REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) is seeking information from industry on services and supplies to deliver comprehensive and detail-oriented virtual training for flight crew, sensor operators, and Mission Equipment Package (MEP) maintainers.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP). NO SOLICITATION ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

Overview/Purpose/Description of Procurement

Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) is responsible for enduring requirements to develop, acquire, field and provide life-cycle support to operationally relevant Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (AISR) sensors and integrated systems across a broad spectrum of Multiple Intelligence (MULTI-INT) capabilities, including but not limited to: Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR), Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicators (SAR/GMTI), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), and Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT).  In addition, auxiliary support of these capabilities including, but not limited to air, ground, networking, data transfer, satellite communications, and simulated training is required.

Traditional modes of training including Operational Procedural Trainers (OPTs) are limited by factors such as equipment durability and availability, classroom size, qualified instructors, and safety considerations. They are also cost and time prohibitive.  To supplement classroom training, a more modern approach is required.  Therefore, PD SAI is interested in a training solution that emulates aircraft and sensors in high fidelity, digitizes the training environment, and facilitates multi-trainee and instructor collaboration in a virtual environment that can be conducted from classrooms anywhere in the world.  PD SAI is interested in products that enable the Army to obtain training technology to enable greater agility in support of complex maintenance, inspection, and crew coordination tasks.  The desired technical solution will be used to prove out a modernized training as capabilities and program requirements evolve. 

This RFI is intended purely for market research purposes.  The Government wishes to better understand current industry capabilities regarding their ability to provide necessary services and supplies to deliver comprehensive and detail-oriented virtual training.

Scope of Effort/Request

In response to this RFI, PD SAI is seeking industry information regarding commercial or government off-the-shelf (COTS/GOTS) product solutions to validate industry capabilities for Virtual Aerial Systems Trainer (VAST) to support the Airframe, Pilot Tasks, Crew Drill Tasks, and Back of Plane with sensor Non-Rated Crew Members (NRCM) tasks.  The intent of this RFI is to gather information on state-of-the art virtual training capabilities which allow for the creation of several environments, scenarios, decision points, and rally points that could be developed virtually to apply to multiple aircraft platforms.  Required tasks may involve coordination between cockpit and cabin crewmembers. The environment will provide Soldiers, leaders, staffs, and units the ability to train on mission critical tasks and exercise cognitive skills required to operate in the Operational Environment (OE).

Interested virtual training procedures include:

1) Crew-Level Emergency Procedures IAW BBD-700        

2) Aviation Life Support Equipment (ALSE) – Pre-flight (ALSE expirations, flashlights, fire extinguisher pressures, O2 pressure check, etc.)

            3) Other Pre-flight inspections.

            4) Intel Sensors operation and maintenance tasks

The virtual training should start with standardized aircrew procedures like crew briefings, ICS check-in (after entering the Immersive VR environment), etc.  Some of those would be done outside of the VR, while some would be performed inside to support mission planning and mission rehearsals. The steps to be performed by aircrew (Pilots & NRCM) in each training module would need to be built, verified, and validated by applicable regulation or standardization documents and procedures to ensure the products’ correctness.  The results of the training environment shall enhance and reinforce both Soldier and leader Warfighter skills with practical experience.

The Government is particularly interested in capabilities and specific requirements of the Virtual Training Prototype which include: