Request for Information (RFI) Sources Sought (SS) for Low Profile, Multi Band, Multi Beam K/Ka/Q Antenna System

This request for information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing its acquisition strategy and statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI.


Background / Objective:
The Government (US Army CERDEC) is interested in receiving information for the design development, delivery and demonstration of an affordable, low-profile On-the-Move (OTM) satellite communications directional antenna system that is capable of operating in K, Ka and Q frequency bands. This antenna system is needed to support high data rate satellite communications. This antenna system should be capable of transmitting and receiving via the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) utilizing its K/Ka frequency band and via the Advanced EHF Satellite (AEHF) and future satellites such as Transformational Satellite (TSAT) utilizing K receive and Q-Band transmit. The K Band receive array shall support two simultaneous individually pointed beams, one RHCP or LHCP and one LHCP only. The Ka Band transmit array shall support a single individually pointed RHCP or LHCP beam. The Q Band transmit array shall support a single individually pointed RHCP or LHCP beam. Operation at Ka and Q bands is not simultaneous.

The Government plans to start development of this low profile, tri band (K/Ka/Q) antenna system in FY09, with an OTM demonstration on government furnished Army representative vehicles in FY12 to validate a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6. Key areas of interest for this antenna system include technology maturity, cost, cross-country tracking performance, RF performance and antenna profile/size. Critical to the antenna system is the integral cooling system, which must fit within the antenna system profile, and the ability to point and maintain the antenna pointing toward the satellite while on the move.

Informational responses should include a compliance matrix with an explanation of the reasons for any non compliance. Link budgets should also be included for both clear sky and rain conditions for peer to peer communications through the applicable satellites. This information will be utilized by the Government to assist in the tailoring of any future specifications.
Discussion: Desired characteristics of the SOTM antennas include, but should not be limited to:
1. Provides maximum gain with minimal size, weight, and power
2. Size, Weight, Power Consumption and Design to Unit Production Cost are most important. Compromises to performance required to meet the above shall be individually discussed in detail.
3. The integral cooling system shall be discussed in detail. A maintenance free cooling system is desired.
4. Beam squint, if present, shall be considered in the acquisition and tracking subsystems.
5. Mountable on various military vehicles, including JLTV, HMMWV, Stryker and Bradley
6. Able to acquire and track a moving inclined or fixed (GEO) satellite while military vehicle is stationary or in motion.
7. Ruggedized e.g. able to withstand harsh environmental conditions
8. Does not increase vehicle vulnerability i.e., low profile
9. Intent is to provide 1: a system compliant with the specifications below that can sustain a transmit data rate of greater than 512 Kb/s Transmit and greater than 2.048 Mb/s Receive (Crane Region E Rain Model Included) at K/Ka Bands and 2: a data rate of greater than 1.544 MB/s (TSAT) transmit and greater than 18 MB/s receive at K/Q Bands (Crane Region D Rain Model included) at a 97% availability under Churchville B road conditions.
10. The 20/30 GHz IF interface shall be hardware and software compatible with the Network Centric Waveform of the L-3 Communications MPM-1000 modem. Note that the NCW is a bursty BPSK waveform, not continuous. Burst RF frequencies can vary.
11. The 20/44 GHz L-Band IF interface shall be capable of connection to and operational with frequency hopping modems utilized with Advanced EHF or TSAT. This includes compliance with all Advanced EHF/TSAT beam pointing and stability requirements during on-the-move operation.
12. The antennas shall be compliant with MIL-STD-188-164A and any applicable FCC and/or ITU requirements for commercial K/Ka Band systems (in the commercial portion of the band only).
13. RFI submissions shall discuss the viability of meeting the objective specifications and propose any specification changes required to meet SWAP/DTUPC requirements commensurate with achieving reasonable performance.


Desired characteristics of the antenna are as follows:
REQUIREMENT OBJECTIVE SPECIFICATIONS
K Band Receive Frequency RF Rx- 19.7 to 21.2 GHz (in multiple bands, as required)
IF Rx 950 to 1950 MHz
G/T
greater than 14 dB/K at 20.7 GHz and 90 degrees elevation angle, 7 dB/K (10 dB/K desired) at 20.7 GHz and 20 degrees elevation angle essential, 23 deg C, radome included.
Beamwidth Rx greater than 2.5 degrees (3 dB) at 90 degree elevation angle
Number of Simultaneous Beams Two (2): One with electronically switchable RHCP/LHCP (orthogonal to their respective transmit beams) and One with fixed LHCP.
Axial Ratio less than 2.0 dB receive axial ratio essential under all dynamic conditions.
Ka Band Transmit Frequency RF Tx- 29.5 to 31.0 GHz (in multiple bands, as required)
IF Tx 950 to 1950 MHz
EIRP greater than 54 dBW at 30.5 GHz and 90 degrees elevation angle, greater than 47 dBW (50 dBW desired) at 30.5 GHz and 20 degrees elevation angle essential, 23 deg C, radome included. greater than 20dB of power control via IF drive signal reduction shall be provided.
Beamwidth Tx less than 2.5 degrees (3 dB) at 90 degree elevation angle
Sidelobes Shall meet MIL-STD-188-164A requirements
Polarization Tx Electronically Selectable LHCP or RHCP (orthogonal to receive beam)
less than 1.5 dB transmit axial ratio essential under all dynamic conditions.
Q Band Transmit Frequency RF Tx- 43.5 to 45.5 GHz (in multiple bands, as required)
IF Tx 950 to 1950 MHz or Consistent with modem
EIRP greater than 54 dBW at 44.5 GHz and 90 degrees (boresight) elevation angle, greater than 47 dBW (50 dBW desired) at 44.5 GHz and 20 degrees elevation angle, 23 deg C, radome included. greater than 20dB of power control via IF drive signal reduction shall be provided.
Beamwidth Tx less than 2.5 degrees (3 dB) at 90 degree elevation angle
Sidelobes Shall meet MIL-STD-188-164A requirements
Polarization Tx Electronically Selectable RHCP or LHCP.
less than 1.5 dB transmit axial ratio essential under all dynamic conditions.
Velocity AZ 500 deg/s
EL 500 deg/s
Acceleration AZ 1000 deg/s2
EL 1000 deg/s2
Coverage AZ Continuous
EL 20 to 90 deg essential to meet spec
Degraded performance allowed under 20 degrees
Pointing Error Less than less than 1.0dB, under Churchville B conditions when mounted on a HMMWV
Acquisition Time less than 5 minutes from a cold start: initialization of GPS, inertial systems and tracking receiver at-the halt.
less than 5 seconds, warm start on-the-move or at-the -halt: GPS, inertial systems and tracking receiver have been initialized and are in an operational status.
Reacquisition less than 5 seconds, without any operator intervention from any duration signal blockage.
Power less than 1200 watts essential, 1000 watts desired (including integral cooling system) with either Ka Band or Q Band transmit aperture transmitting at full output power, 28VDC MIL-STD-1275D compliant power source for antenna and all Electronics.
Antenna Size All apertures with integral cooling system in a single 30 inch x 30 inch maximum housing less than 6 inches in height essential, less than 4 inches desired
Weight less than 250 lbs essential, less than 150 lbs desired, for antennas, radome, and integral Inertial Navigation Unit, GPS, Tracking Receiver, RF Electronics, integral cooling system and Antenna Control Unit
MTBF greater than 5000 hrs
Environmental Conditions The antenna system will be designed to withstand all of the environmental conditions below. The antenna system will be tested for compliance with the following environmental conditions: Temperature, shock, vibration, humidity. Certification of design compliance with all other environmental conditions will be provided.
Vibration The system, in its transport configuration, will withstand vibration testing per MIL-STD-810F Method 514.5 Procedure I Categories 7, 8, and 9, with an exposure duration of 6 hours. The system, in its transport configuration, will withstand shipboard vibration testing per International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 10055 Table 1 Category 1. The system, in its transport and vehicular operational configurations, will withstand vibration testing per MIL-STD-810F Method 514.5 Procedure III, Category 20 (Ground Vehicles), with exposure duration of 5 cycles around the courses.

Temperature -40 oC to + 51 oC with solar radiation and at the rate of 360 British Thermal Units (BTUs) per square foot per hour IAW the requirements of MIL-STD-810F, method 501.4, 502.4 and method 505.4.
Humidity As low as 5% at an air temperature of +49oC and as high as 100% at temperatures from 20oC to 30oC with condensation at all temperatures lower than 30oC IAW the requirements of MIL-STD-810F, method 507.4
Altitude Up to 15,000 feet above mean sea level IAW the requirements of MIL-STD-8 1 0F, method 500.4.
Rain No water leakage in driving rain up to 40 miles/hour IAW MIL-STD-810F, Method 506.4.
Sand & Dust MIL-STD-810F, Methods 5.10.4, Procedures I, II and III.
Fungus Prolonged exposure to fungus growth environment as encountered in a tropical area IAW MIL-STD-810F, Method 508.5 for a period of 28 days.
Salt Fog Exposure for a 48 hour period at a concentration of 5% IAW MIL-STD-810F, Method 509.4
Shock Operational Shock in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, method 516.5, procedure 1. 40g, non-shock isolated.
Wind The equipment will withstand sustained wind speeds up to 60 mph and wind gusts up to 100 mph
Unit Cost Goal less than $150 K @100 ea for complete system, including Inertial Navigation Unit, Controller, radome, and RF electronics. The ultimate production cost goal is less than $100K.

NOTES:

1. Simultaneous operation in Ka and Q Bands is not required.
2. The transmit and receive beams for WGS (20/30 GHz) shall be orthogonal to each other and electronically switchable between Right Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP) and Left Hand Circular Polarization (LHCP). The transmit and receive beams for Advanced EHF/TSAT (20/44 GHz) shall be electronically switchable between RHCP and LHCP. The receive beam for GBS (20 GHz) shall be LHCP only.
3. Individual beams shall be capable of pointing in any direction, independent of the pointing of the other beams. Two receive beams may be simultaneously pointed at WGS for OTM communications with the NCW and GBS.
4. G/T and EIRP specifications include pointing error under On-The-Move conditions.
5. All requirements of MIL-STD-188-164A shall be met. The above specifications shall be followed in case of any conflict.
6. A turn-key antenna system is required, complete with Inertial Navigation Unit, all RF electronics, radome, GPS, Tracking receiver, controller and interconnecting cables. Any required laptop computer for antenna control will be supplied.
7. A tracking receiver may be utilized to receive satellite beacons as an aid in dynamic tracking WGS. EHF does not use a beacon.
8. BITE shall be provided to the LRU level.
9. Mounting Kit for installation on a HMMWV with a Helmet Hardtop and roof rack shall be provided.
10. NCW waveform is used for K/Ka operation, Advanced EHF waveform is used for K/Q Operation.
11. All environmental data is in an operating environment unless otherwise noted.
12. EMI (conducted and radiated emissions) shall be considered in the design and construction of the antennas. They will be tested in a high signal environment, similar to actual field conditions.
13. The final field demo will take place at the Fort Dix or other Government test bed after the antenna system has been mounted on the Government HMMWV. The required air time will be provided. The field demo is in addition to testing at the contractor's plant to show compliance with the specifications, including the ability to acquire and track satellites OTM.
14. The helmet hardtop data is available from Amtech Corp.


Controller Requirements

1. An HTML Graphical User Interface shall be provided via a laptop computer as the man-machine interface. A beam viewer shall be provided which displays a graphical representation of the topological coordinate pointing frame showing the vehicle heading and the pointing position of each transmit and receive beam. By default the view will be collapsed into a two dimensional representation, but will be capable of being rotated by holding down the primary mouse button (left on most systems) over the graph and dragging the mouse.
2. Shims shall be provided in the controller to allow electronic boresighting of the individual transmit and receive arrays with the inertial system.
3. The controller shall be SNMP compliant.
4. NORAD Two line Element Ephemeris Data shall be capable of being loaded by the user and retained in non-volatile memory for all desired K, Ka and Q Band satellites. The controller shall use this data for satellite acquisition.
5. Automatic acquisition and reacquisition (at the halt or on the move) shall be provided, with no user intervention required, after the desired satellite has been identified. (Reacquisition is recovery from any blockage of the antenna) Such data shall be contained in non-volatile memory such that the user only has to turn the system on to achieve an operational status on the desired satellite.
6. The laptop computer shall not be required once the satellite ephemeris and polarization data have been selected for each of the beams in the antenna system. The system shall automatically save this data and shall become fully operational solely by applying prime power to the system.
7. The controller shall be capable of search and track and full manual pointing of the antennas in lieu of utilizing NORAD Two Line Element Data, if such data is not available for the desired satellite. Tracking mode will be automatically entered after initial acquisition. This function is necessary for testing with satellite simulators.
8. All controller software/firmware shall be provided on CD with full Government purpose rights, including any required installation utilities.
9. Controller software/firmware shall be able to be loaded or updates installed only after a password has been entered. This includes the NORAD Two Line Element satellite ephemeris Data.

Govt TPOC: Louis Coryell
E-Mail: louis.coryell@us.army.mil
Phone: (732) 532-9210, x5632


Alternate Govt TPOC: Tat Fung
E-Mail: Tat.Fung@us.army.mil
Phone: (732) 532-9120, x5624

Submit All Responses in Electronic Format To Technical POC at:
US Army CERDEC
Attn: AMSRD-CER-ST-SS-TS
Building 210
Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703-5203
louis.coryell@us.army.mil