Sources Sought: The purpose of this Sources Sought is to assess the availability of low-cost, non-developmental or commercial uncrewed aircraft systems to suppo...

The Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation, Project Manager (PM), Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, seeks information on currently available UASs. The PM will assess the responses to determine which vendors are deemed the most likely to successfully fulfill a Replicator initiative or future competition and may invite those vendors to participate in a demonstration of their proposed capability. Solutions will be evaluated against the following criteria: system cost less than $3,000, day/night visual capability (electro-optical and infrared), flight endurance of 30 minutes, range of 1 kilometer and 2020 NDAA Sec 848 / 2023 NDAA Sec 817 compliance.UAS Information sought: PM UAS seeks information on currently available, low-cost UAS to support unit training and operations. Desired capabilities include: day/night visual capability (electro-optical and infrared), flight endurance of 30 minutes, and range of 1-5 kilometers. Desired system cost is less than $3,000 each. The UAS must be eligible for

the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue List (2020 NDAA Sec 848 and 2023 NDAA Sec 817 compliant) or demonstrate a path to compliance. Additional information on the Blue List can be obtained from https://www.diu.mil/blue-uas-policy.The definition of a complete uncrewed aircraft system includes the air vehicle with day/night visual capability and ancillary equipment. This ancillary equipment includes a command and control solution, batteries, cabling, spare parts, operator/maintenance manuals, and packaging.White paper responses should include the following information:Provide system cost, broken out by air vehicle, day/night visual capability and ancillary equipment. Provide assumptions (e.g., description of system estimated, production quantity) relative to the calculation of the unit costs provided. Provide a detailed description of the UAS’s air vehicle and sensor performance. For air vehicle performance provide: weight, range, endurance, operating altitude, battery specification, launch method, wind/gust limits, hot/cold temperature range, protection against dust and water (i.e., IP Code, if known), and max horizontal speed. For sensor performance provide details, including: day/night/weather capability, video resolution, field of view, video transmission range and data storage capabilities. Include performance information for any additional sensors beyond day/night visual capability, as applicable.Provide specific information for the UAS command and control solution including: size/weight, battery specification, sensor and air vehicle control functions, hot/cold temperature range, protection against dust and water (IP Code if known), wired/wireless networking options, range of operation, display size/resolution/brightness, ability to operate in direct sunlight and night conditions, ability to operate the system in cold weather or Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear, and security considerations.Provide technical specifications for data link/radios (e.g., uplink/downlink frequency and transmission range), data encryption, time to launch and recover, lost link and recovery functions, mission planning process and available flight modes, and any additional functions that support Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA).Provide specifications on navigation capabilities to include: GPS (commercial or military), anti-jam capability, ability to navigate without GPS and data link signals, specifications and accuracy of any visual based or other navigation solution.To demonstrate the current technical and manufacturing maturity of the system, provide historical sales information for commercial and Department of Defense (DoD). Provide current production rate for the UAS and include the lead time required for delivery.Provide details on the UAS compliance with 2020 NDAA Sec 848 and 2023 NDAA Sec 817 and acceptance to the DIU Blue List. Additional information on the Blue List can be obtained from https://www.diu.mil/blue-uas-policy.Provide the limiting factors and proposed alternatives if the system cost is more than $3,000.Instructions for White Paper Submission: Responses to this Sources Sought will be used for information and planning purposes only and will not constitute a proposal. This Sources Sought, issued in accordance with FAR 15.201, is for the purpose of preliminary planning and is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or solicitation. This Sources Sought does not commit the Government to a contract or an agreement for any supply or service. The issuance of this Sources Sought does not obligate or restrict the Government to an eventual acquisition approach, nor does it obligate the Government to issue a solicitation. Unsolicited proposals or any other kinds of offers will not be considered or accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.The information provided in this Sources Sought is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.Respondents are responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought. All interested parties are advised that the Government will not provide any form of compensation or reimbursement for the information provided. No contract or other binding instrument will occur because of this Sources Sought. Therefore, all costs associated with the Sources Sought submissions are solely at the expense of the respondent submitting the information. The Government may request additional information upon review of the submissions.Clearly mark all proprietary information. Do not include classified documents in your response. Please be advised, all information submitted in response to the Sources Sought becomes the property of the US Government. All information received in response to this Sources Sought marked "proprietary" will be handled accordingly.The Government will utilize non-Government personnel (support contractors) to review responses to this Sources Sought. Markings on the submissions in response to this Sources Sought should reflect the information is releasable to DoD support contractors solely for the purposes stated herein. Responses to this Sources Sought shall not exceed total email file size of 10MB. Responses exceeding this limit will not be reviewed by the Government. White paper responses shall not exceed 10 single-sided pages on 8.5 x 11 size paper, shall not include a font size smaller than Arial 10, and shall include all applicable technologies identified herein. All information must be readable by Microsoft (MS) Word 365, MS Excel 365, and compatible versions, or Adobe Acrobat and shall be provided with proper markings (No CLASSIFIED information). Submit all responses via email to the point of contact listed below. UAS Sources Sought Responses should include:1. Company Name, CAGE Code, DUNS number, Company Address, and Place of Performance Address2. Point of contact, including name, title, phone, and email address3. Whether the business is classified as a Large Business, Small Business (including Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and Indian tribes), Veteran Owned Small Business, Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business, HUBZone Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), or Women-Owned Small BusinessThis Sources Sought remains open from date of publication through 22 November 2023. Parties including commercial firms, institutions of higher education and with degree granting programs in science and/or engineering (universities), or consortia led by such concerns may submit information. The Government encourages participation by small business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small-disadvantaged business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), and women-owned small business concerns.Submit all responses by 1600 Central Time on 22 November 2023 to: Elbert ClarkeContracting Officerelbert.clarke.civ@army.mil