Adaptive Avionics

Active

Contract Opportunity

Description: This is a Request for Information Only – This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. A solicitation is not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the US Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. All information submitted in response to this RFI is voluntary; the US Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided. If a solicitation is issued, it will be published in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

1. Purpose

The Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal, on behalf of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC), is issuing this Request For Information (RFI) to identify industry partners, academia, or other government agencies capable of providing information on new or current technologies/ capabilities that can create dynamic, easily reconfigurable avionics systems that allow for real-time countering of emerging threats on the future battlefield.

1. Background

Today’s avionics are developed to respond to a specific set of known threats, environments, and data sources, which negatively impacts optimization and flexibility to adjust to emerging threats. The Adaptive Avionics program is addressing these barriers by developing software and hardware capabilities to enable continuous software deployment, real-time software reconfiguration, and dynamic access to multiple data sources and computing resources. Adaptive Avionics will consist of two tasks: Reconfigurable Mission Systems (RMS) and Tactical Real-time Avionics Computing Enabler (TRACE).

Adaptive Avionics will build upon Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) integration and architecture techniques defined during the Integrated Mission Equipment (IME) for Future Vertical Lift Systems program. These techniques will help Adaptive Avionics to exploit emerging innovation across multiple technological domains to enable reconfigurable avionics.

The Government is interested in looking beyond existing fielded technologies to next generation software and hardware that could facilitate these objectives.

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   1. Reconfigurable Mission Systems (RMS) Overview
   
   
   
   

Mission systems software can be viewed as managing and coordinating mission capabilities to achieve a desired result. However, current capabilities are being outpaced by evolving threats, adversary actions, and unexpected challenges. RMS will address this problem by developing and acquiring reconfigurable software that allows for the re-utilization of current capabilities for new effects and enables dynamic integration to accept new software with minimal recertification. The term “reconfigurable” in this context encompasses multiple capabilities such as repurposing, reordering, reconfiguring, rearranging and/or recomposing software. From an operational point of view, RMS will assess, analyze, and identify capabilities in a cyber-physical system that can be created by integration to adapt to the battlespace.

For example, an aircraft is conducting a digital call for fire (CFF) mission. A radio onboard the aircraft that has the capability to transmit the CFF message fails. Current implementations prevent utilizing other resources onboard to complete the mission resulting in degraded operations and potential mission failure.

RMS will solve this example by:

• Determining which communications systems are available and what software could be reconfigured to be able to transmit the message.


• Leveraging situational awareness information to determine which of those communications systems can transmit the message to the intended receiver.


• Selecting the best composition of software needed to be dynamically reconfigured and integrated to allow for the rerouting of the message through the designated communications system.

The objective is to have the digital CFF successfully transmit without additional actions being required by the operator.

To realize this end state, RMS’s approach will consist of:

• Exploiting the management and coordination of mission system software to enable reconfigurable capabilities. RMS refers to this concept as “Orchestration and Choreography”.


• Developing/acquiring candidate reconfigurable software for integration


• Investigating novel safety and security qualification techniques


• Integrating, testing, and demonstrating capabilities

Outcomes from RMS will consist of reconfigurable software products, integration techniques for reconfigurable software capabilities, airworthiness/cybersecurity accreditation of reconfigurable software, infrastructure/architecture requirements, and strategies to employ continuous development and deployment of reconfigurable software. This will significantly reduce the timeline needed to field increase operational capability and adapt to changing mission requirements by implementing dynamic mission software and updating the certification process accordingly.

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   1. Tactical Real-Time Avionics Computing Enabler (TRACE) Overview
   
   
   
   

As the battlespace changes, mission systems are developed to address specific mission requirements as they arise. However, these systems cannot keep up with the evolving operational demand from adversaries, threats, and unexpected challenges. Our mission systems are constrained by processor capabilities, data access challenges, and resource management limitations. TRACE will address these limitations by investigating technologies that will improve processing capabilities, implementing a processing resource manager, and incorporating advanced pattern recognition capabilities. From an operational viewpoint, TRACE will leverage AI, machine learning, and real-time situational awareness to predict and intelligently distribute computing resources across aircraft systems. This will proactively prevent system degradation and ensure continuous, reliable operation to enhance mission effectiveness.

For instance, an aircraft is executing a computing intensive operation. One of the supporting processors reaches its maximum capacity, resulting in a risk of mission failure.

TRACE will solve this problem by:

• Using machine learning and situational awareness to anticipate potential system loads and determine the most efficient reallocation of computing resources


• Distributing processes to other resources to accommodate the required load

The objective is the computing intensive operation will be able to continue to execute by utilizing the resource allocation manager provided by TRACE.

To realize the end state, TRACE’s approach will focus on:

• Developing a computing hardware resource management system that uses contextual situational awareness to dynamically reallocate computing resources to prioritized functions dependent on changing situations


• Implementing an advanced pattern recognition method that will facilitate efficient processing of large amounts of raw data across distributed assets into useable information


• Integrating, testing, and demonstrating capabilities

The outcomes that TRACE is working towards include but are not limited to: optimizing allocation of computing resources for efficient information processing based on operational requirements, real-time on-board access to information to support tactical decision-making timelines, and affordable and sustainable integration and flight demonstration of advanced computing capabilities.

1. Requested Submission Content

Responses should answer and/or make comment on the following topics based on the background described above:

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  1. RMS
  
  
  
  


• Do you have any general comments or observations about RMS concepts?


• What experience do you have with reconfigurable software?
  
  
  
  • Have you developed any relevant reconfigurable software? If so, please provide details.
  
  
  • Are you aware of any relevant existing reconfigurable software? If so, please provide details.
  
  
  • What tools do/would you use to write reconfigurable software?
  
  
  • What architectural approach do/would you use in developing reconfigurable software?
  
  
  • Do you have any experience with changing a software’s functional behavior without modifying the source code?
  
  
  • What are your preferred methods to maintain and manage reconfigurable software?
  
  
  • What do you consider to be the impacts, risks, or concerns of developing reconfigurable software?
  
  
  
  


• What experience do you have with integrating reconfigurable software?
  
  
  
  • Have you integrated reconfigurable software in support of any programs/efforts? If so, please provide details.
  
  
  • Are you aware of any relevant programs/efforts that consists of integrating reconfigurable software? If so, please provide details.
  
  
  • What tools, processes, or techniques are required to integrate reconfigurable software?
  
  
  • What tools, processes, or techniques are required to automate/mechanize the integration of reconfigurable software?
  
  
  • What does the concept of “Orchestration and Choreography” of mission system software mean to you?
  
  
  • In what other ways do you anticipate the concept of integrating reconfigurable software could be applied to add value?
  
  
  • What do you consider as the impacts, risks, or concerns of integrating reconfigurable software?
  
  
  
  

• Are there other potential use cases in which RMS could be applied?

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  1. TRACE
  
  
  
  


• Do you have any general comments or observations about TRACE concepts?


• What experience do you have with allocating and managing computing resources real-time?
  
  
  
  • How do you monitor computing resources today?
  
  
  • How do you distribute/prioritize computing resources or task loads today?
    
    
    
    • Is this process automated/mechanized? If so, how?
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • What are the advantages/disadvantages that you have experienced when utilizing higher quality vs. quantity of processors for distributed systems?
  
  
  • What additional hardware or software do/would you use to monitor and allocate processing resources real-time?
  
  
  • What tools do/would you use to monitor and allocate processing resources real-time?
  
  
  • In your experience, what are the current limitations and gaps in technology to monitor and manage computing resources real-time?
  
  
  
  


• What experience do you have allocating or distributing task loads based on situational awareness of priorities?
  
  
  
  • What additional capabilities do you think would be required to incorporate real-time situational awareness into task priority?
  
  
  • What experience do you have with data management in terms of recognizing patterns and converting large amounts of raw data into useable information?
  
  
  • Are you aware of any existing machine learning or AI engines that might be relevant to the concepts TRACE is pursuing? If so, please provide details.
  
  
  • In your experience, what are the current limitations and gaps in today’s technology to process and store large amounts of data?
    
    
    
    • What do you think needs to be done to address these limitations?
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• What experience do you have with virtualization of hardware to improve effectiveness of system management?


• What other use cases do you believe TRACE could be applied to?

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  1. General
  
  
  
  


• Please describe your interest in the activities and capabilities Adaptive Avionics is looking to pursue.


• Is there interest in partnering with the Government to achieve the goals of Adaptive Avionics? If so, what would your preferred contract vehicle be?


• Are you aware of any ongoing S&T efforts related to the Adaptive Avionics program. If so, please provide details.


• Please describe any other relevant approaches.


• Please provide general comments on what Adaptive Avionics is trying to achieve.

1. Submission Instructions

Responses should be no more than twenty (20) one-sided pages to address questions in section 3.

The transmittal letter shall include the following information: Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, CAGE code, NAICS code and size and type of ownership for the organization.

Classified responses will not be accepted.

Responses shall be provided in Microsoft Word or as a portable document format (*.pdf) file. Responses shall be submitted via the DoD SAFE site or via email to the points of contact noted. If submitting via the SAFE site, you will need to send an email to the points of contact listed with the subject “Drop-off request RFI W911W6-25-RFI-0001”at least 3 business days prior to the due date and a link to the DoD SAFE site will be provided. Responses shall be submitted by the closing date stated.

Questions shall be submitted in writing via email to the points of contact noted. All questions and responses will be posted to https://beta.sam.gov as an amendment to this RFI.

Information received in response to this RFI may be reviewed by Government personnel and/or support contractors bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements. Any information contained in responses to this RFI that respondents consider to be confidential, privileged, and proprietary or a trade secret will not be distributed beyond U.S. Government employees and SETA support contractors.

To the maximum extent possible, please submit non-proprietary information. If proprietary information is submitted, it must be appropriately and specifically marked. It is the submitter's responsibility to clearly identify to the Government what is considered proprietary data. Any proprietary information should be clearly labeled as “proprietary.” The Government will not publicly disclose proprietary information obtained as a result of this RFI.

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