Wanted: lightweight sensors and drone-tracking for uncrewed aircraft to participate in combat training

ORLANDO, Fla. – U.S. Army simulation and training experts are reaching out to industry for small and lightweight sensors and drone-tracking equipment that can attach to small uncrewed aircraft for use in combat training.

Officials of the Army Contracting Command in Orlando, Fla., issued a request for information on Monday for the Autonomous Platform Sensors project. The Army Contracting Command is issuing this notice on behalf of the Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) in Orlando, Fla.

The Army is seeking information for the purchase of mature and ready sensors and drone-tracking equipment that is attachable to small unmanned aerial systems for integration with live combat training.

The Army needs to augment existing small uncrewed aircraft with sensor modules to track the small uncrewed aircraft, respond to external stimulus, and interface with drone and training range instrumentation.

Description of needs

Proposed add-on devices must be able to integrate with exercise range instrumentation; provide real time position and altitude data as quickly as once per second; detect laser energy in MILES Communication Code (MCC) and Universal Laser Engagement Interface Standard (ULEIS) standards; respond to received simulated direct fire via I-MILES lasers; simulate direct kinetic engagement to I-MILES and STE LTS instrumentation; respond to simulated jamming and radio frequency engagements; have hot-swappable batteries for fast and easy changes in the field; and have the ability to operate in deserts and in high humidity.

Responses should include the size and weight of proposed devices; battery life; onboard power use; operating environments; data storage capacity; communications endurance; communications interfaces to range instrumentation; transmission range; and costs of quantities of 50.

Companies interested should email 5-page responses no later than 30 May 2025 to the Army's Brian Williams at [email protected], and to Marwane Bahbaz at [email protected].

Companies that propose promising solutions may be invited to detail technical discussion and industry collaboration sessions. Email questions or concerns to Brian Williams at [email protected], and to Marwane Bahbaz at [email protected]. More information is online at https://sam.gov/opp/b5166b62a71d4e1399e50fa487a5cb60/view.