By John Keller
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. — U.S. Navy scientists are asking industry for ideas on how to build inexpensive and expendable imaging sensors for surveillance applications at unattended ground sites and on unmanned aircraft or unmanned ground vehicles.
Officials of the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., in a broad agency announcement, are asking for expendable/low cost surveillance, payload delivery, and unattended remote controlled sensor technology.
Navy officials say these sensors should have lightweight, long-range imagery and data transmission capability with ranges of from 20 to more than 1,000 nautical miles, light weight/low cost surveillance turrets or sensors, and laser designator/range finders.
Program officials also will consider:
- modular payload bays for the surveillance platform to accommodate payloads such as unattended ground sensors and compact autonomous vehicles;
- inexpensive imaging optical sensors operating in the ultraviolet through far-infrared spectrum for targeting and cueing using multi-band and/or spectral classification techniques
- Low cost radar for target detection imaging and/or tracking;
Those interested should respond by Feb. 28, 2003, to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Building 588, Suite 2, 47253 Whalen Road, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md. 20670-1463. Refer to solicitation number N00421-02-R-3141.
Potential offerors must register with the U.S. Department of Defense Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database to be eligible for a contract award. To register, or for more information, contact the CCR Assistance Center by phone at 888-227-2423.
For more information contact Jeff Schoerner by phone at 301-342-7060, or by e-mail at [email protected]. The solicitation is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.eps.gov/spg/USN/NAVAIR/NAVAIRHQ/N00421-02-R-3141/SynopsisR.html.
