AFRL posts new C2ISR RFI

On May 17, the Air Force Research Laboratory posted a Request for Information (RFI) entitled “A Seamless Multi-Domain Communications Fabric” across the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) enterprise. Abstracts are due by June 19.

Submission of an abstract is voluntary. Respondents are advised that AFRL is under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted under this RFI.

The Air Force Research Laboratory, Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) is seeking information to better understand existing vendor offerings and the landscape of research and development (R&D) on building a seamless multi-domain communications “network of networks” fabric across the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) enterprise.

The communications environment today consists of a multitude of communications systems designed to meet specific and often discrete needs. This has resulted in “stove pipe” systems which have limited interoperability due to system-unique technical, data, security, and interface standards.

AFRL/RI envisions a seamless multi-domain communications “network of networks” fabric across the C2ISR enterprise. The goal is not a single network; rather, a “network of networks” paradigm that appears seamless to the user and encompasses various missions, geographic areas, and threat environments. The ability to communicate has huge impact, it goes beyond allowing users to talk to each other; for the military it enables not just a kill-chain (a linear sequence to find-fix-track-target-engage-assess) but rather a “kill-web” compromised of complex connections between assets facing potential disruptions from many different directions and failure points. Key to delivering any communication capability is understanding the network information exchange requirements (IERs) of each node (platform) type to support effective mission execution. These IERs, in turn, drive the characteristics incumbent upon the network – i.e. bandwidths, frequencies, latency, information priority to the mission, and how long a node will be present on the network; i.e. dedicated versus opportunistic.

These networks must bridge and span enterprise, strategic, and tactical operations globally to include high capacity backbone & tactical mesh interconnects to the edge. Moving towards a network of networks paradigm, AFRL/RI is developing technologies to CONNECT – SECURE – SHARE.

Full information is available here.

Source: FedBizOpps