DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM SBIR 21.4 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Army Applied SBIR Opportunity (ASO) Announcement April 1, 2021: ASO issued for pre-release April 14, 2021: Army begins accepting proposals May 20, 2021: Deadline for receipt of proposals no later than 12:00 p.m. ET IMPORTANT Deadline for Receipt : Proposals must be completely submitted no later than 12:00 p.m. ET, May 20, 2021. Proposals submitted after 12:00 p.m. will not be evaluated. The final proposal submission includes successful completion of all firm level forms, all required volumes, and electronic corporate official certification. Classified proposals will not be accepted under the DoD SBIR Program. This BAA and the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) sites are designed to reduce the time and cost required to prepare a formal proposal. The DSIP is the official portal for DoD SBIR/STTR proposal submission. Proposers are required to submit proposals via DSIP; proposals submitted by any other means will be disregarded. Proposers submitting through this site for the first time will be asked to register. Effective with this announcement, firms are required to register for a login.gov account and link it to their DSIP account. See section 4.14 for more information regarding registration. The Small Business Administration, through its SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, purposely departs from normal Government solicitation formats and requirements and authorizes agencies to simplify the SBIR/STTR award process and minimize the regulatory burden on small business. Therefore, consistent with the SBA SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, the Department of Defense is soliciting proposals as a Broad Agency Announcement. SBIR/STTR Updates and Notices: To be notified of SBIR/STTR opportunities and to receive e-mail updates on the DoD SBIR and STTR Programs, you are invited to subscribe to our Listserv by emailing
[email protected]. Help Desk: If you have questions about the Defense Department's SBIR or STTR Programs, please call the DoD SBIR/STTR Help Desk at 1-703-214-1333, or email to
[email protected]. Topic Q&A : The Topic Q&A for this BAA opens on April 1, 2021 and closes to new questions on May 4, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET. Proposers may submit written questions through Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login or through the SBIR Mailbox at usarmy.pentagon.hqda-asa-alt.mbx.army-applied-sbir-program@mail.mil. In Topic Q&A, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing. Once the BAA closes to proposal submission, no communication of any kind with the topic author or through Topic Q&A regarding your submitted proposal is allowed. Questions should be limited to specific information related to improving the understanding of a particular topic’s requirements. Proposing firms may not ask for advice or guidance on solution approach and you may not submit additional material to the topic author. If information provided during an exchange with the topic author is deemed necessary for proposal preparation, that information will be made available to all parties through Topic Q&A. Proposing firms are advised to monitor Topic Q&A during the BAA period for questions and answers. Proposing firms should also frequently monitor DSIP for updates and amendments to the topics. This Army Applied SBIR Opportunity (ASO) is issued under the Army Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for SBIR/STTR 21.4. All proposals in response to the technical area(s) described herein will be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided under 21.4, found here: https://beta.sam.gov/opp/b79ded14dcf54451bcfb11bddf5cd259/view?keywords=%22army%20sbir%22&sort=-relevance&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1. a. Eligibility The eligibility requirements for the SBIR/STTR programs are unique and do not correspond to those of other small business programs. Please refer to Section 3.1, Eligible Applicants, of BAA 21.4 for full eligibility requirements. b. Anticipated Structure/Award Information Please refer to Section 1, Funding Opportunity Description, provided in BAA 21.4 for detailed information regarding SBIR/STTR phase structure and flexibility. For this BAA, Department of the Army will accept Phase I proposals for the cost of up to $259,613 for a 6-month period of performance. Proposers should refer to Section 4, Application and Submission information, of BAA 21.4 for detailed proposal preparation instructions. Proposals that do not comply with the requirements detailed in BAA 21.4 and the research objectives of this ASO are considered non-conforming and therefore are not evaluated nor considered for award. Phase I proposals shall not exceed 5 pages. Phase I commercialization strategy shall not exceed 2 pages. This should be the last section of the Technical Volume and will not count against the 5-page limit. Please refer to Appendix A of BAA 21.4 for detailed instructions on Phase I proposal preparation. c. Evaluation of Proposals Section 5, Evaluation of Proposals, in BAA 21.4 provides detailed information on proposal evaluation and the selection process for this ASO. d. Due Date/Time Full proposal packages (Proposal Cover Sheet, Technical Volume, Price/Cost Volume, and Company Commercialization Report inclusive of supporting documentation) must be submitted via the DoD SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission website per the instructions outlined in BAA 21.4 Section 4.3 Electronic Submission no later than 12:00 p.m. ET, May 20, 2021. Army SBIR 21.4 Topic Index A214-009 Large Format Color Low Light Level (LLL) Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) OBJECTIVE: The Apache Attack Helicopter Project Management Office (PM) and the Sensors Product Director (PD) is seeking advanced state-of-the-art Low Light Level (LLL) color capable cameras with a large format (2,000 pixels by 2,000 pixels or larger) to address desired capabilities. The objective of this SBIR is the demonstration of an advanced large format LLL color camera suitable for insertion into the Apache targeting system (Target Acquisition and Designation Sights, Pilot Night Vision System, M-TADS/PNVS). DESCRIPTION: The Apache PM and the Sensors PM is seeking advanced state-of-the-art LLL focal plane arrays (FPAs) to address desired capabilities, specifically a color large format LLL (2K x 2K or larger) camera. The LLL system would be fused with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) imagery of comparable format to provide enhanced situational awareness (SA). The color LLL sensor should support targeting by providing the capability to capture imagery from lasers, tracers, cultural lights, military lights, etc., which can then be fused with the Apache targeting FLIR. With respect to the request for a color LLL sensor, what is desired is a sensor that can provide suitable, standard RGB color performance during daytime operations and good low light level performance during dusk/dark hours. The objective of this SBIR is the demonstration of the advanced large format LLL FPA system as a color camera capable of operating at low light levels. PHASE I: Consider, identify, and evaluate a color LLL sensor that will support targeting by providing the capability to capture imagery from lasers, tracers, cultural lights, military lights, etc. With respect to the request for a color LLL sensor, what is desired is a sensor that can provide suitable, standard RGB color performance during daytime operations and good low light level performance during dusk/dark hours. PHASE II: Develop a working prototype and characterize the phase I camera to be fused with the Apache targeting FLIR. A camera of suitable size, e.g. 2K x 2K, to be installed into the existing Apache targeting system is desired, but if this is not achievable in this Phase, then a path to insertion should at least be identified. The fusion with the FLIR will be accomplished outside this effort. PHASE III: Deliver a color LLL sensor test bed based on the recommendations from Phase II that demonstrates the capabilities of the advanced LLL FPA system. Continue to extend the technology to a full pilotage and targeting system prototype by optimizing the hardware and software developed in the previous phase. Refine the design to minimize size, weight, power and to survive the harsh conditions experienced in a military environment (using MIL-STD-810, Environmental Engineering Consideration and Laboratory Tests, as a reference for what the equipment will need to withstand across its service life). Create a partnership with industry to manufacture the technology. Commercial applications of the technology may include penetrating atmospheric haze for determining the health of vegetation, identifying plant species, estimating biomass of vegetation, assessing soil moisture, assessing water clarity, or other remote sensing applications. KEYWORDS: Low Light Level (LLL); Focal Plane Array (FPA); Infrared (IR); Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR); Situational Awareness (SA); Fusion; Field of View (FOV); Apache; Rotorcraft; Cockpit; Workload; Aviation BACKGROUND: The current Apache Color TV (CTV) assembly only provides color performance during daytime operations. Good color low light level performance during dusk/dark hours is also required. The camera will be designed to replace the CTV assembly in the Modernized TV Sensor (M-TVS) without requiring modification to the optical system or control electronics. REFERENCES: MIL-STD-810E MIL-STD-704F MIL-STD-461E *MIL-STD refers to a United States defense standard that is used to help achieve standardization objectives set forth by the U.S. Department of Defense. MIL-STD establishes uniform engineering and technical requirements for military-unique or substantially modified commercial processes, procedures, practices, and methods.