The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) will run a prize challenge to identify platforms, components, and capabilities for Blue UAS. The challenge will consider First Person View (FPV), Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 platforms, as well as components, capabilities, and software for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
Submissions of individual components, capabilities, and software are welcome. Submissions in the categories mentioned above that are governed by the 2020 and 2023 National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA’s) and the 2024 American Security Drone Act are eligible for evaluation. More information about the Blue UAS List, the Blue UAS Framework, and the relevant policies can be found here.
Companies may submit multiple products in separate entries and are welcome to team with other companies as needed for specific proposals.
A team of subject matter experts will evaluate applicants and select companies as finalists to participate in the demonstration event that will take place on 4-6 November, 2024 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), 29 Palms, CA.
Benefits of Participating:
Once winners are selected, a verification process will occur to ensure all items covered by the 2020 NDAA, the 2023 NDAA, the 2024 American Security Drone Act, and any other relevant law at the time of the event are in compliance with the law. A cybersecurity analysis will also occur. Successful completion of those inspections will make the submission potentially eligible for inclusion on either the DIU Blue UAS List or the DIU Blue UAS Framework List.
Potential for follow-on opportunities such as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), and others.
Eligibility:
Companies or entities, including foreign companies, that are not domiciled in a covered foreign country or subject to unmitigated foreign ownership, control, or influence by a covered foreign country, as determined by the Secretary of Defense in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program (or any successor to such program).
Eligible companies include non-traditional defense contractors as defined in the 2023 DoD Other Transactions Guide and in 10 U.S. Code § 3014 – Nontraditional defense contractor, small businesses as defined in the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632), and traditional defense contractors.
The ability to demonstrate the solution’s capabilities by November 4, 2024.
Projected Timeline:
August 5, 2024: Solicitation Release – IdeaScale, challenge.gov, NSIN website, DIU website
August 12, 2024: “Ask Me Anything” Session
August 19, 2024: Solicitation Closes & Down-selection Begins
Sept 15, 2024: Down-selection Ends & Finalists Announced
November 4-6, 2024: Demonstration Event at MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA
November 15, 2024: Winners Announced
Problem Statement:
DoD end users face a significant shortfall in the availability of UAS platforms, components, and capabilities required to train with and prepare for combat. There is an urgent need to ensure delivery of relevant and effective platforms, capabilities, and components that align with DoD operational needs. We recognize there are no permanent solutions in this space and seek to provide baseline hardware capabilities that combine with software agility to deliver solutions at the speed required by the modern contested battlefield.
Since DIU established Blue UAS, the rate of change of UAS capabilities has only accelerated, in conjunction with increasing needs for DoD users. To better meet the needs of DoD users, the speed of delivering updates to Blue UAS must accelerate. This event is the beginning of that effort.
End User: DoD
Judging Criteria:
Applications and Pitches will be judged on seven major criteria as well as other critical criteria identified by DoD users:
- Technical Capabilities as listed on the Technical Capabilities List below
- Team: Company viability.
- Commercialization: Viability in non-defense markets.
- Quality of Demonstration: Demonstrates how the technology solves one or more of the defined technical capability areas.
- Operational Effectiveness: Proposed solution aligns with listed technical capabilities.
- Cost & Scalability: Cost of proposed solution is feasible for adoption and scalable by capability.
- End User Feedback: Feedback from operational end users from their observation of performance and their hands on capability testing.
Technical Capabilities List:
Architecture
- Standardization
- Open Architecture
- Interoperability
- Payload options & availability
- Ground Control Station (GCS) & software options
Cybersecurity & Compliance
- NDAA Compliance (Information Protection/Encryption, Supply Chain, Antitamper, etc.)
- Green UAS or Blue UAS status
- Ability to provide a complete platform for third-party cyber assessment
Platform Characteristics
- Flight Performance
- Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) resilience / radio(s) used
- Range
- Cargo capacity
- Modularity
- Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) resilience or alternative navigation
- Payloads (cargo and sensors the platform can host / platforms the payload can be hosted by / ability of software to work with multiple platforms)
- Weatherproofing (IP rating)
- Setup / deployment
Business & Market Analysis
- Specific DoD requests for a capability
- Current production rate
- Cost
- Ability to provide at least 3 fully operational examples of your submission for the event and 2 trained operators
- Company viability
- Lifetime delivered sales to date
Operator Feedback
- Ease of flight
- Learning curve
- Flight performance
- Capability
For current members of the Blue List
- Sales data of Blue platforms to DoD customers
For all submissions
- Lifetime delivered sales of your submission
Flights at the event will occur in the day and night and all submissions will be tested, flown, and operated by a designated team of DoD end users to the maximum extent possible. As with any test event, the possibility of damage or destruction exists. Companies understand that DoD and participants are not liable for accidents and will be required to sign a waiver to participate.
To maximize participation in this event, DIU will acquire a blanket Exception to Policy waiver for all participating submissions.
Pitch Deck Submission Requirements:
Teams will submit a pitch deck outlining their solution that addresses the features above. Pitch decks should meet the following format requirements:
- Sized 16:9 (1920×1080 pixels)
- Horizontal presentation
- PDF file
- Maximum 7 slides
If selected to attend the event, companies shall provide a training package ahead of time to allow at least three DoD operators to complete the recommended training before the event. Companies shall provide at least two skilled operators to demonstrate capabilities and flight characteristics, if needed, at the event.
Background Information:
Information about DIU and the DIU Blue UAS List and Blue UAS Framework can be found here https://www.diu.mil/blue-uas.
An example of cybersecurity evaluation that may be conducted on winning submissions can be found here: https://dronewolf.darkwolf.io/intro
About the Defense Innovation Unit
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology in the Department of Defense and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the DoD to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, DIU is the Department’s gateway to leading technology companies across the country.
About the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN)
The National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) is a program office in the U.S. Department of Defense, nested within the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). We are set up to collaborate with a wide variety of innovators to include universities, researchers, students, entrepreneurs and start-ups. We create opportunities for collaboration across communities and connect those that might not traditionally work in national security. Together, we help drive national security innovation and develop technologies that directly support the individuals responsible for protecting our country.
Intellectual Property Considerations:
Applicants retain ownership of existing Intellectual Property (IP) submitted under this Challenge and agree that their submissions are their original work. Applicants are presumed to have sufficient rights to submit the submission. For any submission made to the Challenge, you grant NSIN and DIU a limited license to use this IP for testing and evaluation for efforts specifically related to the Challenge. NSIN and DIU will negotiate with individual competitors in the event additional usage, integration, or development is contemplated.
Other Transaction Authority:
This NSIN Challenge public announcement is an open call to small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors seeking innovative, commercial technologies proposed to create new DoD solutions or potential new capabilities fulfilling requirements, closing capability gaps, or providing potential technological advancements, technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, but also concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities improving commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities, or concepts for broad Defense application(s). As such, the Government reserves the right to award a contract or an Other Transaction agreement for any purpose, to include a prototype or research, under this public announcement. The Federal Government is not responsible for any monies expended by the applicant before award and is under no obligation to pursue such Other Transactions.
Satisfying Competition Requirements:
This NSIN Challenge Open Call Announcement is considered to have potential for further efforts that may be accomplished via FAR-based contracting instruments, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for Prototype Projects 10 USC 4022 and Research 10 USC 4021, Prizes for advanced technology achievements 10 USC 4025, and/or Prize Competitions 15 USC 3719. The public open call announcement made on the IdeaScale website is considered to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition in accordance with 10 USC 4025(b), 15 USC 3719 (e) and 10 USC 4022 (b)(2). Accordingly, FAR-based actions will follow announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b)
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Current global conflicts have highlighted the decisive impact small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) and unmanned systems (UxS) have on the battlefield. Access to low-cost, secure components from the domestic and allied industrial base and to develop systems with open standards is paramount to enabling rapid updates and seamless hardware and software integrations to provide needed capabilities for the Department of Defense (DoD).
The DoD cannot expect to have unhindered freedom of maneuver in the electromagnetic spectrum. We must expect an environment with challenges due to jamming, interference, or other factors, and be able to successfully operate sUAS and other UxS within it.
The DoD is seeking commercial solutions that allow Group 1 and 2 sUAS (as well as other UxS) to communicate in electromagnetic spectrum contested environments, including, but not limited to, jamming, interference, and spoofing.
Submission Requirements of Solution Briefs:
Solutions must be built using openly accessible and available hardware and software interfaces that allow for easy integration of third-party assets. Solutions should not use proprietary message passing interfaces or hardware interfaces that require vendor-specific licensing.
Solution Briefs will be considered relevant if they address the following characteristics:
- Latency (milliseconds)
- Bandwidth (frequency bands capable of operating in) and low (such as waypoint and health status updates) / moderate (such as RF spectrum data) / high bandwidth (such as full motion video) capabilities
- Weight (defined in grams)
- Size (length, width, height)
- Low probability of intercept / low probability of detect for emissions
- Ability to upgrade (timeframe required for updates)
- Flight time impact of power and weight (maximum flight time reduction of 15%)
- Radio Frequency power level and antenna design (placement, size, quantity)
- Number of IP based network participants
- Effective range of communication
Desired Solution Attributes:
These solutions can be hardware-based, software-based, or a mixture of both.
Prototypes should exhibit the ability to operate in an Electromagnetic contested environment with multiple pathways such as point to point and/or mesh networking encouraged, be able to test within 6 to 9 months, and utilize federally approved information protection standards.
All solutions must be in compliance with both the Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA Section 848 and the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA Section 817 language and be able to meet a cyber-security evaluation conducted in accordance with DoD Instruction 8510.01 Risk Management Framework for DoD Systems.
Follow-on Production:
Companies are advised that any prototype OT agreement awarded in response to this AOI may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of further competitive procedures. The follow-on production contract or transaction will be available for use by one or more organizations in the Department of Defense and, as a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the prototype OT. As such, any prototype OT will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: “In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OT may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”
Eligibility Requirements
This Area of Interest (AOI) solicitation will be awarded in accordance with the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) process detailed within HQ0845-20-S-C001 (DIU CSO), posted to FBO in March 2020. Additionally this document can be found within the DIU Library at www.diu.mil/library.
Vendors are reminded that in order to utilize an Other Transaction (OT) agreement the requirements of 10 USC 4022 must be satisfied. Specifically reference 10 USC 4022(d), which requires significant contribution from a nontraditional defense contractor, all participants to be small business concerns, or at least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.
Awarding Process
DIU
Before You Submit
What we recommend you include when you submit a solution brief.
When you submit to a DIU solicitation, we’ll ask you to include a solution brief. Here’s some guidance about what that entails.
Potential Follow-On Production Contract for Prototype Other Transaction Agreements
Companies are advised that any Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement awarded in response to this solicitation may result in the direct award of a follow-on production contract or agreement without the use of further competitive procedures. Follow-on production activities will result from successful prototype completion.
The follow-on production contract or agreement will be available for use by one or more organizations within the Department of Defense. As a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the Prototype OT agreement. All Prototype OT agreements will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: “In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has successfully been completed, this competitively awarded Prototype OT agreement may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”
Common issues with submissions
If you are having problems uploading your AOI submission to DIU, it may be one of these common issues with submitting, click here for solutions to common submission issues.
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Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary (PRIME) Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (sUSV) and Collaborative Intercept Capability
Problem Statement
The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the world’s surface, and maritime transit is the backbone of international commerce. Waterways and shipping routes help provide for the freedom, prosperity, connectivity, and security of the billions of people who inhabit our planet. Fair and unimpeded access to the global maritime commons will remain vital throughout the 21st century, and fielding advanced ocean-going vehicles can help ensure freedom of navigation, not only for the United States, but also for our allies and partners across the globe.
The Department of the Navy has an operational need for small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (sUSV) interceptors, capable of autonomously transiting hundreds of miles through contested waterspace, loitering in an assigned operating area while monitoring for maritime surface threats, and then sprinting to interdict a noncooperative, maneuvering vessel. Interceptors will need to operate in cohesive groups and execute complex autonomous behaviors that adapt to the dynamic, evasive movements of the pursued vessel.
Proposed Solutions
The Department intends to swiftly prototype and demonstrate one or more sUSV interceptors, aligned with robust commercial capacity to manufacture and deliver these sUSVs at scale. Additionally, to enable sUSV interceptors to seamlessly cooperate in groups, this Area of Interest seeks solutions for dynamic multi-agent optimization and unmanned systems collaboration through software and/or hardware, allowing a group of sUSV interceptors to coordinate their individual movements and behaviors during execution of a shared task or mission. After Government reviews and evaluations are complete, the Government intends to recommend specific pairing arrangements between the selected sUSV interceptor solutions and the selected collaborative multi-agent autonomy solutions.
Small USV Interceptor Solution Attributes
Submissions shall include detailed information regarding the five attributes of primary focus (production readiness, vehicle performance, sense-and-avoid, autonomous intercept, and acceptance of collaborative multi-agent autonomy solutions):
- Production readiness: Of essential importance is readiness for high-rate production (10 or more vehicles per month, 120 or more vehicles annually) beginning in spring 2025. Vendors selected for a prototype Other Transaction agreement may be expected to support a manufacturing readiness assessment at their production facility. Compelling solutions will need to demonstrate a diversified and resilient manufacturing supply chain for key components such as hull, propulsion and steering, electric power, sensors, and compute, with the ability to justify production readiness and to elucidate supply chain risk areas. Submissions should include information on current production facilities and workforce, current production constraints, and any projected production expansion and/or investment.
- Vehicle performance: Vehicles must be capable of operations in blue-water ocean environments. Desired performance characteristics include a range of 500-1000 nautical miles in moderate sea states while transporting a payload of 1000 lbs, using diesel fuel. Vehicles should be able to loiter for several days while maintaining adequate fuel reserve for return transit, and be able to sprint at 35 knots or faster in low sea states when the mission dictates.
- Sense-and-avoid: Autonomously and safely avoid maritime hazards and collisions with vessels, including during low visibility conditions and/or in a GNSS-denied environment, and safely continue the mission if communications with an operations center or control station are interrupted or lost.
- Autonomous intercept: Autonomously navigate to user-defined waypoints, autonomously follow or shadow a vessel of interest, and autonomously intercept a noncooperative, maneuvering vessel, including in crowded shipping lanes or in a GNSS-denied environment.
- Acceptance of collaborative multi-agent autonomy solutions: sUSV solutions must be able to readily integrate third-party software and/or hardware for collaborative intercept capability, whether Government-furnished or commercial, by using open architectures, standardized or common interfaces, or other methods.
Secondary (highly desired) attributes:
- Carry a readily-deployable sUAS to help search for and localize vessels of interest as well as for other supporting missions.
- Automatically adjust emissions control (EMCON) posture when in the vicinity of specific vessels and aircraft, or in specific geographic areas. Successfully search for, localize, shadow, and intercept a noncooperative, maneuvering vessel of interest using techniques and sensor modalities that minimize probability of detection.
- Diversified, redundant, and adaptive communications, such as high-bandwidth commercial SATCOM, 4/5G, IP-based radios, and machine-to-machine data links and mesh networks, allowing for collaboration with proximate sUSVs and other unmanned systems, as well as for status reporting with a distant operations center or control station. Resilience to radio frequency jamming of communications and sensors.
- Report with high accuracy the tracks of vessels of interest to an operations center or control station, with minimal track splitting or false positives.
Tertiary (additionally desired) attributes:
- Automated contact recognition for classifying and identifying surface vessels of various types, to include recognition of hull shape, superstructure, masts, and hull markings such as letters and numbers.
- Ability to accept a variety of modular payloads, sensors, and effectors through compliance with the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA) standard, the U.S. Special Operations Command modular payload standard, and/or common commercial standards and interfaces.
- Intuitive and ruggedized user interface for mission planning and for vehicle command and control; interface suitable for a human operator in an expeditionary location, including aboard a ship or a small craft in moderate sea state.
- Flexibility with a variety of launch and recovery methods, such as amphibious ship well deck, deck crane/boat davit, or boat ramp, and the ability to be easily and safely transported by land, sea (including tow from a small craft), and/or air, without the need for considerable platform-specific handling or transport equipment.
- Compatibility with long-term storage inside an intermodal shipping container, with the ability to quickly prepare and deploy the vehicle for high-tempo operations.
- Ease of export to U.S. allies and partners in accordance with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and other exportability statutes and regulations.
For sUSV interceptor solutions, partnerships and teaming arrangements are encouraged, to allow for the strengths and specializations of individual companies to be integrated toward a complete and compelling vehicle that is production-ready, inexpensive, and operationally effective. For instance, established marine craft manufacturers with active, resilient, high-throughput production lines are invited to partner with companies that develop and integrate the multimodal sensors, compute, and platform autonomy required to create a sUSV.
An individual company is not limited to involvement in only one sUSV interceptor submission, so long as each submission is substantively unique. If submitting as a team, the first page of the submission must clearly list each company involved and the primary point of contact for the entire team.
Only complete sUSV interceptor solutions will be accepted. Partial solutions (e.g., a boat that is not autonomous, or an autonomy retrofit kit or sensor that is not part of an integrated vehicle) will not be considered. Solutions should be sufficiently mature; vehicles may be expected to appear on a range to participate in a seakeeping and vehicle performance assessment and/or a platform autonomy demonstration (for sense-and-avoid and autonomous intercept) as soon as 30 days after award.
Collaborative Multi-Agent Autonomy Solution Attributes
The second solution sought in this solicitation is specialized software and/or hardware for collaborative intercept capability. This solution should:
- Provide each sUSV with the ability to execute adaptive, cooperative behaviors and deconfliction with proximate sUSVs, including in crowded shipping lanes or in a GNSS-denied environment, and especially as related to shadowing or intercepting a noncooperative, maneuvering vessel of interest.
- Allow a group of sUSV interceptors to cooperatively and efficiently search for and localize a vessel of interest, especially using techniques and sensor modalities that minimize probability of detection. Correlate observations from among the group of sUSVs, and report with high accuracy the tracks of vessels of interest to an operations center or control station, with minimal track confusion, track splitting, or false positives.
- Allow a group of sUSV interceptors to autonomously respond and adapt to a vessel of interest performing sudden, dramatic changes in course and speed in an attempt to increase distance from the pursuing interceptors.
- Allow a group of sUSV interceptors to autonomously respond and adapt to a vessel of interest using small craft or bystander vessels in an attempt to forestall intercept or block pursuit.
- Allow a group of sUSV interceptors to autonomously respond and adapt to loss of one or more interceptors due to malfunction or damage, and continue with execution of the shared task or mission.
- Facilitate collaboration among homogenous sUSV interceptors, and furthermore enable teaming among heterogeneous sUSV interceptors with differing performance characteristics, sensors, and communications equipment.
- Readily integrate as third-party software and/or hardware onto a sUSV interceptor solution by using open architectures, standardized or common interfaces, software containerization, or other methods.
A company that develops only the collaborative multi-agent autonomy described in this section should submit its solution brief independently, rather than teaming with another company and its specific sUSV platform.
Software Agility
Agile software development tooling, frameworks, and methodologies are relevant to both collaborative multi-agent software solutions described in the above section and to the single-agent sUSV platform autonomy and automated contact recognition models described earlier. For both solution types, companies should be able to leverage the latest post-mission vehicle data and logs, range telemetry, and/or operational feedback to assess, correct, and/or improve autonomous behaviors and models, and then safely and quickly deploy software updates to fielded sUSVs.
Prior Demonstration and Fielding
Preference may be given to companies that can provide evidence demonstrating capability in relevant and/or representative environments and show experience in successfully fielding solutions into operations. Solution briefs should annotate to what extent specifications and attributes listed in the brief have been verified (e.g., on-water demonstration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, modeling and simulation, analysis, etc).
Submission Guidance
The first page of each submission should indicate if the submission is a solution brief for a sUSV interceptor or a solution brief for collaborative multi-agent autonomy. A sUSV manufacturer/integrator that also develops its own solution for complex collaboration among autonomous vehicles should respond with a single, encompassing submission.
Follow-on Production
Companies are advised that any prototype Other Transactions (OT) agreement awarded in response to this Area of Interest may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of further competitive procedures. The follow-on production contract or transaction will be available for use by one or more organizations in the Department of Defense and, as a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or transaction could be significantly larger than that of the prototype OT. As such, any prototype OT will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: “In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OT may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”
Eligibility Requirements
This solicitation will be awarded in accordance with the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) process detailed within HQ0845-20-S-C001 Defense Innovation Unit Commercial Solutions Opening posted to SAM.gov. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4022(d), at least one of the following conditions must be satisfied to enter into a prototype OT agreement: (A) at least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent, (B) all significant participants are small businesses or nontraditional defense contractors, or (C) at least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.
Awarding Process
DIU
Before You Submit
What we recommend you include when you submit a solution brief.
When you submit to a DIU solicitation, we’ll ask you to include a solution brief. Here’s some guidance about what that entails.
Potential Follow-On Production Contract for Prototype Other Transaction Agreements
Companies are advised that any Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement awarded in response to this solicitation may result in the direct award of a follow-on production contract or agreement without the use of further competitive procedures. Follow-on production activities will result from successful prototype completion.
The follow-on production contract or agreement will be available for use by one or more organizations within the Department of Defense. As a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the Prototype OT agreement. All Prototype OT agreements will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: “In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has successfully been completed, this competitively awarded Prototype OT agreement may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”
Common issues with submissions
If you are having problems uploading your AOI submission to DIU, it may be one of these common issues with submitting, click here for solutions to common submission issues.
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