome.) Target Location Methods, Multi-Mode Explosives, Cooperative Weapon Technology, Integrated Guidance, Munitions Speed/Maneuverability, Stand Off Distance Enhancement, Munitions Component Parts Reduction (Numbers/Size), Networked Communication/Intelligence, Munitions Knowledge (Artificial Intelligence), Multifunctional Damage Mechanisms, and Non Lethal Technologies. Proposals should describe scientific study and experimentation to increase knowledge and understanding in these areas. This Broad Agency Announcement consists of three parts: PART I -- Research Interests, PART II -- Proposal Evaluation and PART III -- Proposal Preparation. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract. It is, however, an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18. Companies responding to this announcement are cautioned that only a Contracting Officer may obligate the government to any agreement involving expenditure of government funds. This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) constitutes a solicitation for proposals under the provisions of PL 98-369, the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984. The BAA describes research requirements and methods for preparing and submitting proposals. PART I—RESEARCH INTERESTS A. INTRODUCTION This is the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) of the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/MN) under the provisions of paragraph 6.102(d)(2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation which provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to the BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the results of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of PL 98-369, the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984. For purposes of this announcement, research is defined to be scientific study and experimentation directed at increasing knowledge and understanding in relation to long term national security needs. It is an enhancement to related exploratory and advanced development programs. AFRL/MN contracts with educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and private industry for research in armament technology. This BAA is intended to cover, in general nature, all revolutionary research areas of interests to this Directorate. Persons contemplating submission of a proposal to AFRL/MN should not only carefully examine this BAA, but are also strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate AFRL/MN scientist identified in this publication to ascertain the extent of interest which AFRL/MN may have in a specific research project. Proposals may be submitted at any time during the period the BAA is open. However, prior to submitting a formal proposal, offerors are required to submit a two to three page white paper on their proposed research topic to key AFRL/MN staff members who have been identified and contacted for each area of interest. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest under this BAA. Those offerors submitting white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA will be invited to submit a proposal. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a subsequent contract or assistance instruments (grant, cooperative agreement, or other transaction). Proposals submitted may be evaluated as they are received. A contract or assistance instrument could be awarded as a result of this BAA, as appropriate. We expect most awards with universities and non-profit organizations to be grants. Note that there is no inherent funding associated with this BAA, and any contract/assistance instrument will depend on availability of funds from other sources. Our goal is to award ten percent (10%) of the contracts to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and thirty percent (30%) to small businesses, which includes ten percent (10%) to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) and Woman-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB), over the life of the BAA. The SIC code for this BAA is 8731 with a Small Business size standard not to exceed 500 employees. In the event sufficient acceptable proposals are not received to fulfill these goals, awards will be made to those proposals received which are acceptable regardless of source. In addition to the general technical and contracting goals mentioned in this BAA, there are two additional items of special emphasis: a. AFRL/MN plans to seek out and award ideas and proposals that have potential for shifting current paradigms. We are seeking ideas that will lead to more significant changes to the way we do business. We strongly encourage "thinking out of the box" and beyond the scope of present commercialization. An example of what we are looking for is: It usually takes 5 bolts to put a widget together. If you use 2 bolts to put it together, you are innovative; but if you put it together using no bolts, then you are revolutionary you are using a new dimension in technology. b. Many of the areas of technology under investigation have commercial potential, the exploitation of which could lead to improved military performance in terms of: significant increases in the affordability of military systems; the elimination of health, safety, and environmentalhazards in manufacturing processes; the availability of commercial off-the-shelf items for use in military systems; or application of critical technologies from the federal laboratories, universities, or non-profit institutions. The Munitions Directorate is also desirous of receiving cost shared proposals in support of dual use applications. This BAA will remain open for one year from date of publication. It will be reissued annually and may be amended at any time. The description of the technical areas are organized by scientific discipline, and the reader will note some overlap between sections. To contact an AFRL/MN staff member by mail, include branch or division symbol and write: Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, 101 West Eglin Boulevard, Eglin AFB FL 32542-6810. B. MISSION -- The Munitions Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary Air Force organization concerned with conventional munitions. The Munitions Directorate plans and executes research, development, and test of conventional munitions, and supports conventional munitions System Program Offices. There are three divisions within the Munitions Directorate which conduct research and development. They are the Assessment and Demonstrations Division, the Ordnance Division, and the Advanced Guidance Division. ASSESSMENT AND DEMONSTRATIONS DIVISION (MNA) The Assessment and Demonstrations Division is responsible for assessment of lethality, effectiveness, and utility of weapon technologies, and evaluation of expected weapon performance by simulation. The division directs and conducts research and exploratory and advanced development in weapon/missile airframes, submunition dispensing, and weapon carriage and release concepts. The division also integrates optimal subsystems, performs tests, and conducts flight demonstrations. MNA maintains in-house facilities and capabilities in the areas of aeroballistics, weaponry aerodynamic performance analysis, and mechanical integration. The division consists of the Computational Mechanics Branch (MNAC), the Lethality and Vulnerability Branch (MNAL), and the Flight Vehicles Integration Branch (MNAV). ADVANCED GUIDANCE DIVISION (MNG) The Advanced Guidance Division conducts research and directs exploratory and advanced development in electrooptical, millimeter-wave, and radio-frequency seekers for air-to-air and air-to-surface conventional weapons and submunition guidance. The division performs laboratory, field, and captive flight tests of seeker concepts. The division also operates and maintains a hardware-in-the-loop seeker evaluation facility, an image processing laboratory, a radio-frequency signal processing laboratory, a laser radar facility, and an electrooptics laboratory. The division consists of the Seeker Image and Signal Processing Branch (MNGI), the Guidance Simulation Branch (MNGG), the Navigation and Control Branch (MNGN), and the Seeker Branch (MNGS). ORDNANCE DIVISION (MNM) The Ordnance Division directs and conducts research and exploratory and advanced developmentof fuzes, warheads, bombs, submunitions, ammunition, aircraft guns, feed systems, and explosives. Air launched munitions should consider fighter, bomber, and UAV aircraft as the launch platforms. MNM operates high-explosives R&D facilities that support munitions programs. MNM also provides technical evaluation and consulting services to other government agencies and industries concerned with munitions technology. MNM consists of the Energetic Materials Branch (MNME), the Fuzes Branch (MNMF), the Ordnance Integration Branch (MNMI), and the Damage Mechanisms Branch (MNMW). C. RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS -- The following narratives are intended to provide an abbreviated description of the twelve prospective research areas mentioned in the ABSTRACT. These descriptions are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather to challenge the reader to create and submit truly creative proposals which have the potential to dramatically shift existing air delivered munition paradigms. Further, these twelve topics are not intended as an exhaustive list. There are probably several other areas which may provide a fertile field for revolutionizing future Air Force weapons. However, any submitted white paper or proposal must be grounded in achievable technology goals. Proposals requiring yet to be discovered/developed technologies are discouraged. TARGET LOCATION METHODS The goal of this work is to develop a means to allow the user to be able to precisely find and identify any target, no matter how well it is obscured, buried, camouflaged, or hidden. This may require more than one sensing technology. This technology may be integrated into discrete munitions, or it may be incorporated within other platforms. The purpose of this research is to make a future battlefield more transparent to air delivered munitions. Maj Peter Van Wirt, AFRL/MNAV, (850) 882-4651, ext. 3316, vanwirtp@eglin.af.mil, Posted 03/10/99 (W-SN306833). (0069)

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