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Purpose: This is a sources sought synopsis in support of Market Research being conducted by the United States Air Force to identify potential sources able to provide this system.

This product supports the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 (TR-3) instrumentation system's troubleshooting, testing, and verification of the FADR unit, eDART, and NG-DART pods. This simulator package will be used to simulate 2Gbit/s Fiber Channel, 10Gbit/s Ethernet, and Mil1394 signals. This simulator package must meet all of LM's required specifications for interfacing with aircraft buses as well as generating simulated aircraft bus data.

Requirement: This acquisition anticipates seeking a contractor that can provide the integrated PXIe data simulator package that supports the Lockheed Martin (LM) proprietary F-35 Tech Refresh III (TR-3) upgraded instrumentation systems including the FADR unit, eDART, and NG-DART pods. The simulation system must be compatible with LM’s proprietary F-35 TR-3 aircraft and instrumentation design in order to successfully support the troubleshooting, testing, and verification of the F-35 TR-3 FADR unit, eDART, and NG-DART pods.

The capability to provide an integrated PXIe aircraft data simulator package that supports the Lockheed Martin (LM) proprietary F-35 Tech Refresh III (TR-3) upgraded instrumentation systems including the FADR unit, eDART, and NG-DART pods at Edwards AFB, CA.

General system requirements includes:

- Integrated PXIe chassis

- Simulate and analyze 2Gbit/s Fiber Channel, 10Gbit/s Ethernet, and Mil1394 signals and messages with complete interoperability with LM’s TR-3 aircraft bus standards

- Time synchronization with IRIG-B and IEEE-1588

- Data capture with time stamping

- Data simulation with precise timing and sync across ports

- Perform network analysis

- Recreate network activity using captured data

- Triggering and filtering

- Error injection

- Live capture and monitoring

- Integrated display and keyboard

- 24GB RAM

- Sufficiently portable to easily operate in the lab and on aircraft

- Protective case for storage and transport

- System assembly and integration included

- Training included

The system must be designed and built in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and pass Lockheed Martin's system integration laboratory testing to demonstrate suitability and that the system meets LM’s required specifications.

The simulation system must be compatible with LM’s proprietary F-35 TR-3 aircraft and instrumentation design in order to successfully support the troubleshooting, testing, and verification of the F-35 TR-3 FADR unit, eDART, and NG-DART pods.

Information requested: The Government requests interested offerors that can fully support this requirement furnish the following information:

A. Company name, address, points of contact, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

B. Information should include a brief description of experience in providing the type of support described above. Please include contract references relating to research and engineering expertise to include: contract number; agency supported, period of performance, original contract value, and Point of Contact (POC) with current phone number. The information package must be clear, concise, and complete. The Air Force is under no obligation to provide feedback to the company, or to contact the company for clarification of any information submitted in response to this request.

C. Identification of business size (small or large) and identify the socioeconomic disadvantaged category, as defined the Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR Part 19 and also currently listed in the System for Award Management (SAM). Small business size standards are published by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and may be found at www.sba.gov/size/sizetable2002.html. The potential North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes assigned to this procurement is 334511, “Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing.” The Small Business Size Standard is 1,250 employees.

D. Any other information deemed useful to the Air Force. Information packages should be limited to no more than 3 pages.

Inquiries:

Any qualified and interested companies responding to this announcement must be able to support all areas. NO partial support responses from industry will be accepted.

All responses shall be forwarded to Terence Vickers email, terence.vickers@us.af.mil. The due date and time for responses to this synopsis is 1:00pm Mountain Standard Time on _________ Mar 2023.

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