Blue UAS Refresh Problem – sUAS Information

The Protection Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Nationwide Safety Innovation Community (NSIN) will run a prize problem to establish platforms, elements, and capabilities for Blue UAS. The problem will think about First Individual View (FPV), Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 platforms, in addition to elements, capabilities, and software program for Unmanned Aerial Techniques (UAS).

Submissions of particular person elements, capabilities, and software program are welcome. Submissions within the classes talked about above which might be ruled by the 2020 and 2023 Nationwide Protection Authorization Acts (NDAA’s) and the 2024 American Safety Drone Act are eligible for analysis. Extra details about the Blue UAS Checklist, the Blue UAS Framework, and the related insurance policies will be discovered right here. 

Firms could submit a number of merchandise in separate entries and are welcome to workforce with different firms as wanted for particular proposals. 

A workforce of subject material specialists will consider candidates and choose firms as finalists to take part within the demonstration occasion that can happen on 4-6  November, 2024 at Marine Corps Air Floor Fight Heart (MCAGCC), 29 Palms, CA. 

Advantages of Taking part:

As soon as winners are chosen, a verification course of will happen to make sure all objects lined by the 2020 NDAA, the 2023 NDAA, the 2024 American Safety Drone Act, and another related legislation on the time of the occasion are in compliance with the legislation. A cybersecurity evaluation may even happen. Profitable completion of these inspections will make the submission doubtlessly eligible for inclusion on both the DIU Blue UAS Checklist or the DIU Blue UAS Framework Checklist.

Potential for follow-on alternatives similar to Different Transaction Agreements (OTAs), Cooperative Analysis and Improvement Agreements (CRADAs), and others.

Apply Now (Hyperlink to IdeaScale)

Eligibility:

Firms or entities, together with overseas firms, that aren’t domiciled in a lined overseas nation or topic to unmitigated overseas possession, management, or affect by a lined overseas nation, as decided by the Secretary of Protection in accordance with the Nationwide Industrial Safety Program (or any successor to such program).

Eligible firms embody non-traditional protection contractors as outlined within the 2023 DoD Different Transactions Information and in 10 U.S. Code § 3014 – Nontraditional protection contractor, small companies as outlined within the Small Enterprise Act (15 U.S.C. 632), and conventional protection contractors.

The power to exhibit the answer’s capabilities by November 4, 2024.

Projected Timeline:

August 5, 2024: Solicitation Launch – IdeaScale, problem.gov, NSIN web site, DIU web site

August 12, 2024: “Ask Me Something” Session

August 19, 2024: Solicitation Closes & Down-selection Begins

Sept 15, 2024: Down-selection Ends & Finalists Introduced

November 4-6, 2024: Demonstration Occasion at MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA

November 15, 2024: Winners Introduced

Downside Assertion:

DoD finish customers face a major shortfall within the availability of UAS platforms, elements, and capabilities required to coach with and put together for fight.  There’s an pressing want to make sure supply of related and efficient platforms, capabilities, and elements that align with DoD operational wants. We acknowledge there are not any everlasting options on this house and search to supply baseline {hardware} capabilities that mix with software program agility to ship options on the velocity required by the trendy contested battlefield. 

Since DIU established Blue UAS, the speed of change of UAS capabilities has solely accelerated, together with rising wants for DoD customers. To raised meet the wants of DoD customers, the velocity of delivering updates to Blue UAS should speed up. This occasion is the start of that effort. 

Finish Person: DoD

Judging Standards:

Purposes and Pitches shall be judged on seven main standards in addition to different crucial standards recognized by DoD customers: 

• Technical Capabilities as listed on the Technical Capabilities Checklist beneath
• Workforce: Firm viability.
• Commercialization: Viability in non-defense markets.
• High quality of Demonstration: Demonstrates how the know-how solves a number of of the outlined technical functionality areas.
• Operational Effectiveness: Proposed resolution aligns with listed technical capabilities.
• Price & Scalability: Price of proposed resolution is possible for adoption and scalable by functionality.
• Finish Person Suggestions: Suggestions from operational finish customers from their remark of efficiency and their arms on functionality testing. 

Technical Capabilities Checklist:

Structure 

• Standardization
• Open Structure
• Interoperability
• Payload choices & availability
• Floor Management Station (GCS) & software program choices

Cybersecurity & Compliance

• NDAA Compliance (Info Safety/Encryption, Provide Chain, Antitamper, and so forth.)
• Inexperienced UAS or Blue UAS standing
• Skill to supply an entire platform for third-party cyber evaluation

Platform Traits

• Flight Efficiency
• Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) resilience / radio(s) used
• Vary
• Cargo capability
• Modularity
• International Navigation Satellite tv for pc System (GNSS) resilience or various navigation
• Payloads (cargo and sensors the platform can host / platforms the payload will be hosted by / potential of software program to work with a number of platforms)
• Weatherproofing (IP ranking)
• Setup / deployment

Enterprise & Market Evaluation

• Particular DoD requests for a functionality
• Present manufacturing price
• Price
• Skill to supply a minimum of 3 totally operational examples of your submission for the occasion and a pair of educated operators
• Firm viability
• Lifetime delivered gross sales so far

Operator Suggestions

• Ease of flight
• Studying curve
• Flight efficiency
• Functionality

For present members of the Blue Checklist

• Gross sales knowledge of Blue platforms to DoD clients

For all submissions

• Lifetime delivered gross sales of your submission

Flights on the occasion will happen within the day and evening and all submissions shall be examined, flown, and operated by a chosen workforce of DoD finish customers to the utmost extent potential. As with every check occasion, the opportunity of injury or destruction exists. Firms perceive that DoD and individuals aren’t accountable for accidents and shall be required to signal a waiver to take part. 

To maximise participation on this occasion, DIU will purchase a blanket Exception to Coverage waiver for all collaborating submissions.

Pitch Deck Submission Necessities:

Groups will submit a pitch deck outlining their resolution that addresses the options above. Pitch decks ought to meet the next format necessities:

• Sized 16:9 (1920×1080 pixels)
• Horizontal presentation
• PDF file
• Most 7 slides

If chosen to attend the occasion, firms shall present a coaching package deal forward of time to permit a minimum of three DoD operators to finish the beneficial coaching earlier than the occasion. Firms shall present a minimum of two expert operators to exhibit capabilities and flight traits, if wanted, on the occasion. 

Background Info:

Details about DIU and the DIU Blue UAS Checklist and Blue UAS Framework will be discovered right here https://www.diu.mil/blue-uas. 

An instance of cybersecurity analysis that could be performed on profitable submissions will be discovered right here: https://dronewolf.darkwolf.io/intro 

Concerning the Protection Innovation Unit

The Protection Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens nationwide safety by accelerating the adoption of business know-how within the Division of Protection and bolstering our allied and nationwide safety innovation bases. DIU companions with organizations throughout the DoD to quickly prototype and area dual-use capabilities that resolve operational challenges at velocity and scale. With places of work in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, DIU is the Division’s gateway to main know-how firms throughout the nation.

Concerning the Nationwide Safety Innovation Community (NSIN) 

The Nationwide Safety Innovation Community (NSIN) is a program workplace within the U.S. Division of Protection, nested throughout the Protection Innovation Unit (DIU). We’re set as much as collaborate with all kinds of innovators to incorporate universities, researchers, college students, entrepreneurs and start-ups. We create alternatives for collaboration throughout communities and join people who won’t historically work in nationwide safety. Collectively, we assist drive nationwide safety innovation and develop applied sciences that immediately help the people accountable for defending our nation.

Mental Property Concerns:

Candidates retain possession of present Mental Property (IP) submitted beneath this Problem and agree that their submissions are their authentic work. Candidates are presumed to have adequate rights to submit the submission. For any submission made to the Problem, you grant NSIN and DIU a restricted license to make use of this IP for testing and analysis for efforts particularly associated to the Problem. NSIN and DIU will negotiate with particular person rivals within the occasion further utilization, integration, or improvement is contemplated.

Different Transaction Authority:

This NSIN Problem public announcement is an open name to small companies and non-traditional protection contractors in search of revolutionary, business applied sciences proposed to create new DoD options or potential new capabilities fulfilling necessities, closing functionality gaps, or offering potential technological developments, applied sciences fueled by business or strategic funding, but additionally idea demonstrations, pilots, and agile improvement actions bettering business applied sciences, present Authorities-owned capabilities, or ideas for broad Protection software(s). As such, the Authorities reserves the best to award a contract or an Different Transaction settlement for any function, to incorporate a prototype or analysis, beneath this public announcement. The Federal Authorities will not be accountable for any monies expended by the applicant earlier than award and is beneath no obligation to pursue such Different Transactions.

Satisfying Competitors Necessities:

This NSIN Problem Open Name Announcement is taken into account to have potential for additional efforts that could be achieved by way of FAR-based contracting devices, Different Transaction Authority (OTA) for Prototype Tasks 10 USC 4022 and Analysis 10 USC 4021, Prizes for superior know-how achievements 10 USC 4025, and/or Prize Competitions 15 USC 3719. The general public open name announcement made on the IdeaScale web site is taken into account to fulfill the cheap effort to acquire competitors in accordance with 10 USC 4025(b), 15 USC 3719 (e) and 10 USC 4022 (b)(2). Accordingly, FAR-based actions will observe announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b)