Posted: Jan. 24, 2025, 7:29 a.m. EST
W911NF-25-R-HMIF
Autonomy
In support of Human Machine Integrated Formations (HMI-F), the Army requires autonomous systems that must be reliable, tailorable, efficient, continuously learning, and integrated into all aspects of military operations. The Army must leverage both the technological advances and industry best practices for integrating autonomous systems into how the Army plans, trains, and executes missions in a contested and dynamic operational environment. The Army requires assistance with making its data usable, developing procedures to train autonomous systems, delineating the right level of autonomy for different types of systems, and integrating autonomy into our air, ground, intelligence, and command and control systems. The attached provides the draft Autonomy Characteristics of Need (CoN), to increase industry awareness and collaboration. This CoN statement is a living document and will be updated as required based on technological observations and lessons learned through experimentation.
The Army invites industry to contribute to the overarching Autonomy and HMI-F dialogue and provide comments on the attached CoN. Feedback may be directed to the Army Futures Command (AFC) Directorate of Integration (DOI) Point of Contact:
COL Marcus A. Brooks
Military Deputy to the Director
Directorate of Integration
Army Futures Command, Austin TX
Email: jamarcus.a.brooks.mil@army.mil
This special announcement is not a call for White Papers, a Request for Proposals, or a Solicitation. No contract opportunities are contemplated at this time.
The Army requests that Industry mark themselves as interested vendors to ensure that any modification to this special announcement is received via notification through a SAM.gov email.
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Posted: Jan. 13, 2025, 1:44 p.m. EST
Posted: Jan. 13, 2025, 12:51 p.m. EST
Background
The Army requires autonomous systems to support Human Machine Integrated Formations (HMI-F) that are reliable, tailorable, efficient, continuously learning, and integrated into military operations.
The goal is to leverage technological advances and industry best practices for integrating these systems into planning, training, and executing missions in dynamic environments. The Army seeks assistance in making data usable, developing training procedures for autonomous systems, determining appropriate levels of autonomy for various systems, and integrating autonomy into air, ground, intelligence, and command and control systems.
Work Details
The tasks under this contract include:
1. Control Autonomy: Focus on planning and collaboration involving high-level decision-making such as route planning and mission execution.
2. Payload Autonomy: Integration and operation of mission-specific equipment like sensors and weapons to achieve desired effects independently.
3. Platform Autonomy: Mobility and maneuver capabilities across air, ground, and water environments including spatial understanding and obstacle avoidance.
4. Adaptability: Autonomous systems must adapt to changing environments similar to Soldiers.
5. Command and Control (C2): Integration with Next Generation Command and Control architecture for secure communication and automatic data sharing across platforms.
6. Cybersecurity: Incorporation of robust security measures in design.
7. Decrease Reliance on the Network: Autonomous capabilities must reside physically on systems to mitigate electronic warfare risks.
8. Ability to Scale: Industry's capacity to mass-produce components is crucial for wartime needs.
9. One to Many Control: Systems should allow a Soldier to command multiple autonomous units efficiently.
10. Common Control: Soldiers need software that allows control transfer between units seamlessly.
11. Rapid Upgradability: Systems must support rapid software updates for evolving operational needs.
