Call002

Call 002 – Vendor Flexibility Experiments
Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet

(DEUCSI)

Proposal Due Date and Time: Proposals will be accepted any time after 8:00am Dayton, OH local time on 28 Jan 2019 and before 4:00pm Dayton, OH local time on 31 Oct 2021.
Anticipated Award Date: Variable, depending on proposal submission date. See below, Section 4 Schedule / Period of Performance
Anticipated Number of Awards: Estimate 2-4 Other Transaction Agreements and/or Contracts
Anticipated Funding: See below, Section 6 Cost Objective/Funding Constraint Agreement/Contract Number: TBD (FA8650-19-X-XXXX)
1. Statement of Objectives (SOO)/Description of Technical Areas: Background/Scope:
Consistent with the overall approach for establishing path agnostic communications using the commercial space internet described in the overarching Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) FA8650-17-S-9300, this Call seeks to establish the ability to communicate with Air Force platforms via multiple commercial space internet (CSI) constellations using common user terminal hardware elements. An important aspect of using CSI capabilities effectively and affordably for defense purposes is the ability to switch between space internet providers as operational and business needs change. For example, as the commercial space internet marketplace evolves, it is conceivable that new vendors will enter the market and existing vendors will exit. It is also highly likely that commercial offerings will change over time in regards to technical performance (e.g. data rates) and business arrangements (e.g. competitive commercial pricing between vendors). On a more tactical scenario, an Air Force pilot using the space internet may wish to change vendors in flight to access a more favorable spectrum or geometry. The Air Force wishes to conduct experiments in vendor flexibility to understand methods by which the government may position itself to affordably and efficiently leverage multiple commercial providers of space internet.
There are multiple methods that could be considered to achieve the desired flexibility. One potentially viable approach already under consideration is to use a multitude of single-vendor antennas, radios, and modems that would be removed / installed on each Air Force platform according to operational and business needs. This approach is expected to be experimentally assessed via activities resulting from previous Calls under this ARA and the accompanying Open Two-Step ARA, and