Scott Nicholas
The U.S. Navy seeks information on potential vendors that can develop an integrated communications system for a mission control station to support carrier and shore-based management of the service branch’s proposed MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial tanker.
A FedBizOpps notice published Wednesday says the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation program office seeks an ICS platform that will work to transport voice communications from Earth-bound air vehicle operators to local audio switches, local and remote radio terminals.
The office is interested in hardware and software with an interface that can display the UMCS and audio related data exchange systems such as shipboard air traffic control communications and tactical variant systems.
UCA’s mission control station, dubbed as MD-5 A/B, will feature computing and display hardware, communications equipment and open architecture-based mission systems software, according to the notice.
Interested parties may respond to the request for information through Dec. 16.
Boeing, General Atomics, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin each received a request from the Navy in October to submit a proposal for the carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling tanker.
Northrop ended its pursuit of the Stingray development program two weeks after the service branch issued the RFP.
