TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics, Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NECC (Not confirmed)

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and implement innovative technologies and concepts (radar, thermal imaging, or other sensors) that can be used on riverine and coastal craft to "see through the forest" to provide situational awareness of riverbanks or coastal areas for littoral and riverine operations.

DESCRIPTION: The new Maritime Strategy for the United States being developed includes a global fleet station (GFS) concept wherein small ships and boats may be deployed throughout the world in support of humanitarian missions, diplomatic efforts to influence local governments, developing local contacts and partnerships, and civil issues. The Navy has established riverine squadrons to operate in rivers of the world that are likely to be used in support of GFS. In the GFS concept, riverine and coastal craft would need to be able to operate independent of assets that would provide essential ISR because those assets are not likely to be available. Riverine and coastal operations would be vulnerable to threats that have taken advantage of the growth and underbrush on riverbanks and coastal areas to conceal enemy emplacements and activity. An onboard capability to see what is on the riverbank, where growth is dense, would significantly improve riverine and coastal situational awareness and tactical options.

This topic seeks to identify innovative scientific and engineering solutions to advance imaging capabilities on riverine boats to provide ISR through dense forest growth and underbrush on riverbanks and in coastal areas. Technologies must address the ability to see through dense growth up to a few hundred yards to identify and track adversarial activity. Microwave, magnetic, electro-optical, laser, infrared, automatic tagging and tracking, and other technologies might be needed. The objective is to provide a "see through the forest" capability on boats used in riverine operations so that boat crews can have better situational awareness in the riverine battlespace to improve tactical engagement. An innovative, potentially high-risk solution is required to provide a see through the forest capability.

Proposals should specifically describe the technologies that will be applied to solve the problem, how they will be developed, what the specific benefits will be, and how they might be transitioned to Navy acquisition programs. System life-cyle cost estimates with sufficient detail to determine impact on acquisition and sustainment must be developed as part of the effort. Members of the Naval Advanced Concepts and Technologies (NACT) program are available to provide guidance and assistance in the identification and clarification of common issues and needs. Contact with these resources is encouraged both prior to proposal development and during any subsequent SBIR-related activity.

PHASE I: The contractor is expected to identify and characterize scientific and engineering solutions, which includes technologies that could be enhanced, for use onboard riverine and coastal craft to provide the capability to see into densely covered riverbanks and coastal areas to improve situational awareness and tactical engagement. The contractor will establish performance goals and objectives for key concepts and technologies and provide a plan with technological milestones for further concept development. The development plan must consider transition of technologies into Navy acquisition programs.

PHASE II: The contractor is expected to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of technologies and concepts critical to riverbank and coastal area situational awareness. The contractor will demonstrate, based on the development plan of Phase I, that key concepts and technologies meet performance goals and objectives established during Phase I. The contractor will develop and implement a strategy to transition developed technologies to Navy acquisition programs.

PHASE III: Concepts and technologies will be integrated into a prototype for test and evaluation on a riverine platform. An implementation plan for operational test and evaluation will be developed.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The concepts and technologies developed in this effort could be used on civil patrol craft to protect US waterways.

REFERENCES:
1. Cutler, Thomas J., "Brown Water, Black Berets: Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam," US Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, ISBN-10: 1557501963 (May 2000).

2. Edward J. Marolda, "By Sea, Air, and Land - An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy and the War in Southeast Asia," Naval Historical Center, ISBN 0-9452774-10-6

KEYWORDS: Riverine; coastal; squadron; sensor; foliage; imaging

TPOC: Jordan Eichelbaum
Phone: 301-227-6072
Fax:
Email: [email protected]

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between November 13 and December 9, 2007, you may talk directly with the Topic Author(s) to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 10, 2007, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (08.1 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 08.1 topic under which they are proposing.

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