Aviation Systems
Degraded Visual Environment (DVE): Develop the ability to provide aircrews with situational awareness to avoid mishaps in cases of all-weather brown-out, white-out, and cable/obstacle warning. Preference is for lightweight, integrated, and multi-spectral sensor fusion with minimal A-kit impacts and fitting into existing onboard sensors. The DVE solutions should encompass all aspects of the flight profile to include takeoff, enroute, approach, and landing.
All-weather/All-terrain Engagement: Technologies that allow all weather/all terrain air to ground munitions engagement.
First Pass Lethality: Technologies that rapidly pass position, navigation, and timing data to vastly increase munitions accuracy.
Radio Frequency Countermeasures: Radio frequency receivers and countermeasures that could provide significant improvement in threat avoidance and countermeasure capabilities for aircraft.
Infrared Threat Detection and Countermeasures: Light weight systems that can detect IR guided threats and defeat the threat.
Operate in Denied Areas: Technologies to allow SOF platforms to operate in denied airspace (anti-jam GPS, anti-spoof, threat avoidance, electronic warfare systems, LPI/LPD systems, etc.).
Reduced Operator Workload: Cognitive Decision Assessment and Aiding technologies to automate or reduce aircrew workloads.
Platform Modular Design with Open Systems Architecture: Aircraft flight systems segregated from mission systems and use of commercial standards and open systems architecture as opposed to proprietary architectures and standards.
Enhanced Situational Awareness Systems: Enhanced pilot, crew-member, and passenger situational awareness systems for installation on manned aircraft. Mature systems to provide battle space awareness and display capabilities and assessment of pilot, crew-member, and passenger interactions with system(s).
Terrain Awareness/Alerting Systems: Active and passive terrain awareness systems for installation on manned aircraft with integrated anti-jam and anti-spoof technologies.
Aircraft Display Systems: High reliability NVIS compatible systems to potentially complement existing manned aircraft avionics and/or replace legacy displays. Systems that reduce glint and light escapement for increased survivability.
Hostile Fire Indicating System (HFIS): Develop a low power multi-spectral sensor suitable for detecting, classifying, and geo-locating various forms of incoming hostile fire to SOF aircraft.
Noise/Optical/IR/RF Signature Management: Develop technologies that provide various signature management capabilities that can be mission packaged or fully integrated onto the airframe.
Curved Transparent Armor: Develop a transparent armor solution that allows for curved surfaces, maintains optical qualities (both before and after ballistic impact), and weighs less than 8 pounds per square foot.
Simulation and Training Systems: Develop an IA compliant, scalable, Virtual Reality Aircraft Simulation Capability. Simulation Capability should be scalable execute missions from low fidelity route rehearsals to high fidelity collective training exercises with multiple devices on a common terrain and SAF Databse. Integration of Virtual Reality as the out the window Solution for 6 Degree of Freedom Flight Simulators.
Advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Expeditionary, maritime, runway independent, unmanned aircraft systems with advanced capabilities that include: open system architecture, modular payloads (plug and play), encrypted digital data link, navigation, information dissemination, and integrated material matrix structures that provide increased protection, stealth, RF apertures, and electromagnetic suppression. Technologies that reduce size, weight, and power.
Aircrafrt Self Defense Systems: Provide scalable defensive technologies to protect SOF aircraft against the full spectrum of ground-to-air and air-to-air systems.
Modular Aircraft Survivability Equipment Payloads: Suitable for both RW and UAS applications that provide either IR or RF CM in a modular payload that maximizes use of existing aircraft mechanical and electronic interfaces and onboard displays as much as feasible.
Advanced Helmet Mounted Displays: Light weight displays that maximize use of commercially available technology (e.g. Google Glass) to provide symbology for flight, weapons, and sensor imagery to the pilot. Integrates into existing helmets and cockpit configurations.
Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4)
High Bandwidth Technologies: Secure communications with the capability for high bandwidth imagery full-motion video, sensor feeds, and multi-layered data bases. Provide high bandwidth information interfaces and services across the full spectrum of operating domains to include air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace.
Conformal Multiband Antennas: Minimize size and space on aircraft, reduce damage during operations. For use on manpack and handheld radios with improved performance with no less than 0 dB gain across the tuning range of 30-2,600 MHz.
Advanced Antennas- Low Visibility/Low Profile: Antenna designs combining broad banded and great performance that have dismounted (light yet rugged), mounted, and fixed site applicability, but are visually difficult or impossible to distinguish from their mounted platform.
Secure Mesh, Self-forming Mobile Ad-hoc Networks: Secure, robust accredited devices that allow for the establishment of secure self-forming, mobile ad-hoc networks interoperable with Joint SOF and Joint Services for dismounted SOF mobility platforms including unmanned systems and sensors. US Type 1 certified encyption modules capable of supporting Suite A & B algorithms.
Multi-level Security Systems and Advanced Processing Techniques: Systems that seamlessly operate in both clear and multiple level secure modes that allow SOF to transmit voice, data, and full motion video in near real time. These multi-level systems should allow dissemination of appropriate information down to the lowest possible levels to increase awareness of coalition and non-government partners which would provide SOF the ability to process, display, and disseminate diverse information sources.
Advanced Data Management: SOF requires technologies that provide automatic data synchronization, fusion, mining, indexing and dissemination of data collected by widely dispersed SOF resources.
Advanced Situational Awareness in All Environments: Develop capabilities that fuse ad correlate battlefield information from a variety of sources and display it in an accurate and shared common operational picture. This includes fusion of full motion video with other sources of information, visually displayed in near real time to significantly improve the opportunities for knowledge management and discovery during operations.
Network Analysis Techniques: Grouping nodes, identifying local patterns, comparing and contrasting networks, groups, and individuals. Analysis of network changes through space and time with change detection techniques.
Geospatial Pattern Trends: Analytical technologies showing socio-cultural, economic and demographic factors.
Role Based Access Control: Provide an innovative approach to role based access control for the SOF enterprise that limits access to authorized users.
Advanced Computer Forensics Tools: Automated software tools to perform digital forensics on computer systems (desktop, laptop, mobile). Detect changes to the standard configuration, to include the operating system and standard applications, and identify non-standard behavior.
LPI/LPD, Mobile, Over-the-horizon Communications and Conformal Antennas: On the move, Low probability of Intercept and Detect (LPI/LPD) comms and conformal antennas for Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft to communicate data, audio, and high resolution imagery to interoperate with joint/combined forces with a common operating picture.
Small Form Factor Cross Domain Solution: Small form factor, automated, cross domain solution for Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft to transfer unclassified sensor information to classified networks.
Maritime Tethered Data Cable: Technologies that allow autonomous vehicles a non RF data back haul to host maritime platform.
Combat Diving Communications: Communications that will enable the individual combat diver to communicate underwater to individuals and platforms. Equipment must minimize any contact with the surface, and have the ability to send and receive text, voice and video.
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
Advanced Sensors Including Tagging, Tracking and Locating Devices: Tactical to nano-scale systems that can provide a long duration, small form factor, clandestine capability for rapid identification of individuals and equipment at various distances. New capabilities for detecting, identifying and tracking targets based on unique observables such as, but not limited to, biometrics, radio communications, unique mechanical defects, and augmentation of natural signatures. New capabilities to modify existing indigenous technologies for use in tagging, tracking, and locating.
Multi-Spectral Systems: Multi-spectral digital electro-optics that have a range and resolution equal to day time but useful viewing in all environments and lighting conditions. Decrease in latency of ground systems to less than one millisecond from external activity to viewing by Operator. Decrease in latency of ground systems to less than one millisecond from Operator activity to external action. Miniaturization of Visual Augmentation Systems (VAS). Microbolometers or other thermal imagers that equals the performance of cooled thermal sensors but having reduce size, weight, cost, and power consumption of all cooled thermal sensors.
Through-Wall Sensing.
Enhanced Resolution Sensors: Technologies that allow increased standoff distances improved resolution or better concealability over existing sensors.
Flexible Mission Suites: Technologies that allow roll on/roll off capabilities and rapidly reconfigurable mission suites to provide a flexible platform that can meet different mission needs. ISR platform architectures that segregate flight systems from payloads to allow rapid payload swaps without having to recertify the aircraft as flight worthy. Use of commercial standards and open systems architecture to reduce cost and schedule when adding new payloads.
Persistent Surveillance: Long-duration surveillance capabilities that can rapidly disseminate operational information to key elements on the battlefield through a combination of manned an unmanned ISR to flexibly support the dynamic SOF mission set.
Wide Area Surveillance: Disseminate persistent wide area surveillance from the air, from the water, or from the ground by optimizing and incorporating a suite of sensor technologies to identify targets through foliage, thick vegetation, or triple canopy. Object of interest to survey include dismounted opponents, makeshift vehicles and vessels, expedient facilities to transient or hastily built structures of low-signature, non-reflective materials.
Ground Sensor Technologies: Sensors placed at ground level that have the following characteristics: Inconspicuous; Long duration with no intervention or maintenance required; Data transmission over several kilometers through heavy foliage, thick vegetation, mountain passes, or other types of natural and/or man made environments that block signals and/or Data transmission through heavy overhead foliage or thick vegetation via commercial SATCOM systems; tamper resistant; Capable of sensing ground vibration, human body heat, natural human electrical charges, and other electromagnetic emissions.
Hidden Chamber Detection: Develop a compact, man-portable device capable of detecting hidden chambers, persons, or material through dirt, masonry, water, etc. Develop an automated system for mapping inside and outside of buildings to aid in identifying hidden chambers. Device detection that can identify powered on or off electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, and others.
Advanced Geospatial & Imagery Processing: Technologies on the frontiers of geospecific feature extraction, compression, data interoperability and fusion of sub-centimeter natural , built and augmented environments. Technologies that extend DoD/IC capabilities to meet SOF specific requirements for operational 3D across C2I and M&S. Solutions focused on OGC standards and open systems architecture to achieve agility, rapid innovation and capability enhancement, and lower costs over the life cycle of the program.
Modular, Open, Scalable Architecture SIGINT: Technologies enabling forward operators to re-configure, re-program, re-purpose, and scale SIGINT capabilities across the RF spectrum. Open architecture for rapid insertion of hardware and software upgrades or newly developed capabilities. Remote operation of SIGINT, as well as automated processing and dissemination are also needed.
Irregular Warfare
Tailored Virtual Training for Language and Regional Expertise: Provide the ability to more rapidly and effectively learn the language and cultural skills needed to effectively operate in foreign operational environments. Train personnel and develop leaders to more effectively operate in support of host nation personnel.
Ability to Detect Significant Cultural Shifts: Analytical tools that provide the ability to detect changes in groups cultural behavior or beliefs over time along with associated factors that caused the changes including reactions to international stimulus to provide potential warning of future conflict areas.
Military Information Support to Operations (MISO) Advanced Multi-media Techniques: Advanced multi-media communications techniques including the traditional domains (acoustic, radio, TV, print) and new media resources (sonic projection, scatterable/disposable speakers and media devices, internet, cable, mass cellular broadcasting [including Short Message Service, Multi-media Message Service, and voice], overt and covert holographic imaging [ground, air, space projection and, optical memory], and remotely updateable/trackable electronic paper) and the emerging social networking environment.
MISO Measures of Effectiveness: Planning and preparation support for cultural and behavioral modeling, including analysis, theme development and creating measures of effectiveness in operational environments. Provide defendable and repeatable processes, models, and measurement technologies and procedures that allow for the ability to detect changes in behavior or belief over time along with the associated factors that caused the changes, including reporting of shifts in reaction to stimulus.
MISO Preparation of the Environment/Persistent Engagement: Tactics, techniques, and procedures and enabling technologies (current or proposed) to allow PSYOP forces to prepare the operational environment during Phase 0 and maintain a persistent presence post operations.
Technologies to Improve Foreign Capacities: Technologies to improve foreign capacities to effectively train, operate, maintain, and sustain their capabilities, within US policy.
MISO on Demand Survey Capabilities: Technologies and methodologies that enable rapid, geographically focused data collection (especially attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors during and after execution of MISO) to provide evidence for the performance and effectiveness of MISO. In addition, these tools would also incorporate automated analysis, visualization capabilities, and reporting in template and user-customized formats. This capability would NOT include social media monitoring, scraping, analysis, or reporting.
Medical
Medical Simulation and Training Technologies: Research, apply and/or develop improved pre-hospital combat casualty training with an emphasis on the SOF pre-hospital providers. Research involves technology based approaches, advanced generation trauma task trainers, and robotic training systems to include validation of system and training metrics/evaluation outcomes compared to currently used models. The effort includes research into best practices and new technologies for improved critical lifesaving skills and a cognitive behavioral approach to maximize training effectiveness. Priority will be given to submissions that result in a working prototype that can be field tested in cooperation with SOF training sites.
Prolonged Field Care: SOF medical personnel require capabilities for far-forward medical care to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with major battlefield wounds, injuries, diseases, and associated sepsis. Prolonged Field Care should focus on novel treatments that support the ability to manage 3-5 patients across the spectrum of illness to multi system injury for a minimum of 5-7 days. The primary emphasis is to research, apply and/or develop medical techniques, pharmaceuticals, biologics and field sustainable, rapidly deployable medical devices for extended care beyond initial trauma resuscitation, to include austere/forward surgery while operating in disease endemic areas where casualty evacuation is delayed or unavailable.
Damage Control Resuscitation - Global Treatment Strategies and Next Generation Wound Management: Research, apply and/or develop effective treatment strategies that address the following elements: hypotensive resuscitation, optimal fluid(s), uncomplicated shock, non-compressible hemorrhaging, traumatic brain injuries, and austere damage control surgery. These strategies must be optimized for medics in austere, far-forward areas, with minimal logistical or specialty support, who must stabilize and treat patients for extended periods (days, not hours).
Damage Control Resuscitation - Analgesia: The proposed project must research, apply and/or develop effective treatment strategies that address the following elements: hypotensive resuscitation, optimal fluid(s), uncomplicated shock, non-compressible hemorrhaging, traumatic brain injuries, and austere damage control surgery. These strategies must be optimized for medics in austere, far-forward areas, with minimal logistical or specialty support, who must stabilize and treat patients for extended periods (days, not hours).
Damage Control Resuscitation - Far Forward Blood Components, Blood Substitute & Injectable Hemostatics: The proposed project should research novel strategies to increase the ease, efficacy, and safety of blood transfusion (i.e. person to person, pre-hospital blood banking, blood substitutes) forward of normal logistics support; (e.g., evaluating blood for type/cross matching and for the presence of pathogens to include point of injury AB antibody titer). Projects that will be considered also include other blood components such as freeze dried plasma and platelets, cryoprecipitate, fibrinogen, prothrombin complex concentrate and injectable medications to address the coagulopathy of trauma such as Tranexamic acid. A long term objective is a blood substitute that is comparable in size, weight of traditional blood products, and effectively functions like fresh whole blood without requiring refrigeration. Strategies to find the delivery of these prototypes individually or in concert will also be considered. Priority will be given towards projects that are oriented towards final solutions or prototypes that are shelf stable requiring minimal to no refrigeration as well as those that are capable of carrying oxygen.
Damage Control Resuscitation - Austere Surgical Stabilization: Future theatres where SOF personnel will operate will likely be much less medically robust than our past decade of fighting in our current theatres. Rather than sitting at hardened structures waiting on patients, surgical personnel may be increasingly asked to go to the patient. Research should focus on mobility/portability of medical and surgical equipment, with emphasis on equipment with greater capabilities than currently fielded devices, smaller size and weight, low power demands and flexibility in power supplies. Research may also include a human systems approach to define limitations and mitigation strategies of surgical capability in austere environments (i.e. low light, temperature variability, surgery in-flight).
Portable Lab Diagnostics -Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) Hazards: Develop novel methods and devices for rapid identification and analysis of exposures to OEH hazards. Research must support the development and analysis of hand held field hardened and environmentally stable analytical devices, monitoring devices, dosimetry, assays for rapid on-site identification, and real-time analysis of OEH hazards in air, water, and soil that could pose an acute or chronic health hazard to SOF personnel. Such OEH hazards include toxic industrial chemicals/toxic industrial materials (TICs/TIMs), lead exposures, food borne pathogens, toxins, biological agents, and radiological material exposures.
Force Health Protection and Environmental Medicine - Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Rapid Diagnostics, Treatment, and Prophylaxis: The proposed project must research and apply and/or develop novel approaches that will diagnose, treat, and protect human exposure (prophylaxis and/or post contact) to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives in near real time.
Force Health Protection and Environmental Medicine - Chelation Solution: The capability submission must research and provide viable protective preventive solutions, such as, but not limited to engineering controls, to prevent acute lead exposure in training environments (Live Fire CQB/Breaching Training Environments and Shoothouses).
Canine Medicine:
1. Environmental Extremes: Submissions must research and apply and/or develop novel strategies that address acclimatization to acute extremes in temperature, altitude, and/or time zone change (circadian acclimatization), and/or prolonged marine environmental exposure in SOF canines.
2. Sensory Optimization and Protection: Research must be oriented toward innovative methods that enhance or conserve SOF canine olfactory, visual, and/or auditory performance during combat operations.
3. Trauma Resuscitation: Research must support development of innovative techniques/strategies for canine trauma resuscitation (e.g. hypotensive resuscitation, whole blood/blood component replacement, non-compressible hemorrhaging), particularly to address ballistic projectile injuries, in diverse/austere environments that lack immediately available medical evacuation or restorative surgical capacity. Note: Research should minimize or refrain from utilizing canine specific equipment or devices; this will allow treatment from existing trauma kits fielded by SOF medics.
4. Non-Traditional Anesthesia Protocols: Capability submissions must seek to develop novel approaches for routine and emergency/post-traumatic canine field sedation and/or anesthesia in diverse environments and utilizing pharmaceuticals available to SOF Medics.
5. Optimizing Canine Performance and Nutrition: Capability submissions must research and apply and/or develop novel strategies that address optimization of canine performance through improved physical conditioning programs, enhanced nutrition, and genetics research.
6. Pre and Post Trauma Training / Behavioral Issues: Research should address unique approaches to diagnosing and treating SOF-peculiar training and post-traumatic canine behavioral issues, in order to optimize pre-purchase selection and post-purchase training strategies across the enterprise and restore performance in canines with behavioral and/or post-trauma issues.
Mobility
Increased Operational Capacity and Capabilities: Enhancements in manned and unmanned mobility platforms and enabling technologies that maximize the range and speed in offroad terrain, payload, agility, reliability and maintainability of Special Operations Forces while minimizing size, weight, power requirements and signature.
Reduce Signature: Low observability technologies to reduce or confuse detection of SOF manned and unmanned mobility platforms across the full spectrum (visual, acoustic, thermal) are required. Counter-low observability capabilities are also desired.
Advanced Protection: Lightweight ballistic armor for SOF platforms, to include transparent armor. Ballistic armor systems should provide equal or increased protection over current systems without an increase in weight or reduction in durability at a manageable cost point. The new systems should provide enhanced crew survivability, critical system survivability, and have low maintenance requirements. Transparent solutions should maintain crew vision/field of view with or without night vision devices.
Advanced Mobility Platforms to Access Sensitive or Denied Areas: Mobility platform or technology insertion to allow SOF platforms to operate undetected, or to be indistinguishable from indigeneous vehicles and/or to transit over terrain typically considered impassable.
Extend Longevity of SOF Mobility Platforms: SOF vehicles are deteriorating at an unacceptable rate while in training or in actual operations. Better materials, coatings, or technologies are needed for SOF Vehicles, equipment and systems to withstand the effects of harsh environments, corrosion, stress, and fatigue. These improvements should reduce operating costs and have little to no environmental impact.
Dynamic Ride Mitigation: Current maritime craft and ground mobility vehicles expose their occupants and equipment to short and long term effects from exposure to impact, shock, and vibration. A technology or combination of technologies is needed to reduce the impact, shock, and vibration to occupants and the stress on the platform across a variety of speeds and terrain. Additionally, a system integrated into combatant craft that displays the levels of shock, vibration, and impact being applied to the craft while underway is desired. System should allow for data collection throughout voyage; display a green, yellow, and red status to crew; and be IA compliant for historic data collection.
Combat Diving Propulsion: Underwater propulsion systems that can propel an individual or team of combat divers
Maritime Domain Awareness: Technologies supporting passive detection of platforms operating in the maritime domain utilizing existing signals already in the environment to identify contacts and obstructions.
Enhanced Situational Awareness Systems: Enhanced crew situational awareness systems for installation on manned combatant craft. System should have a passive and active capability that provides complete maritime domain awareness of the area surrounding the platform. System should be able to detect air, land and sea threats and populate on the crafts display system.
Hostile Fire Indicating System (HFIS): A passive low power multi-spectral sensor suitable for detecting, classifying, and geo-locating various forms of incoming hostile fire or targeting radars to maritime combatant craft platforms.
Decrease Drag: Develop Technologies that allow for less drag of Combatant Craft to increase speed and efficiency without requiring mechanical alterations to the vessel.
At Sea Launch and Recovery: Develop capabilities to launch and recover Combatant Craft Medium and Heavy at sea via crane. Develop capabilities to launch and recover NSW submersibles to include the Dry Combat Submersible. Develop systems that allows for deployment from vessels other than Amphibious Ships with a Well Deck.
Virtual Training System: Develop Virtual Reality simulator that allows combatant craft and SOF submersible detachments to conduct realistic training and scenarios prior to practical underway training events and rehearsals for operations. Systems should be IA compliant, federated multi-site collective training and SOF mission rehearsal system that links maritime platform simulators, training simulation devices, threat simulation devices, and a mission monitor capability to evaluate events. System should allow true multi-craft, multi-maritime threat sensors integration, and realistic operational events.
Counter UAS: Counter UAS system for Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft to detect, track, identify, and defeat UAS at altitude and distance to permit effective engagement.
Advanced Unmanned Surface Systems: Expeditionary, maritime, platform agnostic, and scalable unmanned surface systems with advanced capabilities that include: open system architecture, modular payloads (plug and play), RF and tethered encrypted digital data link, navigation, collision avoidance, system performance & system status information dissemination, signature management, and integrated material matrix structures that provide increased survivability. Scalable systems should be man-portable, 6' or less, two-man lift, 30lb payload. Vessel launched systems should be 6' or greater, no larger than 14', launch able from Combatant Craft Medium & Heavy, 400lb payload.
Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Technologies: Technologies to enhance the MK18 MOD1 UUV to include increased endurance; innovative/novel sensors and payloads; command, control, and communications to include realtime communications with NSW manned submersibles, combat divers, and surface craft; autonomy; and reduced signatures.
Self Healing Vehicle Technology: Sensor or component technology wherein an Operator can know with some amount of certainty to proactively replace a vehicle component that is nearing the end of it's life span such that unplanned maintenance or failure during a mission is reduced.
Vehicle/Sensor Fusion: Integration of advanced capability within the SOF vehicle that enhances the vehicle Operator local situational awareness without adding an increased mental load to the crew.
Counter Low Observability: Integration of technology that enables SOF vehicular units to dectect and identify an enemies low observable ground platforms.
Cost Reduction Efforts for Mobility/C4I Components: Novel approaches to reduce the lifecycle costs (namely production and sustainment) associated with braking, suspension, and other vehicular systems. Current C4ISR components (antennas, mounts, cables, etc) are expensive and long lead in nature. We are targeting reduced costs, improved lead times, and equivalent capability to our current SOF suite of C4ISR (LoS, SATCOM, ECMS).
Low Cost, High Output Alternators: Targeting both 12V and 28V dual alternator combinations, along with high output single 12V and dual 12V solutions. The 28VDC alternator shall have a minimum of 130A (at 28VDC) output (80A at idle) and shall fit within the current engine compartment. Any single high-output alternator shall have a minimum 260 Amp (12 Volt DC) output rating at idle and engine operating temperature of 220 degrees F. The purpose of this RFI is to determine the availability of solutions to replace the existing package within NSCVs, allowing flexibility for future growth, and to clear real estate in the engine compartment if we can achieve our requirements with a lower cost and smaller solution.
Power and Energy
Advanced Power Systems Technologies for Improved Battery and Other Energy Storage Device Capabilities for Use by Special Operations Forces (SOF) Undersea Vehicles: Provide a safe and reliable, air independent power system capable of being used on multiple SOF Undersea Manned mobility platforms and unmanned undersea vehicles with growth potential for broader vehicle applications (e.g. USMC HMMWV). The system must be capable of preventing, controlling and halting thermal propagation, conflagration and explosion, testable to DoD and US Navy high energy safety and environmental standards (MIL-STD-810G, NAVSEA S9310-AQ-SAF-010, NAVSEA SG270-BV-SAF-010 apply). The system requires a specific energy in excess of 130 Wh/kg and energy density in excess of 200Wh/l. The system must have a standard form factor permitting assembly into a larger form usable across a variety of undersea platforms (Seal Delivery Vehicle (SDV), Dry Submersible Technology Demonstrator (S351), and the Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS)) and unmanned undersea vehicles (MK18 Mod 1 UUV). The system software must be able to function across multiple platforms and must be testable to Joint and DoD standards (DoD Joint Software Systems Safety Engineering Handbook, DoD Directive 8500.1).
Novel Advanced Power Sources for SOF Dismounts: Small, lightweight, and portable capability to efficiently scavenge power from known sources and efficiently convert to transportable batteries.
Small/Lightweight/Man pack Advanced Power for SOF Dismounts: Provide a small, lightweight man packable power generation and management capability for dismounted ST and SOF medical support operations in a global environment.
Novel advanced Power Sources for SOF Dismounts and Small Units: Provide new fuel and power sources that reduce size, weight, volume, recharge time and logistics burden associated with currently available fuel and power sources. Also require longer discharge time over current battery technologies.
Novel Advanced Power Sources for Small Units (12 or less): Provide novel renewable power technologies (e.g. solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, other) for powering small unit encampments
Design Solutions that Incorporate Advanced Power Technologies and Provide: *Centrally wearable power on dismount
*Intelligent and highly efficient power and distribution management
*Automatic power charging/recharging capability
*Seamless integration for all powered subsystems
*Novel power systems
Wireless Power Transmission for Dismounts: Provide a small, lightweight wireless power transmission capability to recharge powered or stored devices without cables or physical contact.
Hybrid Propulsion Systems Wireless Power Transmission for Dismounts: Propulsion systems that combine powering technologies (e.g. turbines, electric, etc.) to provide enhanced capabilities for SOF maritime combatant craft. Desired enhancements include: improved range/speed/payload; allowing for novel designs, craft layouts, and engine packaging options; low-noise operation or modes; etc.
Soldier Systems
Capability to Carry Heavier External Loads, Carry Loads Farther Without Fatigue and/or Carry External Loads During Sustained Run or Sprint, without impairing marksmanship or other skilled dexterity tasks.
Develop Enhanced Ability to Overcome a Wide Variety of Vertical and Low Obstacles.
Technologies that Provide Advanced Adaptive Environmental Individual Protection from Cold, Heat, Altitude and CBRNE.
Develop Enhanced Ability to Overcome a Wide Variety of Vertical and Low Obstacles.
Enhanced Capability to Detect, Locate and Identify Personnel at Long Range, Day/Night.
Advancements in Imager and Laser Technology in "Out of Band" Wavelengths: Technologies that improve performance of lasers and imagers in the Short, Mid and Long Wave Infrared wavelengths (SWIR/MWIR/LWIR).
Combat Identification: SOF personnel on the ground require a small, lightweight body worn multi-spectral combat identification device for various mission scenarios in order to provide friendly identification while avoiding enemy detection.
Advancements in Personnel Signature Management Against Current and Emerging Threat Sensors Using Novel Material and Advanced Treatments.
Concealment and Signature Suppression: Technologies that enable the SOF operator to remain undetected before and during an engagement. Also technologies that prevent the enemy from locating or targeting the operator once the operator actively engaged.
Improved Moving Target Engagement: Technologies that enhance or improve air to ground moving target engagement.
Advanced Energetics: Energetic technologies to include small arms propellants, explosive charges, explosive warhead fills, enhanced blast, thermo baric and/or incendiary components that increase destructive energy while remaining insensitive munitions compliant.
Virtual Training: Technologies that provide the capability to conduct mission training/preparation/rehearsal in an immersive 3D environment. The virtual training system should be able to adapt to the individual skill level to hone and maintain critical skill sets such as weapons training using current weapon systems.
Reduce Total Equipment and Sustainment Load: Key equipment needs include: Reduce size and weight (target reduction 25%; Energy source which is inherit to evolving small arms threats and on-hazardous to the operator; reduce signature and/or capability to ensure SOF force are visible only to each other in day and night conditions; Protection against emerging arms threats; Smart environmental controls capable of maintaining SOF operators body temperature and stress levels within an acceptable range; Must withstand austere and harsh environments without degradation.
Advanced Protection: Advanced body armor (body-worn and head protection) that provides superior armor capability through the increased enhancements to ballistic protection and body coverage, while reducing the weight, thickness, and thermal load. Possess the ability to defeat armor piercing ammunition to include reducing the strike energy to a survivable level. Advanced non-destructive inspection techniques for body armor and ballistic helmets.
Combat Diving Navigation: Equipment that can provide precise position of individual combat diver while underwater. Equipment must minimize any contact with the surface. Hardware should be modular to allow for standard charging and uploading /downloading of diver data. Commonality of hardware software is preferred.
Combat Diving Marine Environmental Protection: Equipment that will allow the combat diver to extend underwater mission duration in extreme environments
Active and/or Passive Heating and Cooling: Ability to maintain individual core and extremity (hands and feet) temperature against extreme environments during SOF operations is desired. Examples of these environments include: military free fall operations, static/dynamic land and maritime operations. Additional applications include maintaining temperature of battlefield casualties. Solutions should be lightweight, not interfere with typical worn or carried equipment and employ active/passive heating or cooling techniques.
Weapons and Electronic Attack
Precision Guided Small Arms Munitions: Small unit organic munitions capable of delivering highly accurate kinetic effects on stationary, moving, soft targets, or the interior of hardened targets at ranges beyond crew served weapons effective range. Precision Guided Munitions for Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft to engage high value targets at stand-off and over-the-horizon distances.
Counter-Personnel Weapons with Selective Increase in Severity of Non-Lethal Force: Integrated, scalable/selectable affects weapons with a tunable destructive or less than lethal non-destructive potential that can provide this capability across a broad variety of SOF missions while limiting or eliminating collateral damage and casualties.
Increased Electronic Attack (EA) and Information Operations (IO) Capabilities and Capacity; Portable Systems: Man-portable EA and IO systems that can detect, locate, identify, defend, and counter threats. IO systems should incorporate the ability to gain access into various media, communications, and other processes systems.
Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (CIED): Increased electronic attack and RF counter IED capabilities against emerging threats worldwide in mounted/dismounted configurations. Technologies that can reduce weight, improve performance, decrease input power requirements, decrease thermal loading and decrease system footprints. Technologies that improve the interoperability of electronic attack systems with other SOF capabilities (i.e. communications, information operations). Antennas that improve performance across a broad spectrum of frequencies operate at higher output powers, while minimizing physical size and appearance.
Counter-Material and Facility Defeat/Disablement: Provide Scalable Effects Weapon which can neutralize equipment and facilities from all SOF platforms. Desired effects range from simple STOP commands to full incapacitation for extended periods of time and are effective against people, vehicles, and other manned/unmanned aircraft.
Enhanced Warheads: Improve the effects of small Common Launch Tube (CLT) compatible warheads.
Direct Fire Support Weapons: Technologies that provide lightweight, direct fire support weapons with enhanced blast, optimized fragmentation (magnitude, shape, and density of fragmentation cloud), combined effects, multi-option and or smart fuses.
Scalable Defensive Weapons Capability: Provide scalable defensive capabilities to protect ground mobility vehicles and SOF Maritime platforms against the full spectrum of ground -to-ground, surface-to-surface, air-to-ground and air-to-surface threat systems.
Deny Area/Deny Access: Clear buildings and facility of all personnel with or without entry to those facilities. Deliver scalable effects to clear perimeters of all personnel for SOF to operate in. Hail and warn non-combatants with the objective to determine hostile intent.
Directed Energy Technologies that relate to the production of beam of concentrated electromagnetgic energy or atomic or subatomic particles.
