Contracting Office Address

Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 22203-1714

Description

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pleased to offer the opportunity to respond to the Integrator-Broker for the J-UCAS Common Operating System (COS) solicitation. Proposal are due no later than 26 July 2004. The solicitation can be viewed as an attachment to this announcement. The Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program is a joint DARPA-Air Force-Navy effort to demonstrate the technical feasibility, military utility and operational value of a networked system of high performance, weaponized unmanned air vehicles to effectively and affordably prosecute 21st century combat missions. The J-UCAS program has been architected to fully exploit the technological advances emerging from the ongoing information revolution, so as to provide new options for advanced airpower projection that can support a variety of 21st century military missions. Within the J-UCAS Program Office, the Common Systems & Technology (CST) organization is tasked with the development and testing of a number of common systems, subsystems and components that comprise the integrated system. CSTs most visible and challenging task is the development of the J-UCAS Common Operating System (COS). The COS will enable interoperability among multiple air vehicles and control stations, facilitating the integration of other subsystems such as sensors, weapons, and communications. The COS encompasses the software architecture, algorithms, applications and services that provide command and control, communications management, mission planning, much of the interactive autonomy, the human systems interface and the many other qualities associated with the J-UCAS system. The J-UCAS system architecture will ensure intra-operability between the internal components of J-UCAS and inter-operability with external elements such as manned aircraft, command and control centers, and space assets. This solicitation seeks a COS development and implementation solution involving a consortium-like business arrangement (hereafter referred to as the consortium) that involves the programs air vehicle (A/V) prime contractors, an assortment of technology contributors organizations, and a unique entity known as the Integrator/Broker (I/B). The current A/V primes, the Boeing Company and the Northrop Grumman Corporation, are key stakeholders that may directly contribute software functionality to the COS and are exclusively responsible for integrating the COS with their own platforms. Technology contributors will be selected to provide best of breed algorithms and software functionality to the COS. Their involvement in the envisioned consortium agreement is based on the specific potential contributions that may enhance or expand COS capabilities. Technology contributors may include small developers, other large defense contractors, and traditional or nontraditional subcontractors. The Integrator/Broker (I/B) has a unique role in facilitating the COS integration process among the other participants in the consortium. The I/B is not considered a large scale integrator or a Lead System Integrator (LSI) in the traditional sense. The technical point-of-contact is Marc Pitarys at FAX no. 703-248-1939. 

Original Point of Contact

Mark Bennington, Contracting Officer, Phone (703) 696-2411, Fax (703) 696-2208, Email mbennington@darpa.mil