A -- Request for Information High Altitude Airship

THIS IS HQ0006-04-HAARFI MODIFICATION 02. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MODIFICATION IS TO EXTEND THE RFI RESPONSE DATE TO JULY 28, 2004. THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS ISSUED IN ITS ENTIRETY TO REFLECT THE REVISED DATE. PLEASE DO NOT RESUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE IF IT WAS PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED BY MDA BEFORE OR ON JUNE 28, 2004. ALL RESPONDENTS WHO SUBMITTED RESPONSES BEFORE OR ON JUNE 28, 2004 WILL RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION OF STATUS BY JULY 16, 2004. The Department of Defense (DoD) is interested in receiving market information supporting the design and production of a Lighter than Air stratospheric vehicle. The objective of this vehicle will be to demonstrate the engineering feasibility and potential military utility of an unmanned, un-tethered, gas filled, solar powered airship that can fly at 63,000 ft in the summer of 2006. The prototype airship developed under this effort will be capable of continuous and controlled flight for a minimum of seven days on station while carrying 500 pounds of payloads with 3kW of power to the payload. This vehicle is intended as a developmental step toward an objective vehicle that can self deploy from the continental United States to worldwide locations. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain industry concepts and market information for the aforementioned vehicle. This RFI is not a commitment by the Government or a solicitation (Request for Proposal). The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this RFI. A follow-on RFP/solicitation does not exist at this time. Responses should include two sections. The first section should include information identifying the company, point-of-contact, corporate capabilities and experience in less than 10 pages in relation to the following criteria: (1) Prime (Team Lead) must be a United States Corporation; (2) Demonstration of Relevant Experience with Lighter Than Air (LTA) vehicles or programs which operate above 60,000 feet; (3) Corporate Experience with Advanced Technology Integration Projects; and (4) Past Performance References (Government or commercial) for this type of work within the last 5 years. All experience submitted must be relevant. The second section should include the vehicle technical description in sufficient detail for the Government to evaluate the adequacy, completeness and maturity of the design. Provide comments on the reasonableness and feasibility of the schedule, identify technical constraints, and discuss technology readiness level (TRL) goals. The technical section is limited to twenty-five (25) pages. Government personnel and MDA contractor support personnel will review all responses. If the Government requires additional information, the submitter will be invited to participate in Technical Interchange Meetings. All respondents will receive notification of the status of the review on or about August 16, 2004. Responses to this notice must be received on or before July 28, 2004, electronically to the point of contact(s) listed below or via mail to Missile Defense Agency, Attn: MDA/CTV-Joy Smith, 7100 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-7100. Responses received after July 28, 2004 may not be considered.