The Air Force Research Laboratory is soliciting white papers under a new Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for research, development, integration, test and evaluation of technologies/techniques to advance the state of the art of the Air Force’s nuclear command, control and communication (NC3) capabilities.
The U. S. Air Force is seeking to update the capabilities of legacy systems and incorporate new platforms and communication systems. Toward this goal the Information Directorate is working closely with the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and the Air Force Global Strike Command to define the art of the possible for future NC3 architectures and survivable and enduring communication systems.
Focus areas include:
- Survivable and enduring beyond-line-of-sight communications
- Network operation in environments with electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and/or nuclear scintillation present
- Network monitoring, managing, and/or controlling airborne communications operating in the nuclear environment
- Network radio implementations that facilitate agile control and management in contested environments
- Multiple, independent network systems to offer path-diverse, airborne communications in nuclear environments
- Real-time atmospheric sensing to dynamically enhance operation of airborne communications
- Secure airborne transmission techniques that are resilient to nuclear scintillation and high-altitude EMP effects
- Models of required NC3 functions required for the full range of nuclear deterrence operations
- Simulation and emulation with capabilities to support emulation of communication across multiple frequency bands
Offerors may submit white papers to any part of the stated requirement or to all of the requirements.
Total funding for this BAA is approximately $8.06M over 4 years. Individual awards will not normally exceed 36 months with face values normally ranging from $100K to $800K.
Further details are available via Solicitation Number: BAA-AFRL-RIK-2016-0011. The BAA is open until September 20, 2020. The FY17 white paper submission deadline is September 20, 2016.
