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Request For Information (RFI): Line Of Sight Communications Capability (LOSC2) This RFI is being issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.201(e) for informational & planning purpose... Request For Information (RFI): Line Of Sight Communications Capability (LOSC2) This RFI is being issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.201(e) for informational & planning purposes only - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to a contract for any supply or service whatsoever. At this time, the U.S. Government is not seeking proposals & will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government shall not be responsible for any costs incurred in response to this RFI, nor shall the U.S. Government pay for any associated information or administrative costs. All costs associated with responding to this RFI shall be solely at interested parties’ expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in an RFP if one is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website. It is the responsibility of the potential responder to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. Background: Product Manager Network Modernization (NetMod) under Program Manager Tactical Network (PM TN) is seeking industry feedback on current and future capabilities and producible of Line of Sight (LOS) Terrestrial Transmission technologies. Requirements: This RFI is seeking industry feedback regarding capabilities of modern LOS communications equipment that can provide greater throughput, require less manning, significant advantages in Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP), improved capabilities and interoperable with the existing terrestrial LOS radio, AN/GRC-262 in the field today. The anticipated required quantity is approximately 1400 LOSC2 systems. The anticipated timeline is FY25-FY30 to include sustainment in beyond FY30. The distribution of a LOSC2 system will break down into a use case scenario for a family of system structures to support a total of approximately 2800 LOSC2 systems. This capability, known as LOSC2 system, will increase transmission diversity of an IP based architecture to maximize communications flexibility between existing terrestrial radios that create efficiencies in the network for military operations. This RFI shall include the availability of equipment today covering design status, producibility, manufacturability, and supportability for a LOS system. Maximum implementation of open standards to facilitate interoperability and data exchange among different products or services is highly encouraged. Summary of Requested Capabilities: The vendor shall define which capabilities and requirements can be satisfied in a LOS network and explain their implementation to meet the requirements below. Capability and Technical Requirements Multi-channel Operation - The LOSC2 system shall demonstrate the flexibility to employ multiple radios with multiple channels, providing simultaneous operation of two or mode waveforms, on two or more different frequency bands, or flexibility to provide that capability via a single multi-channel radio, or multiple single-channel radios. Spectrum Agility - Free Space Optics (FSO) Operation capability at the same node for spectrum contested environments. Identify supportable modes of operation for each radio: Point to Point (PTP) Point to Multi-point (PMP) Hub Spoke Vendor to define quantity of nodes in PMP operation Multipath Communications Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) Mesh Simultaneous operation configurations shall consist of: Dual PTP channels One PTP and one PMP Hub One PTP and one PMP Spoke One PTP and one MANET Mesh Multipath MANET Comms (scalable up to 50 nodes per network, minimum) Confirm the LOSC2 terrestrial transport modernization capability shall be an ‘out of the box’ ready to provide data transmission LOS interoperability with the existing AN/GRC-262 waveform. Any additional development or changes to the existing waveforms shall be explained to meet the Basis Of Issue (BOI) quantities without pure fleeting the existing LOS system. An example to meet this requirement would be an explanation defining an implementation at the network layer. Details on readiness to deliver electronic countermeasure functionality for jamming and interference scenarios and survivable to attacks: Low Probability Intercept(LPI)/Low Probability Detection (LPD) capabilities Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities Automatic Power Control (APC) Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) Anti-Jam (AJ) Antenna diversity capabilities How One hop-latency (site to site to site) of less than 45 milliseconds (ms) and be achieved Sustaining 99.9% message completion rate 0 hop (site to site) Link latency <7ms Neighbor Discovery time <5 seconds At The Halt (ATH) Thresholds (data and range): (Point to Point): > 34 Mbps, > 30 kilometers (Point to Multi-point and mesh waveforms): > 27 Mbps (shared), > 12 kilometers On The Move (OTM) Capabilities: (data and range) (Point to Point): > 18Mbps, ? 2 kilometers at max speed 25mph Describe data transmission capabilities over speed ranges and distances between vehicles operating: 1-20mph, 21-40mph, >41mph The vendor shall address all the following items listed below: Confirm Frequency Range- The LOSC system shall be able to operate in Band 3/3+ and C-Band frequencies. Specific frequency ranges shall include: Band 3/3+: (1350-2690 MHz) C-Band: (4400-5000 MHz) Power consumption <500W at 28VDC Foliage penetration capabilities Vendor to define channel bandwidth selection for waveforms used Details on FSO communications capabilities using open standards communications with radios or via NetOps List any additional operational frequency ranges not limited above for consideration FSO capability (integrated or separated) Transportability- The government is seeking a transit case solution. The LOSC2 system shall match be y transportable in standard Army Cargo Vehicle, M1101 or M1102, or similar vehicle. The set-up/tear down time of the system shall be less than 1 hours and LOS radio terminal operations shall be by no more than two persons. Transit Cases shall designed be in accordance with MIL-STD-1472G and scalable for mission readiness and deployment. Radio aware routing, Power over Ethernet (PoE) or Dynamic Link Exchange Protocol (DLEP) capable (vendor to describe) Antenna Configurations – vendor to provide details to meet capability specifications detailed below as applied to (parabolic, flat panel, sector, omni and/or ESA antenna): Point to Point high-gain antenna with feeds capable of operations in Band 3/3+ and C-Band frequencies. Base-station Point to Multi-Point antenna capable of > 120 degrees coverage area for remote radios. Mid-gain Multi-input Multiple-out (MiMo) based antenna capable of PTP or PMP Spoke functionality in C-Band frequencies. Mid-gain MiMo based dipole antenna capable of 360 degrees coverage in C-Band frequencies. Mid-gain MiMo based dipole antenna capable of 360 degrees coverage in Band III frequencies. Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) Smart neighbor locatable Detectability (Hidden/Findable) Directional: Horizontal/Vertically polarization capabilities Provide system configuration on mast (15m Blue Sky Mast, AB-1404/TRC). Vendor shall provide weight ranges of equipment to support LOSC system configurations to meet a maximum weight of 75lbs at the mast height of 15m and 30m. Describe movement range (degrees) of an antenna, left to right directions, with an antenna mounted on a mast. Describe movement range (degrees) of an antenna, in horizontal and vertical directions, of an antenna mounted on a mast. Note: vendor to define antenna configurations if other frequencies are identified, and associate these requirements if another mast is being identified. Network Interface to PM TN network: Explain system capability to provide an interface unit that provides a Layer 2 Switch capable network interface to the PM TN network to integrate waveforms as needed at the nodal site or via the PM TN network. The unit shall meet all of the following specifications and functionalities: Provide 802.1q trunking functionality. Provide Qty: 1 TFOCA-II 1GigaBit LX/LH interface. Provide quantity four 10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet ports (dual purpose shared ports with above listed TFOCA-II ports is allowed for up to two ports). Ethernet ports shall feature 802.3 at PoE standards. Power distribution a separate interface device is permissible with a minimum of 1 PoE and 1 PoE+ simultaneously. Network Management - The radio system shall support SNMP V3 (ensuring V1 and V2 are not available) to include full support of Management Information Base (MIB)-2 variables as defined in RFC1213-MIB. Specific support of MIB-2 shall include support for the SysObjectID mib variable defined by OID 1.3.6.1.2.1.1.2. In additional to MIB-2 support, device support for SNMP should include private, vendor-specific MIB variables to allow monitoring, management, control, and configuration of all radio parameters. Integrate various radio/system capabilities as required System shall include development/accessibility of vendor-specific MIB files/definitions for compilation in Network Operations (NetOps) and Network Management software. Built in Test Capability – Shall explain capability to include Built in Test (BIT) capabilities to provide Users feedback on functioning or non-function components. Power Consumption – Less than 500W based on DC power sources ranging 24-48V and/or 120VAC; otherwise provide power requirements Scalability - This system shall be housed in transit cases to reduce setup time, manning requirement and mission capability. Define how equipment is configurable to meet ATH and OTM configurations, scalable and configurable for aerial capability functions Transmission Security (Transec) - The capability shall certify or provide FIPS 140-3 based encryption for all over the air communications. Define the radio system integration and its network interface system that shall meet all Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) standards for its network functions, management functions, and embedded Operating Systems. These standards will be validated during security scans on data and management ports of radio and network components. Reference Material for AN/TRC-238 Terminal System: TM 11-5820-1505-13&P Environmental Requirements The LOS system and operational accessories shall meet the following environmental requirements or provide pathway to certification: MIL-STD-810G- High Temperature (Operational); method 501.5, Hot Dry (A1) MIL-STD-810G- High Temperature (Storage); method 501.5, Hot Dry (A1) MIL-STD-810G- Low Temperature (Operational); method 502.5, Severe Cold (C3) MIL-STD-810G- Low Temperature (Storage); method 502.5, Severe Cold (C3) MIL-STD-810G- Rain; method 506.5, procedure I MIL-STD-810G- Humidity; method 507.5, procedure II MIL-STD-810G- Salt Fog; method 509.5 MIL-STD-810G- Sand and Dust; method 510.5, Procedures I and II MIL-STD-810G- Vibration; method 514.6, Procedure II (loose cargo transportation) MIL-STD-461F: Electromagnetic Interference Characteristics of Equipment Responses: Only interested firms who believe they are capable of providing and supporting LOSC2 systems that meet the Government's requirements are invited to respond. Indicate interest by providing: a) Company name, company address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), Cage Code, point of contact, e-mail address, telephone number, fax number. b) Business size and socio-economic category. c) Information on the LOSC2 system and how it meets the Government's requirements. Submission of Information: All submissions should be in Microsoft Word for Office 2013 or a compatible format. Vendor relationships are encouraged to meet the capabilities and requirements of an integrated system by the start of the contract. Responses to this RFI shall be unclassified and should not exceed 25 pages in length. Telephone or verbal inquiries regarding this notice will not be honored. All restricted information shall be clearly marked. Responses to the RFI will not be returned and feedback may not be provided to companies regarding their response to this RFI. All interested parties are invited to submit a response to this RFI on or before 01 March 2022, 5:00pm. All responses and questions under this RFI must be transmitted electronically via e-mail to the following: Melody Thomas, melody.s.thomas.civ@army.mil Contracting Office Address: 6565 Surveillance Loop Dr. APG, MD 21005 United States Primary Point of Contact (Contracting): Melody Thomas Contract Specialist, ACC Email: melody.s.thomas.civ@army.mil