A -- MNK-BAA-01-0002 PART 1

Notice Date

July 10, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL -- Eglin Research Site, 101 West Eglin Blvd Suite 337, Eglin AFB, FL, 32542-6810

ZIP Code

32542-6810

Solicitation Number

MNK-BAA-01-0002Part-1

Response Due

April 20, 2002

Point of Contact

Brenda Soler, Contracting Officer, Phone (850)882-4294X3399, Fax (850)882-9599, Email solerb@eglin.af.mil -- Brenda Soler, Contracting Officer, Phone (850)882-4294X3399, Fax (850)882-9599, Email solerb@eglin.af.mil

Description

U.S. AIR FORCE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY MUNITIONS DIRECTORATE BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT 2001 REVOLUTIONARY GUIDANCE AND ORDNANCE TECHNOLOGY Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate Contracting Division, AFRL/MNK, 101 West Eglin Boulevard, Suite 337, Eglin AFB FL 32542-6810 Direct inquiries to the Technical focal points listed in each research area; or to Ms. Brenda Soler, Contracting Officer, (850) 882-4294, ext. 3399, e-mail: solerb@eglin.af.mil MNK-BAA-01-0002 Part 1 of 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS: Abstract Part I Research Interests A. Introduction B. Mission C. Research Requirements Part II Proposal Evaluation Part III Proposal Preparation ABSTRACT: The Munitions Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin AFB FL is interested in revolutionary munitions-related research that has the potential to create new 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 biological weapons factory represents a standard lethal approach to defeat the target. Alternatively, an approach may be to detonate an acoustic energy warhead that neutralizes the biological agent within the facility. This represents an innovative, non-lethal approach to the problem. These are the types of concepts being sought, i.e., approaches and methodologies that are so innovative that they essentially represent new ordnance package and delivery system technology paradigms. 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 munition 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.=20 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, infrared, millimeter wave, and radio frequency seeker technology with the components and signal/image processing systems used in such seekers. Advanced concepts in the guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) of munition 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), exointerceptors, submunitions, and projectiles. The basic seeker technologies to be considered include: sensing materials, sensing elements for target characterization, autonomous target acquisition algorithms, signal and image processing algorithms, and multi-sensor data fusion algorithms. The basic GN&C technologies include: miniature inertial measurement units (IMUs), Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, jam resistant GPS, and micro-electro-mechanical system based sensing and control cooperative attack algorithms. In addition to advancements in the basic technology, revolutionary changes that shift current or create new guidance and control paradigms 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 Munition, Small Smart Bomb, Hard Target Smart Munition, Hard Target Functional Defeat, Close Air Support, Air Expeditionary Force, Counter-Proliferation, and Air Superiority Missile Technology Integrating Concepts. New integrating concepts evolving from the aforementioned ones center around munition technologies for close air support, urban combat, air expeditionary forces, counter-proliferation, and functional defeat of hardened targets. 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 munition ordnance or guidance technology will also be welcome.) -- Target Location Methods -Multi-Mode Explosives -- Cooperative Weapon Technology -- Integrated Guidance -Munition Speed/Maneuverability -- Stand Off Distance Enhancement -- Munition Component Parts Reduction (Numbers/Size) -- Networked Communication/Intelligence -Munition Knowledge (Artificial Intelligence) -- Multifunctional Damage Mechanisms -- Non-Lethal Technologies -- Battle Damage Indication -- Munition Related Environmental Pollution Prevention 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 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 that 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 this 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, identifying the key AFRL/MN staff members who have been identified and contacted for each area of interest. Submit white papers to the following address: Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate Contracting Division, AFRL/MNK, Attn. Ms. Brenda Soler, 101 West Eglin Boulevard, Suite 337, Eglin AFB FL 32542-6810. This white paper should be submitted on organization letterhead. 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 may 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 changes in funding availability and/or Government discretion may result in no award under this BAA. Our goal is to award ten percent (10%) of the contracts to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU?s), 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. For the purpose of this BAA the Small Business size standard is 500 employees (NAICS 541710). In the event sufficient acceptable proposals are not received to fulfill these goals, awards will be made to those proposals received that 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 creating new airframe/ordnance and guidance/control paradigms. We are seeking ideas that would have the potential to change current military tactics. 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 environmental hazards 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 encourages the submittal of cost shared proposals in support of dual use applications. This BAA will remain open until superceded. It will be reissued periodically and may be amended at any time. The descriptions 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 ,=20 101 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 technology development. The Munitions Directorate plans and executes research, development, and test of conventional munitions, and supports conventional munition System Program Offices. The Directorate?s web site located at http://www.mn.afrl.af.mil can provide additional information regarding this organization?s mission and technology interests. There are three divisions within the Munitions Directorate that 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 (including innovative flight controls and range extension devices), submunition dispensing, and weapon carriage and release concepts. The division also integrates optimal subsystems, performs tests, and conducts flight demonstrations. 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 guidance and control technology to support development of autonomous, precision-guided munitions. The relevant technologies are in two general areas: seekers and conventional guidance and control. The seeker technologies include electro-optical, infrared, millimeter-wave, and radio-frequency seekers for air-to-air and air-to-surface conventional weapons, exointerceptors, and submunition guidance. This includes signal/image processing algorithms and processors. Conventional guidance and control includes inertial sensors, GPS receivers, antijam GPS technologies, and relevant information processing including guidance laws, state vector estimators, and autopilots. The division performs laboratory, field, and captive flight tests of seeker concepts and conventional guidance and control concepts. The division also operates and maintains a hardware-in-the-loop closed loop guidance evaluation facility, an image processing laboratory, a radio-frequency measurement laboratory, a laser radar facility, an advanced navigation laboratory, and an electro-optics 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 development of fuzes, warheads, bombs, submunitions, 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 thirteen 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 that have the potential to dramatically shift existing air delivered munition paradigms. Further, these thirteen topics are not intended as an all-inclusive list. There are many other areas that 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 battle space more transparent to air delivered munitions so that targets will be easier to locate. Mr. David Gray, AFRL/MNGI, (850) 882-3910, ext. 2373, gray@eglin.af.mil MULTI MODE EXPLOSIVES The goal of this work is to develop warheads that are more flexible with regard to the targets they can destroy. One of the main constituents of a warhead is the explosive. Explosives may vary with energy release per unit weight and with ignition sensitivity. Ideally, an explosive should remain insensitive to ignition until it is properly fuzed. After ignition it should be able to provide the equivalent energy of other more sensitive (volatile), high-energy explosives. The purpose of this research is to develop an explosive that has high energetics along with characteristics that prevent inadvertent ignition. Binary explosives that, when separated, can be stored as non-explosives are also of interest. Flexible or innovative use of energy stored within the warhead (DC voltage or high explosive) is also of interest. Further, a propulsion unit that may double as a general-purpose warhead is also of interest. Dr. Alex Cash, AFRL/MNMI (850) 882-0391, cash@eglin.af.mil COOPERATIVE WEAPON TECHNOLOGY The goal of this work is to develop a means whereby discrete weapons or submunitions can coordinate their attack. AFRL/MN expects that many future weapons will be equipped with autonomous target acquisition (ATA) algorithms. However, even with ATA, each munition selects a target based solely upon its own information. The result is that many targets are completely missed, while more munitions than necessary to achieve a kill attack the highly visible targets. The major objective of this research is to develop the technologies that will enable a group of autonomous munitions to communicate, cooperate, and adapt to battlefield dynamics such that the search and attack strategies are optimal. Dr. Rob Murphey, AFRL/MNGN, (850) 882-2961, ext. 3453, murphey@eglin.af.mil =20 INTEGRATED GUIDANCE It is MN?s belief that the traditional ?stove pipe? approaches of the past will not facilitate the leap forward in technology required in future conflicts. Intelligent weapon systems need to become highly integrated, both at the component and system level, to afford the capability and autonomy required of future tactical weapons. We define integration here as the interaction and interconnection of functions or components in a system, whereby the effectiveness of the system is enhanced by the combining, complementing, and sharing of the various functions of the system. It is the overarching goal of this research to develop new and novel ways to enhance weapon system effectiveness through higher levels of guidance, navigation, control, and estimation integration, from the sub-system component level all the way up to the operation level. One example of this is the loosely coupled, tightly coupled, ultra-tightly coupled evolution of GPS/INS systems for tactical weapon navigation. Dr. Rob Murphey, AFRL/MNGN,=20 (850) 882-2961, ext. 3453, murphey@eglin.af.mil

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010712/ASOL009.HTM (D-191 SN50R439)