The Department of the Navy has issued a solicitation seeking an unmanned aerial system, or UAS, capable of conducting long-range strike operations from expeditionary locations or ships lacking large flight decks. Responses are due Feb. 27, according to the Defense Innovation Unit.
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What Capability Is the Navy Seeking?
Under the Runway Independent Maritime & Expeditionary Strike, or RIMES, solicitation, the Department of the Navy seeks a UAS capable of expeditionary operations with minimal infrastructure and personnel requirements, while delivering 1,000-pound class munitions compatible with existing naval platforms. The system must be able to execute one-way strike missions at a range of at least 1,400 nautical miles, integrate with current combat systems, operate autonomously in contested environments and follow a modular open systems approach. Additional priorities include system safety, survivability or attritability, cost-effectiveness and maintainability.
What Are the Proposal Requirements?
The effort will be conducted through a commercial solutions opening, with the government intending to use other transaction authority for any resulting awards, allowing potential follow-on production without further competition. Proposed systems must demonstrate readiness for physical prototyping within 12 months of the award, with technical evaluations emphasizing shipboard refueling and rearming capability and high cruise speed.
The solicitation is open to U.S. and foreign-owned firms, but awardees must obtain Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Level 2 to handle controlled unclassified information.
