Defence Online

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom

MOD Request For Information

GB-ADEWS/RFI/EW: Future EW Training Threat Equipment
1. Contract Title
Title attributed to the request by the Contracting Authority: GB-ADEWS/RFI/EW: Future EW Training Threat Equipment

2. Contracting Authority:
Ministry of Defence, ISTAR, Air Defence & Electronic Warfare Systems
RAF Henlow, Bldg 85, Henlow, SG16 6DN, United Kingdom
Tel. +44 14628515154367, Email: becky.hazel795@mod.gov.uk, URL: www.contracts.mod.uk
Contact: Becky Hazel

3. Object of the Request for Information:
Contracting Authority’s file Reference number: ADEWS/RFI/EW
Weblink to where further documentation can be obtained: www.contracts.mod.uk
Short description of requirement: Introduction

1. The Authority has a potential future requirement for a Supplier to provide Electronic Warfare Training Threat Equipment and logistical support as a part of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) future Electronic Warfare Training Strategy. As part of the procurement strategy, various options are being investigated to identify the best value for money option. One of the options being considered is to award a contract via competition to procure equipment and support to replace some or all the equipment operated by the Electronic Warfare Training and Tactics Range (EWTTR). This Request For Information (RFI) may be used to inform the procurement strategy by assessing whether competition is a feasible route to market and whether suppliers have the capability to deliver the requirement.

Background

2. There is a current requirement to train against a Contested, Degraded and Operational Limited Environment (CDOE) in the live EW environment.

3. RAF Spadeadam (SPD) currently fields 12 Threat Systems and Enablers that are used to develop aircrew tactics and countermeasures against representative Radio Frequency (RF), Ultra Violet (UV) and Infra-Red (IR) Surface to Air (SA) systems. These are a combination of Real, Emulated and Simulated systems that are used for air defence by countries around the world; they are invaluable in training aircrews and testing aircraft systems against the likely threats they may face in combat.

4. Many of the systems at SPD are suffering from lack of spares, available maintenance hours and chronic lack of investment over the past 15+ years, especially in the RF arena. To meet any future training intent, investment in new equipment will be required to ensure quality training for front line force elements.

5. The threat equipment is operated and maintained to 2nd Line depth by competent RAF and Contractor personnel (as defined in AP600, 3rd edition, May 13).

Requirement
6. Real systems offer the highest fidelity training, but come with a high maintenance burden and slow acquisition chain for spare parts. They are also relatively difficult to operate, requiring several people to each system. Simulators do not offer the feedback required for next-gen aircraft. The scope of this RFI is directed at high-fidelity emulators, able to engage up to strategic SAM ranges, and operating with a frequency range of 140MHz to 18GHz (mid-A to upper-J Band). Specifically:

a. Systems must be easily deployable around the UK for sustained periods, and overseas. To reduce the amount of time a system is off the range at SPD, systems and components must be both air transportable, and capable of being towed by a light vehicle with a medium off-road capability for UK deployments.

b. Maintenance, spares and programming should be developed to sustain UK and overseas deployment. Systems must use volatile memory for data management, to enable simple deployment and redeployment when working with SECRET data.

c. Systems must be sustainable in the field, either via remote operation or with as-required manning, with direct and persistent reach back to SPD. Operation of the system must be as user-friendly and simple as possible to ensure operator training is sustainable, and require no more than 2 personnel to operate both the system itself. This will enable multi-axis, multi-system engagements with limited manpower.

d. Maintenance will be conducted within the UK and abroad, with high-level replaceable LRUs and a sustainable, funded spares and logistics chain. Systems should have costed provision for a sustainability scale for 10 years.

e. Systems must be able to be connected both to each other, and back to SPD as part of a mid-level IADS. Deployed systems should both see and contribute to the Recognised Air picture (RAP), and have ground-to-air communications available for hot debriefs with crews. Systems will often be deployed in remote and austere locations therefore connectivity should not be dependent on a mobile phone signal or be affected by poor weather.

f. Future EW training requires systems to be connected into an IADS. Systems must be able to communicate with the current C3 system (Spadeadam Integrated Command Control and Communications System (SPICCCS).

g. Programming of systems must be high fidelity, versatile and simple to reprogram in a short time. It should be possible to reprogram systems whilst they are deployed away from SPD, and to program systems ‘in house’ at SPD to reduce the timeline between addressing user requirements and a system being available for training.

h. Systems should have a thermal day/night capability.

i. Systems will be able to produce a post mission report to aircrews within 1 hour of a training engagement. This will include the RAP and timeline of engagement tied together in one playback system. They will also be capable of producing real-time data output, including high quality video.

j. Although the RF spectrum is the primary focus of this RFI, IR/UV threats and MANPADS training will form an important part of any future EW capability package and should be included. RF assets should be able to cross-cue IR/UV threats to develop an IADS further.
CPV codes :

Time-limit: 14/09/2018 10:00 Information Requested: Questions for Potential Suppliers

To aid the MoD to decide on the future procurement strategy the potential supplier is requested to answer the following:

a. Does industry have the capability to deliver a potential solution within the context of the requirement stated?

b. What are they key risks and dependencies to delivering the stated requirement?

c. Are there any commercial or military standards that if compliance was required would limit your ability to compete or act as a significant cost driver?

d. What would you require to support software provided by 3rd parties (OEM)? How would you interact and manage the relationship with 3rd party suppliers?

e. What would you deem to be the main supply chain risks and are there any critical or unique suppliers?

Responses

RFI returns should include ROM costs for the system itself, delivery lead times, a spares package (based on a 10-year in-service period), operator and maintainer training, user and technical documentation, a robust safety case.

It is assumed that any future procurement will be made as a part of a procurement/support contract but contract terms/costs are considered out of scope at this stage. At this time this RFI is only concerned with the EW training equipment capabilities that currently exist on the market.