Jane Edwards
The U.S. Army has sought information on potential industry sources that can equip the service branch’s AN/TPQ-53 radar system with a platform that works to detect, monitor and counter unmanned aircraft systems.
The Army Contracting Command said in a FedBizOpps notice posted Thursday it wants interested vendors to modify the radar platform’s existing software to detect and track UAS and retain the waveforms used for drone detection.
Other requirements include the integration of an identification friend or foe functionality to the radar system and modification of the radar system’s software to facilitate flow of UAS data to the Counter-Rocket Artillery and Mortar system of systems.
Vendors should work to support operational and engineering test efforts through demonstration of initial capability at test events to be held in January and June 2017, development of a deployable configuration for capabilities and limitations evaluation by January 2018 and delivery of the final C-UAS platform for deployment by June 2018.
Potential contractors should work to add the C-UAS capability to the AN/TPQ-53 radar with minimal modifications to the hardware and secure an authorization to operate in compliance with the Defense Department’s cybersecurity instruction.
Interested companies should also determine risk mitigation strategies, identify potential partnerships to meet the requirement and share their experience in C-UAS technology platforms and radar ground systems’ software updates and hardware integration.
Responses to the sources sought notice are due Sept. 2, according to the notice.
