Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Systems Directorate in Rome, N.Y., released a presolicitation Monday (FA8750-15-R-0164) as part of the Air Force's Open System Acquisition Initiative (OSAI).
The new initiative will seek to establish a consortium that includes industry, colleges, and non-profits to perform research in support of Air Force information systems.
Specifically, the initiative seeks to apply open-systems information sharing to C4ISR systems like the Distributed Common Ground Station (DCGS); Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS); Air Operations Center-Weapon System (AOC); Open Mission System (OMS); SecureView; Information Support Server Environment (ISSE) Guard; Cybersecurity environments; Web Temporal Analysis System (WebTAS); Combined Information Data Network Exchange (CIDNE); and Collaboration Gateway.
A formal solicitation is expected by 28 May 2015. One goal is to establish a consortium that includes significant non-traditional contractor participants for this kind of research work. Any company, university, or research organization is eligible to join the consortium.
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Air Force researchers are looking for companies, colleges, and non-profits with collective expertise in agile engineering research, development & support; C4ISR capability performance analysis; C4ISR capability ecosystems; C4ISR information systems security; and C4ISR information systems sustainment and supportability.
Agile engineering research, development & support involves prototyping and testing information systems to enhance resiliency, autonomy, and security. This area includes high-performance computing, mobile sensors, multi-level security domain information sharing, and emerging cyber technologies.
C4ISR capability performance analysis involves technologies to improve hardware and software performance , including modeling and simulation, and using data to develop and improve products and analysis tools. C4ISR capability ecosystems involves data architectures and life cycle management and training.
C4ISR information systems security involves balancing information security with information sharing, including offensive and defensive cyber warfare, cyber security tools, and cost-effective countermeasures.
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C4ISR information systems sustainment and supportability, meanwhile, involves information technologies to improve engineering design, technical support data, and software support services while lowering life cycle management costs.
When the solicitation is released later this month, companies interested will email responses to the Air Force's Joseph Austin at [email protected].
For questions or concerns contact Joseph Austin by phone at 315-330-4310 or by email at [email protected]. Also contact Brian Shepard by phone at 315-330-4533 or by email at [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLRRS/FA8750-15-R-0164/listing.html.
