The Special Operations Transport Program - AFRL …afrlchallenge.com/_pdf/Technical - Special Ops...

1 Distribution A. Approved for public release; distribution unlimited . Case #377ABW-2011-1472

Integrity Service Excellence

The Special Operations

Transport Program

Bringing Non-Traditional Problem Solvers

and Solutions to the War Effort

Alok Das

Senior Scientist

Air Force Research Laboratory


Outline

• Introduction to AFRL

• Rapid Reaction Innovation

• Silent Special Ops Transport Program – Seeking

Innovative Solutions to Challenging Problem

– Technical Objectives

– Program Plan


Air Force Research Laboratory Mission

Leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable

warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force.


AFRL Organization

Vice Commander (CV)

Col Daniel Morin

Commander (CC)

Maj Gen Neil McCasland

Chief Technology Officer (CZ)

Dr Jennifer Ricklin

Executive Director (CA)

Mr Joe Sciabica

711 Human Performance Wing

Space Vehicles (RV) Directed Energy (RD)

Munitions (RW)

Propulsion (RZ)

Information (RI)

Air Vehicles (RB)

Sensors (RY)

AFOSR

Materials & Manufacturing (RX)

Senior Scientist for Design Innovation

Dr. Alok Das


Invention

Generation of

new ideas

and

techniques

Diffusion

Products and

services

distributed across

markets

Innovation

Ideas transformed

into marketable

products and

services

Joseph A Schumpeter, Economist, 1883-1950

Precursor stage:

Time is right, enabling

factors are in place

Development stage:

Transformation to

marketable products

Invention

stage

Maturity

stage

False

pretenders

Obsolescence

and Antiquity

Ray Kurzweil, National Inventors Hall of Fame, 1948

Stages of Development

in•no•vate (in´ə vāt´): to introduce something new, to make changes, to transform

Innovation = Invention + Exploitation


AFRL‟s Rapid Reaction Process

• Empowered by USAF to provide rapid S&T

solutions to urgent needs of Combatant

Commands and Defense agencies

• Interacts with users to identify highest

priority near-term needs amenable to a gap-

filler technical solution

• Leverages breadth and depth of knowledge

within the laboratory‟s S&T budget and

11,000 personnel and its external

“innovation network”

• Delivers accelerated demonstration of

technology solutions to address

warfighters‟ needs

A Focused S&T Effort to Accelerate Development and Demonstration of Technology that Addresses Near-term Warfighter Needs


Rapid Reaction Approach to

Innovate Solutions

• Seek innovation wherever it might exist – avoid „not invented

here‟ syndrome

• Exploit cross-disciplinary innovation – solutions from other

fields and applications

• Explore alternative approaches to generate or discover creative

solutions

– Challenges/Competitions

– Open Innovation (e.g., innoCentive)

– Crowd-Sourcing

– User innovation

– Prizes (e.g., X-Prize)

• Facilitate ad-hoc partnerships and non-traditional teams to

enable synergy and creativity at the seams


Special Operations Transport

• Develop innovative solutions to enable soldier movement

over rugged terrain, quickly, and without detection


Special Operations Transport

Program Summary

• Operational missions often require the ability to get into and out

of potentially hostile areas without being detected

– Special Operations

– Personnel Recovery

– Search and Rescue Operations

• This program will focus on developing technical means to

transport two warfighters and their gear

– In/across rugged, mountainous terrain

– Night missions into and through a hostile area

– Work autonomously with only minimal inputs from the warfighters

• This program will seek design concepts for new and innovative

solutions to this challenge


Operational Scenario

• The Special Operations Transport Vehicle will initially be loaded

and stored within a finite space on-board a CV-22 aircraft

• The CV-22 will carry both the Transport Vehicle and two troops

with cargo to a Forward Operating Area, Checkpoint Alpha

• The troops, their gear and the Transport Vehicle will be unloaded

at Checkpoint Alpha. Troops are responsible for assembling

Transport Vehicle (if required) in 4 hours or less

• Transport Vehicle must autonomously / semi-autonomously take

troops and gear, totaling 700 lbs, to designated Checkpoint

Bravo (>30Km from Alpha)

• Upon mission completion, Transport Vehicle must take same

payload (troops & gear) from Checkpoint Bravo to Checkpoint

Charlie (>30Km from Bravo)


Rugged Terrain

• System must be compatible with rugged terrain typical of deep

mountain canyon trails

• Objective locations often separated by footpaths, but no roads /

trails navigable by conventional offroad vehicle/motorcycle

• System should allow transport faster than a highly-trained and

well equipped person on foot, the faster the better >20kph


Checkpoint Assumptions

• Alpha/Charlie

– Suitable for landing CV-22 aircraft and offloading equipment

– No prepared runway

– Semi-permissive environment – limited hostile action

– Altitude 100-7000 ft MSL

– Separated from Bravo by 30 km of rough intervening terrain, steep

cliffs, ravines, valleys, rapid-moving rivers, etc up to 6000 ft elevation

changes with hostile forces

– Alpha/Charlie can be the same location, but not necessarily

• Bravo

– Remote locations such as near a small hilltop villages or enemy

outposts

– No prepared runway

– Hostiles in the area, no sophisticated detection equipment such as

radars

– Altitude 100-7000 ft MSL


CV-22 Parameters

to Consider

• Geometric Constraints

– Will the payload fit within the CV-22

Cabin Dimensions (5x5x18ft)?

– Can the system be loaded/unloaded in

view of CV-22 loading door dimensions?

• Restraint Requirements

– Can the tie-down devices be reached?

– Are NAVAIR restraint requirements met?

• Vehicle must have adequate tiedown rings for 4g FWD, 3g AFT, 3g LAT, 3g

VERT restraint requirements

• Structural Integrity?

– Do vehicle structural requirements meet Mil-Std-209?

– Does the vehicle exceed aircraft limitations?

• Unshored wheel weight (dependent on wheel base and track) no greater

than 1226 lbs

• Unshored tire contact pressure no greater than 17 psi


Stealth Requirements

• Solutions should maximize the ability to operate through hostile

environment without detection

– Safe night operations in combat

– Low acoustic and visible signature

– Allow operators to maintain awareness

• Have a low acoustic signature

– Barely audible to individuals 100 m away from the transport system

(< 35 dB(A) at 100 meters)

– Applies along the transport path and especially during arrival at

location Bravo

– Quiet departure from Bravo is also sought, but is less critical if the

noise duration is brief and the departure is swift

• Not be visually detectable at night by unaided eyes


Operational Requirements

• Be changed from storage to operational configuration by a 2-

person team in no more than 4 hours and using only light

machinery

• Navigate and steer autonomously (or with minimal operator

control) to set coordinates in daylight or darkness and

inclement weather conditions

• Arrive at and exit from a predefined area of 20 m diameter

(location Bravo)

• Navigate to Bravo and Charlie to accuracy of 10 m

• Operate in winds of up to 15 knots

• Not exert accelerative forces >5 g‟s (>59 m/s2) or unsafe noise

levels (>130dB) on personnel

• Ability to be operated during a variety of weather conditions

• Less than one day of special training required to operate vehicle


Program Plan

• Identify promising concepts and capabilities (Aug-Nov 2011)

– Innocentive challenge

– BAA RFI and associated BFI meetings with industry

• Fund Phase I study/development of solution concepts (Feb-Aug

2012) – total of $1M

– BAA for several study contracts (nominally 6 months, $100-200K)

– Incentivize awardees to deliver and demonstrate a prototype in a

representative environment

• Fund Phase II development of viable solution (Sep 2012-May

2013)

– Short ~9 month effort to deliver working field testable prototype

– Perform limited operational evaluation with users


Acquisition Philosophy

• Broad outreach to include non-traditional and small businesses

– Outreach and publicity to reach possible candidates that don‟t

traditionally do business with government

– Contracting support (small business advocate) to assist with CCARS

/ DUNS registration

– Minimize requirements for vendors for proposal submission, work

with selected businesses to meet OPSEC, reporting, cost

accounting, etc to meet contracting and legal requirements

• Incentives for Vendors

– Allow them to retain commercial data rights

– Award ceremony and other publicity for Phase I awardees and Phase

II winner

– Incentive fee structure in Phase II ?

– Others ??


Special Ops Transport Schedule

(notional)

• Industry Day / One-on-One Discussions: 29-30 Sep 2011

• Innocentive‟s Posting Closed: 14 Nov 2011

(https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/browse)

• BAA Request for Information due: 15 Nov 2011

• Submissions reviewed: 1 Dec 2011

• Call for Phase I Proposals: 10 Dec 2012

• Anticipated Phase I Proposal Awards (multiple): Feb 2012

• Phase I complete: ~Aug 2012

https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/browse

https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/browse


Questions for Contractors

• Seeking feedback on technical requirements and program plan

• In particular, for contracting approach:

– What is the recommended duration for Phase I ?

– Would there be any issues with a mid-Dec Request For Proposal

(due mid-Jan)?

– What is an acceptable level of funding for Phase I?

• 10 - $100K awards or 5 - $200K awards?

– Is a Firm Fixed Price Phase I contract acceptable?

– What do you expect the Phase II effort will cost?


Summary

• Innovative solutions will be required to achieve compactness,

acoustic noise reduction and required range distance

• Recent developments in propulsion, controls and energy

storage may enable fundamentally new developments related to

this area

• Many small and non-traditional players in the transportation

industry could contribute to this problem

Provide an Expedient, Reliable and Safe Way to Transport Ground Personnel


Backup


Questions & Answers

Q1. When is industry day, or how can I meet with and talk to someone about this? A1. We are planning a two day event for potential competitors on September 29th and 30th in the Dayton area. Details will be announced later, but the plan is for the first day to be a plenary session with presentations by the government sponsors and Q&A sessions with all interested parties. For those desiring a private meeting with the AFRL, there will be time scheduled on the second day (September 30th). In the private meetings, which will be up to 1 hour in length, you will be given up to 30 minutes to present any material you would like and to ask individualized questions with remaining time. We don't recommend bringing hardware to these meetings but photos would be helpful.


Q2. How do I find other people interested in teaming? What if I have technology you may be interested in, but I can't provide the full solution – how do I participate? A2. We recommend the use of any social networking tools you might have to find potential teammates. In addition, the September meeting will be a great time to meet and talk to other potential partners. Q3. How do I do business with AFRL? A3. We have a wealth of information and assistance to aid you in doing business with AFRL on this challenge. Start by contacting Mickey Dickman at (937) 255-5074 or email her at [email protected]. Mickey is our Small Business Specialist. She is very experienced working with individuals and small businesses that have never worked with the government before and can help you quickly set up the minimal structure you need and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Q4. Are you looking for an air vehicle or a ground vehicle? A4. We have no preference as to how the solution works, only that it does the mission.

Questions & Answers


Q5. I represent another DoD organization, are you interested in collaboration? A5. Potentially. Please contact us using the information on the contact link to this sheet. Q6. When will the Request for Proposals (RFP) come out? A6. We are working toward a fall 2011 date, likely in late November. We anticipate this request will be in the form of a Broad Area Announcement (BAA) on FedBizOps.gov.

Q7. What will be required for the proposal to the BAA? Is there a specific format? How will proposals be judged? A7. A short technical proposal and implementation plan will be needed. We are still working out the details, but it will be less than 20 pages for the technical proposal which will need to describe your solution concept, team, capabilities, and implementation plan in concise terms that qualified engineers and managers can understand and evaluate. A government evaluation team of government personnel and contractors will rate the proposals and selection officials will make the decision within a few weeks of the proposal deadline. The deadline for the proposals will likely be 45 days after the BAA is published and there will be no flexibility on accepting late proposals

Questions & Answers


Q8. What are the power, fuel, or other support requirements? A8. Solutions will need to be self-contained in the size and weight envelope we provide. If you need to store batteries or fuel, that should be included in your solution. Q9. Does my solution have to be road-able? Does it need to be able to scale rock walls? Do I need to be able to hit waypoints along the way? How fast does my solution need to have to go? A9. Our users need to be able to get into, and out of small areas quickly without being detected, typically at night, but daylight operation is also helpful. Our primary interest is in getting from point A to point B largely independent of the type of terrain. We don't care about hitting waypoints along the way, and speed is an important factor, especially for egress as sometimes our users may need to leave in a hurry. The transporter beam from Star Trek would be the ideal solution we are looking for. While we don't expect to achieve that, we do expect innovative transportation options that will improve the way our users get into and out of operational environments.

Questions & Answers


Q10. What is the surface of the target zone? Smooth, small rocks, large rocks, grassy, brushy? A10. Our users have some flexibility in selecting egress and ingress points near where they need to do their work. You can assume that our users can operate from a small clear area, but you should not assume that there are no trees or buildings near-by. Don't assume that roads, open fields, or areas without obstructions are present. You should assume that an area or areas close to the target zone are available with rocks no larger than four inches in height over a roughly symmetrical area of a few hundred square feet. Within that area you can assume that vegetation, if present, is no more than 6 inches high. It is typically not necessary to deliver users inside buildings, on rocky boulder fields, or in the middle of a clump of trees, but the ability to do these things would be a plus. Q11. What is the size of the landing/takeoff area? Do I have to clear an obstacle immediately after takeoff? A11. Please see Q/A10. We make no assumption that you have to fly or not fly or that takeoff and landing are needed. The objective is to get the user and his equipment in and out of the area.

Questions & Answers


Q12. How stealthy does this system have to be? Are you looking at radar cross section? How quiet is quiet? 40 dB, 60 dB, 80 dB? How will it be measured? A12. The key is to avoid detection by unaided people in the area as much as possible, especially at night – this would emphasize minimizing audible signature. We have no particular technical requirements. We will evaluate the probability of detection for each solution in a representative operational environment. Factors contributing to probability of detection include amplitude (decibels), frequency, directionality, and environmental conditions. The closer observers have to be from your solution in order to detect it, the better. Ideally, a solution should be able to place the operator within 100 meters of a small mountain village without being audibly detected. We will evaluate the size of the probability of detection footprint rather than specific decibels at a given distance. We are somewhat more concerned about detection on ingress then than egress, especially if egress is fast enough that detection becomes less critical.

Questions & Answers


Q13. How much required operator training is allowable? Is it okay if a formal training course of some number of hours is required? A13. Our goal is for the system to require 8 hours or less of training. Our target users are highly trained special operations forces. A few days of additional training and practice is probably acceptable, but requiring all users to become certified with hundreds of hours of special purpose training akin to obtaining a pilot's rating is probably not appropriate for a competitive solution. Capitalizing on skills our users already have is acceptable, but proposers will need to do their own open source research to discover what those skills might or might not be. Proposers can assume that at least one operator is available and is capable of accomplishing a task as complex as driving a car or landing a parachute and fully functioning, however, full autonomy would be preferable. Q14. Are there any vehicle or solution certification requirements? A14. No. We are looking for technically feasible and practical solutions. If an effective solution is found, we may pursue certification if needed. We do not assume the solution is a vehicle, or not a vehicle. We make no assumptions about the solution and are open minded to all approaches regardless of certification needs.

Questions & Answers


Q15. Do you intend to fund any “component technologies” during the first stage? A15. No. We are looking for fully integrated systems. Q16. Will I be able to compete if I do not respond to the RFI? A16. Yes. All proposals submitted in response to the BAA will be considered. Q17. What are the payload limits for the CV-22? A17. There are multiple design limits for the CV-22 including size, weight, center of gravity restrictions and others which vary by type of payload (such as axle weights and tire pressure which may or may not apply to your solution). Since Phase I is a design concept you will not be required to meet all payload limits as part of the proposal. For the payload configuration must fit into a container 5 feet high by 5 feet wide by 18 feet long. If your team is selected for Phase I we will provide the technical details which apply to your design.

Questions & Answers


Q18. What are the cargo size requirements to accommodate gear? What are the size and weight of people the system must accommodate? A18. Cargo volume to accommodate gear should include enough space to stow two discrete containers 18 inches wide by 12 inches high by 24 inches long. For the airman or passengers that will be transported, height can range from 4'10" up to 6'8" while weight can range from 100 pounds up to 250 pounds per person. We will provide mannequins in this range for testing as well as ballast payloads for the stowage volume.

Questions & Answers

The Special Operations Transport Program - AFRL …afrlchallenge.com/_pdf/Technical - Special Ops...

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