Contract Description:

Scope:
This effort features 8 important research areas of interest, listed below, which include needs for both technology maturation and integration:

• Mission Planning and Debrief: STAT research must enable platforms to receive information generated during the mission planning process, and provide relevant information during the debrief process, without causing extension of the mission cycle timelines or requiring increased manpower. This area develops the capability for STAT-enabled systems to take in information about the mission plan (including mission contracts, contingencies, targets, frequencies, etc.) that will be necessary to react appropriately and autonomously to events and commands during mission execution. 
• Flight Operations: Autonomous platforms must be able to safely aviate and navigate in ‘military airspace’ with other aircraft, manned and unmanned, while monitoring their own state of health and performing the appropriate actions to ensure safe flight. The platforms must perform basic flight operations to include automated flight modes, flight safety, survivability, and energy resource management.
• Communications & Datalinks: The communications and data links are responsible for processing, passing and coordinating messages both onboard and between external communication nodes.
• Human Interfaces: Human interfaces and decision aids enable the human to team with autonomous systems, leveraging the advantages of both human and machine intelligence. Human interfaces with autonomy platforms must be intuitive and simple for a human to use. 
• Multi-Domain Mission Operations. Multi-Domain Mission Operations is focused on mission execution and operation of mission systems. Major components include:
  • Situation understanding through robust sensor exploitation, data analysis, and information sharing
  • Dynamic mission planning for contingencies
  • Multi-domain command and control 
• Executive Functions: The Executive Functions purpose is to provide high-level reasoning capabilities and a goal-prioritization service based on Commander’s Intent. The Executive Function research should support an agent-based model for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA-loop). 
• System Integration: The technology components and capabilities developed must be capable of being integrated and demonstrated in USAF mission applications. Components should be as platform-agnostic as possible, and be adaptable to different capabilities, sensors, datalinks, etc. with minimal modification.
• Test and Evaluation, Verification and Validation techniques. This area is critical for all autonomy research in MDC2, ISR PED and manned-unmanned teaming. The autonomous behaviors developed as part of this effort will require verification and validation, in addition to robust test and evaluation. 

Place of Performance: CONUS and OCONUS

Contract Ceiling Value: $1.9B

The Department of Air Force

Umbrella Program, Multi-Award IDIQ

Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate 

Prime Contractor

Firm Fixed Price,Cost Plus Fixed Fee   

Bill Roach, Global Sales & Marketing
william.e.roach@boeing.com