Department of the navy (don) 18. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions introduction

OBJECTIVE: Develop a method and/or apparatus to ensure vertical posture (and potentially allow control of the same) of the vertical orientation of the array system while deployed by a surface ship.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy is seeking a way to ensure the suspended array remains vertical while deployed in the water in order to ensure most effective use of the system. The Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) is an array system that is deployed on surface ships with acoustic data collection capabilities. SURTASS includes a tethered vertical array that consists of small, lightweight acoustic transmitters suspended by cable beneath a surface ship.

The vertical array comprises 19 individual bodies, of which the top one is a tow bar assembly and the other eighteen are identical projector assemblies. The distance from the tow bar to the top projector is 10 feet, and the projector assemblies are spaced 6 feet apart. The tow body assembly weighs approximately 2,400 lbs. in water and each of the projector assemblies weighs approximately 1,400 lbs. in water. Adding the suspension members, cabling, and miscellaneous parts results in a submerged array weight of 28,700 lbs. Each of the assemblies is 20 feet wide and 136 feet long. Below the tow bar and between the projector assemblies, there are two suspension members, one forward and one aft, 99 feet apart. The tow bar is supported from a single cable from the ship, which is 34 feet aft of the forward vertical support below and coincides with the center of gravity of the array so that the array hangs vertical with the tow bodies horizontal until hydrodynamic drag is applied.

The ship maintains an average speed of approximately 6 kilometers per hour (3.2 knots) when operational. There is a need to ensure the suspended array remains vertical while deployed in the water in order to ensure effective use of the system. Currently, the vertical array demonstrates a constant “kite” angle at operational speeds. The innovation needed is an approach or mechanism that can be added to the vertical array or deployment system that both autonomously and dynamically ensures it remains in a vertical plane while deployed in the water, while not inducing turbulence or acoustic noise.

The product for this effort is a method and/or apparatus to ensure vertical posture (and potentially allow control of the same) of the array system while deployed by a surface ship.

PHASE I: During Phase I, derive the technical functional requirements to develop a concept for a dynamic vertical-angle control system for the tethered vertical array. Demonstrate feasibility for their concept design to implement autonomous, dynamic control of a vertical array, including mechanical, electronic, and software components by simulating or modeling a variety of potential ocean environments and ship movements as well as by analytical demonstration. (The Navy will provide data regarding relevant ocean environments and will provide sufficient technical details to enable accurate modeling of the ships’ movements within the range of required sea states and ship speed.) The Phase I Option, if awarded, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype in Phase II. Develop a Phase II plan.

PHASE II: Based on the Phase I results and the Phase II Statement of Work (SOW), design, develop, and deliver a prototype vertical angle control system. Develop and construct a working scale model of a surrogate vertical array; develop a test plan; identify a test facility; and develop required test fixtures needed to support laboratory or at-sea testing. Support the testing and performance analysis and validate that the prototype operates in accordance with the model in a laboratory or at-sea environment. Incorporate lessons learned from these tests into a full system design, develop the technical specifications, and interface documentation required for the control system to be integrated into the target array. Prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology for Navy and potential commercial use.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use. Based upon prototype test results, design a production-ready control system to be integrated into a specific array design identified by the Navy or a commercial array manufacturer. Build a control system; and refine, fabricate, and implement the developed hardware to suit the operation of a vertical array. Support integration and testing in laboratory and ocean environments to meet requirements for functionality, environmental extremes, reliability, safety, and other requirements to certify the system for Navy use. This topic will enable SURTASS ships to perform missions in ocean environments that limit today’s acoustic performance.

Other Navy platforms (ships and submarines), the oil exploration industry, and ocean scientists use similar acoustic arrays and have an equivalent unfulfilled requirement for improved depth control. Successful execution of the described capabilities would benefit all of these other users for similar reasons.

REFERENCES:

1. Tseng, Yi-Hsiang, Chen, Chung-Cheng, Lin, Chung-Huo, Hwang, and Yuh-Shyan. “Tracking Controller Design for Diving Behavior of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle.” Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Volume 2013, Article ID 50454. http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/504541.pdf

2. Baviskar, Abhijit, Feemster, Matthew, Dawson, Darren, and Xian, Bin. “Tracking Control of An Underactuated Unmanned Underwater Vehicle.” 2005 American Control Conference, June 8-10, 2005. http://folk.ntnu.no/skoge/prost/proceedings/acc05/PDFs/Papers/0773_FrB11_1.pdf

3. Li, Haocheng, Olinger, David J., and Demetriou, Michael A. “Passivity based control of a Tethered Undersea Kite energy system.” IEEE American Control Conference (ACC), 2016. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7526143/

4. Williams, Paul. "Optimal Wind Power Extraction with a Tethered Kite." AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, Guidance, Navigation, and Control and Co-located Conferences, 21-24 August 2006. https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.2006-6193

5. Chung, Soon-Jo, and Miller, David W. “Propellant-Free Control of Tethered Formation Flight, Part 1: Linear Control and Experimentation.” Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol. 31, No 3, May-Jun 2008. https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/1.32188

KEYWORDS: Vertical array; SURTASS; Acoustic Data Collection Capabilities; Streamed Array at Speed; Lightweight Acoustic Transmitters; Constant “Kite” Angle at Operational Speeds

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS 6.0, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Program Office

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a high performance, reduced Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) clock for Navy Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy is seeking to develop alternative routing of data through airborne Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) nodes to enable high data bandwidth, robust connectivity, and routing flexibility between platforms in the surface fleet. This will allow for increasing the diversity of airborne platforms (including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs)), which can provide new sensors and robust, anti-jam communications. A critical component necessary for this capability is a highly accurate clock that can act as a time and frequency reference to ensure that communications across the network are synchronized properly. The clock needs to have the flexibility to scale in SWaP, and must be suitable for airborne applications. This flexibility would enable networked communications and sensor data fusion utilizing a variety of airborne platforms. This will greatly increase data throughput, system availability, system accuracy, and the ability to dynamically collect and route information, thereby improving the fleet’s ability to execute complex multi-ship missions.

Time and frequency reference clocks are used to very accurately determine time-of-day of an event, time duration of an event or interval between two events, and frequency or rate of a repeated event. Within a networked system, these clocks are used to ensure that data transmission and reception is correctly synchronized from point-to-point, that data has not become stale due to latency issues, that information from sensors and weapons systems can be coordinated, and that communications have not been interrupted or compromised. Since the beginning of naval explorations, accurate clocks have allowed for precise geolocation.

Typically, the most accurate clocks have been those based upon an atomic standard from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Until recently, atomic clocks were expensive and too large to be installed on smaller, more portable tactical platforms constrained by SWaP. This has prevented the Navy from using the most accurate clocks available on smaller platforms.

This is no longer the case as emerging atomic clock technology, such as Chip Scale Atomic Clocks (CSACs) and Miniature Atomic Clocks (MACs), offer high levels of timekeeping performance with reduced SWaP impacts.

CSACs, which were developed by Defense Applied Research Projects Agency (DARPA), are approximately 15 cubic centimeters (cm³). CSACs are accurate to 50 nanoseconds (ns) while typically consuming less than 150 milliwatts (mW) of power resulting in minimal impact to the host platform. This reduction in SWaP is achieved using advanced physical techniques like Coherent Population Trapping (CPT) and technologies such as vertical surface emitting cavity lasers, which eliminate requirements for higher SWaP components such as conventional lamps.

MACs, which were developed by industry, are based on a standard rubidium or cesium physics package but have continued to evolve to meet customer demands for smaller SWaP applications. They also use CPT and other advanced hardware components to reduce SWaP while providing high levels of performance.

While CSAC and MACs both offer significant performance improvements, further innovation is required to improve performance another order of magnitude. For example, CSACs (Allan Deviation of 10^(-10) at t = 1 s) and MACs (Allan Deviation of 10^(-11) at t = 1 s) have greatly improved frequency stability over other legacy clocks and crystal oscillators but are still well off performance levels of top-of-the-line Cesium frequency standards (Allan Deviation of 10^(-12) at t = 1 s). An example of a reduction to medium term Allan deviation is achieved through light intensity optimization and compensation for laser frequency detuning. Alternatively, many commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) timekeeping technologies rely on the use of information derived from global positioning system (GPS) signals through a Selective Availability Anti-spoofing Module (SAASM) to discipline and control the frequency of the local clock oscillator to improve overall stability.

In summary, the Navy seeks a “one stop shop” time and frequency clock to satisfy mission requirements, to operate across demanding environmental conditions (high acceleration and vibration), and to disseminate time and frequency to a broad variety of local onboard users and systems, all while minimizing SWaP.

The Phase II effort will likely require secure access, and NAVSEA will process the DD254 to support the contractor for personnel and facility certification for secure access. The Phase I effort will not require access to classified information. If need be, data of the same level of complexity as secured data will be provided to support Phase I work.

Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. Owned and Operated with no Foreign Influence as defined by DOD 5220.22-M, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor and/or subcontractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances, in order to perform on advanced phases of this contract as set forth by DSS and NAVSEA in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material IAW DoD 5220.22-M during the advance phases of this contract.

PHASE I: Develop a concept for a High Performance, Small SWaP Time and Frequency Reference clock that will utilize state-of-the-art timekeeping technology stated in the topic description. Demonstrate the feasibility of the concept in meeting Navy needs and establish that the concept can be feasibly produced. Feasibility will be established by some combination of initial analysis or modeling. The Phase I Option, if awarded, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype in Phase II. Develop a Phase II plan.

PHASE II: Based on the Phase I results and the Phase II Statement of Work (SOW), produce and deliver a prototype accompanied by appropriate data analysis and modeling. Evaluate the prototype High Performance, Small SWaP Time and Frequency Reference clock to determine its capability in meeting Navy requirements. The prototype will demonstrate its ability to meet requirements for Navy UAV applications. Testing, evaluation, and demonstration are the responsibility of the company and should therefore be included in the Phase II proposal. Either demonstration will take place at a company or Government-provided facility. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology for Navy.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see Description section for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use. Further refine the prototype according to the Phase III development plan for evaluation to determine its effectiveness and reliability in an operationally relevant environment. Support the Navy in the system integration and qualification testing for the technology through platform integration and test events managed by Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) to transition the technology into UAV applications.

There is the prospect of significant interest from the private sector for an affordable, small form factor Time and Frequency Reference clock that can produce different timing signals to meet various subsystem requirements. These include mobile infrastructure, wired communications, aerospace, research, medical and instrumentation/timing.

REFERENCES:

1. Delcolliano, John, and Olson, Paul. “It’s All About Time.” Army AL&T Magazine. July-September 2016. Pages 91-93. http://usaasc.armyalt.com/?iid=143668#folio=92

2. National Institute of Standards and Technology. “NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock.” NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory Time and Frequency Division. 19 September 2016. https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/primary-standard-nist-f1

3. Lombardi, Michael. “Fundamentals of Time and Frequency.” CRC Press. 2002. http://tf.nist.gov/general/pdf/1498.pdf

4. Zhang, Yaolin, Yang, Wanpeng, Zhang, Shuangyou, and Zhao, Jianye. "Rubidium chip-scale atomic clock with improved long-term stability through light intensity optimization and compensation for laser frequency detuning.” Journal of the Optical Society of America B. Volume 33. Issue 8. Pages 1756-1763. 8 July 2016. https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.33.001756

5. Lombardi, Michael. “The Use of GPS Disciplined Oscillators as Primary Frequency Standards for Calibration and Metrology Laboratories.” Measure Journal. Volume 3. Number 3. Pages 56-65. September 2008. NSCL International. http://tf.nist.gov/general/pdf/2297.pdf

KEYWORDS: Smaller SWaP for atomic clocks; Time Reference for UAVs; Frequency Reference for UAVs; Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV); Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs); Cesium frequency standards

N181-038

TITLE: Gaming for Conceptual Network Learning for Naval Air Defense

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS 6.0, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Program Office

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

OBJECTIVE: Develop an interactive, graphics-oriented training game that instructs the conceptual, non-intuitive value of an integrated Naval battle force in a variety of realistic anti-air warfare scenarios.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy seeks to create an innovative, stand-alone conceptual training game for Sailors that will teach concepts beyond current training capabilities. It seeks a visually compelling conceptual learning tool in the form of a gaming environment that captures the attention of Sailors and focuses them in the game scenarios. The purpose is to achieve and maintain the warfighters’ proficiency in netted force concepts. These concepts include sharing target kinematics and identification information from sensors across the force to create a common situational awareness, coordinated engagements, and distributed resource control. Current integrated force-level studies are typically conducted by small teams of skilled subject matter experts (SMEs) using highly detailed technical models. These studies are time-consuming and the results must be formatted and repackaged prior to disseminating them in static form with the broader air defense community. These types of studies are needed; however, there is also a need for a new type of training capability that significantly expands the understanding of non-SME and non-technical users. A game that uses low to medium fidelity models in an engaging format and allows individual users and small teams to evaluate “what-if” scenarios of different force configurations and capabilities is needed. The learning environment will include high-level representations of typical U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps platforms such as ships, aircraft, and land-mobile units. These will represent the game’s default configuration. In addition to their default configurations, these platforms and their system capabilities such as sensors (RADAR, electronic sensing [ES], etc.) and weapons (missiles, guns, electronic attack/electronic protection [EA/EP]) should have certain relevant behavior or performance characteristics that are modifiable by the user between game epochs. Platforms should also be capable of varying degrees of communication and coordination (command & control) with each other for interactions and collaborations to achieve combined, force-level effects. Equivalent adversary platforms should be included.

The platforms and systems models should be modular to allow concept exploration of unit and force engagements of varying capabilities with more detailed specifications. For example, some parameters of an interceptor missile might include its flight profile, speed, and maximum range, time of flight as a function of the range from the shooter to the engagement point, homing time, and seeker frequency. An important aspect of the game will be the nature of interactions between systems and platforms and the resulting effects on force performance as information is shared across the netted force. Due to the innovative nature of this project, the Government expects to work with the company to identify and explore the feasibility and level of fidelity for each of the system characteristics to be modeled.

The game will be capable of installation on standalone or networked desktop or laptop computers. Users should have the ability to load and execute pre-planned game scenarios or have the option to build and execute their own, either from scratch or by modifying an existing scenario. The game should include the ability for single player exploration, scripted scenarios to solve with a given set of assets, cooperative multi-player and head-to-head combat across an internet or intranet with scoring, including “top scores” for players. Additional requirements include the ability to place assets and select weapons, sensors, etc.; define threat launch points, and see resulting engagement contours. Threats and weapons should be capable of non-maneuvering or maneuvering flight profiles as selected by the user. Platforms should be capable of representative movement for their category (ship, aircraft, land mobile, etc.). Additionally, it should be flexible enough to provide a capability allowing a user to create and insert their own representations of platforms and systems for future expansion.

Game configurations, executions, and outcomes should be recordable for offline analysis and review. Individual users’ proficiency in understanding key concepts and attributes of a netted force should be monitored and recorded for offline review and analysis. The Navy seeks an engaging learning environment that not only teaches key Force-level concepts, but also allows playing “what-if” games for future force concepts. If we have an engaging game that the operators can play against each other that focuses on key concepts, their appreciation for netted force operations should increase substantially. Further, having a tool that will allow the engineering and warfighter communities to explore “what-if” scenarios for future netted force concepts could be a key enabler for future force investment discussions.

The Phase II effort will likely require secure access, and NAVSEA will process the DD254 to support the contractor for personnel and facility certification for secure access. The Phase I effort will not require access to classified information. If need be, data of the same level of complexity as secured data will be provided to support Phase I work.

Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. Owned and Operated with no Foreign Influence as defined by DOD 5220.22-M, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor and/or subcontractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances, in order to perform on advanced phases of this contract as set forth by DSS and NAVSEA in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material IAW DoD 5220.22-M during the advance phases of this contract.