Unmanned Aircraft System for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) in support of MONUSCO, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC

The UN is considering the option to conduct a procurement exercise for the provision of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services ( UAS ISR); the required services will be a total of four (4) Tasking lines (TL); with a minimum of two (2) CLASS I or II small or tactical Unmanned Aircraft systems (UAS) TL and two (2) Class III Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) TL initially in support of peace-keeping operations in Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, followed by two (2) optional Class I or II small or tactical UAS ISR to be activated at MONUSCO request throughout the term of the contract. Reconnaissance: refers to an effort or a mission to acquire information about a target that can be a onetime endeavor for routine analysis of defined points of interest, with emphasis on locating and identifying illegal activity such as check points, endangerment of the civilian population and suspected armed group activity. Surveillance: a systematic observation of a targeted area or group, usually over an extended time, for pattern of life analysis and change detection of defined points of interest. This could be over a specific location for the full duration of the mission or the tasking could involve following a vehicle over large distances, up to 100km The UAS ISR service and related components must be 24/7 capable, mobile and capable of operaiting in hostile enviroments, with the ability to deploy and operate simultanelously from different locations (Beni and Bukavu/Kavumu) within DRC on short notice (72 h) and remain operational for a minimum of 30 days with minimum support from the Mission. MONUSCO will facilitate Main Operation Base( MOB) aviation infrastructure in the diferent locations, including suitable runway and hangars. It is envisaged to deploy this service in at least two diferent MOBs, with several Temporary Operation Bases (TOBs) frequently used. The Class II unmanned UAS solution must be tactical in nature, with high mobility and capability to be operated from short unprepared rwys, catapult launched are an option. The Class III UAS will be deployed permatently in one MOB (Beni), however, it must be subsceptible to redeployment within the Mission AOR if required. The service will consist of a Class III MALE UAS including a minimum of two (2) MALE UAS ISR Tasking Lines (TLs) and two (2) Class I small or Class II tactical UAS TLs, with an option for two (2) additional Class I small or Class II UAS ISR TLs to be activated at MONUSCO request throughout the term of the contract. The Class I small or Class II tactical UAS service must be tasked simultaneously from at least two (2) different locations. The contract might also require the provision of the necessary infrastructure for its equipment and personnel. The UN is seeking a turn key solution, including the provision of both Class I small or II and Class III MALE UAS ISR and associated components , in accordance with (iaw) the standards contained in Annex 1, 6 and 8 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (the Convention) and associated service components, maintenance, personnel and exploitation of the imagery and data. The imagery data must be made available to the UN in an unencrypted, non-proprietary format. All data, images, video clips, information, meta-data, renderings and information captured by the UAV and stored by the UAS shall remain the property of the UN (“UN Data”) and shall become the property of the UN upon its capture or creation by the Operator. It is expected that contracts will be for a period of 3 ( 1+1+1) years, extendable at the option of the UN to two (1+1) additional years. Technical and operational Criteria. The UN envisions the following requirements: • Class I small or II Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ISR: a. 24/7 service availability. The UN is considering a minimum of two (2) 24/7 available UAS TL, with an option for two (2) additional UAS TL to be activated at MONUSCO request throughout the term of the contract. Each TL must be operational on a different MOB, with a minimum of two (2) simultaneous operations from two (2) different MOBs. The UAS operator must provide on a continuous basis enough crew and personnel to ensure at least, one sortie of 6 hours (including transit time) per day per UAS TL, with a range of up to100 km from the launch location and capable of transmitting near-real-time video to a Remote Viewing Terminal (RVT). The UAS must be able to operate in rainforest type weather with moderate rain and winds up to 25 km/h including gust. b. The UAS must be able to operate in uncontrolled and unsegregated airspace. In addition, it is preferable that the UAS is equipped with transponder 3/A and C or alternative air traffic collision and avoidance solution. c. The UAS must be equipped with ADS-B transponder (IN and OUT) as per ICAO Annex 10 Aeronautical Telecommunications Volume IV, Surveillance and Collision Avoidance Systems list and ASECNA regulatory requirements, or equivalent ADS-B transceivers which transmit and receive at the same time. d. The UAS must have the ability to operate in a global satellite system (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, etc.) degraded or denied environment. e. The system shall include built-in anti-jamming features to ensure reliable operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where RF jamming is known to occur. f. Each tasking line must be able to provide a minimum of five (5 hours on-station time) at a distance of 80 km from the MOB. g. The UAS must be highly mobile with a small footprint to allow for quick relocation. h. The UAS must be able to carry dual payload. Including EO/IR cameras and optional foliage penetration radar (FOPEN) technology. i. The UAS should be operational and launched (airborne) within 60 minutes upon arrival to the decided location and able to support 96-hours of operations if required. j. Beni and Bukavu/Kavumu both have runways usable by UAS. k. Airports ICAO Code Runway Orientation Length Width Elevation Surface Highest OAT in Centigrade meters meters Feet Beni |FZNP 11/19 2000 25 3517 Asphalt 32 Bunia |FZKA 09/27 1325 30 4067 Asphalt 32 Bukavu|FZMA 17/35 2000 45 5643 Asphalt 27 l. The UN intends to provide basic support at its main bases, however the UAS and associated personnel shall be capable of self-sustained activity at non-main base locations when and where required for operational reasons. Self-sufficient high mobility and regular operations within DRC Area of Operations (AOR) is a basic requirement. m. The capability must support VHF and/or UHF reliable and stable two-way radio communication with troops and/or command centers on the ground for dynamic tasking and coordination. n. The UAS personnel including pilots, payload operators and data analysis shall have the adequate specific qualification and/or training to perform their respective functions during ISR operations in accordance with CAA regulations. o. The UAS must be modular with robust field maintenance capability and enough spare components to minimize downtime. p. Sensor capabilities. i. The system shall be a compact, multi sensor, gyro-stabilized electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payload designed for long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting missions. It shall integrate day, thermal, and short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging capabilities within a single stabilized gimbal suitable for UAV platforms. ii. A gimbal-stabilized daylight color video EO camera and IR imaging camera is required. EO camera must be of minimum high definition (HD) 4k output resolution or higher with multiple fields of view (wide to ultra-narrow), continuous zoom or step-zoom capability and high-sensitivity performance for low-light operations. Proposals must define imaging sensor specifications including type, field of view, resolution and zoom capabilities. iii. The daylight camera must be full HD 4k and must have a minimum of 30X continuous optical zoom. The IR and SWIR camera must also be with resolution compared to industry leading products in this class (ideally not less than 1280×1024 pixels). Proposals must define turret specifications including azimuth pan range, tilt range, slew rate, stabilization performance as well as the number and type of output channels. The capability to be able to auto-track targets in a fly-by camera mode is preferred iv. The payload must be rated a minimum National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS) 7 at a minimum Day/Night 20 cm – 40 cm Ground Sample Distance (GSD) at 10km by day using EO, and 7 km by night using IR. Bidders must provide the slant range for achieving 20 cm – 40 cm GSD or better for both day and night, as well as the Circle Error of Probability (CEP) at those ranges essential in distinguishing the following: 1) Distinguish combatants from non-combatants being able to identify small arms. (i.e. person holding rifle AK 47 type); 2) Detect and count human sized targets by day and night, in the open or under light vegetation; 3) Distinguish men, women and children, by day and night; 4) Detect IR signature from automobile and movement of an automobile door, trunk etc; and, 5) Identify the movement of small subgroups of people moving away from a larger group or gathering of people. q. Imagery distribution. The UAS ISR service must have outputs to enable simultaneous 1080p multiple viewing in multiple locations, such as via landlines or communications links provided by the Mission (the specification of which must be outlined in the proposal). Images are to be displayable on standard UN provided computer networks and monitors and recorded (ideally on a NAS, provided by the UN) for subsequent retrieval and display, as required. In time, all captured FMV data must be made available in an unencrypted format for UN long term storage (duration of the contract). FMV has to be stored in a common standard video file format (e.g. mpeg) including all relevant metadata. The vendor must provide “FMV with metadata” viewing software. The software must be UN approved for loading on to the MONUSCO network. The vendor solution must include an organized and searchable video/imagery database by common fields like date/time/geo coordinates, etc. As a minimum requirement, images must include details such as time and date of the recording, three dimensional coordinates of the target to the nearest ten (10) meters, slant range from the UAV to the target, and some form of measuring distances across the image appearing on screen. In addition, UAS positional data shall be supplied separately in a raw data format compatible with Google Earth and other open-source GIS programs like QGIS. The data will be used for post mission analysis and sensor optimization. r. Remote Viewing Terminals (RVT). It must be possible to simultaneously transmit NRT imagery to RVT field-deployed with the Mission’s ground forces. RVT type is to be compatible with the systems and Line of Sight link being provided by the contractor. The RVT and associated user equipment must be portable by two (2) peacekeepers in full patrol gear. Imagery reception of the RVT should be achievable at a slant range of 30 km from the UAV. The required screen resolution and frame rate of the video link will be 1080p at 30 fps (frames per second) or higher. Bidders must confirm that they meet this requirement. s. Dual/multiple payloads. Bidders must describe the abilities of the UAV to carry a payload in addition to the primary EO/IR sensor. The vendor should detail the specifications and performance characteristics of the additional payload(s). Ideally, foliage penetration radars capable of performing in a 3 layer canopy environment. Bidders shall include any degradation to the primary EO/IR performance or degradation to flight capabilities when two payloads are used simultaneously. • Class III MALE UAS ISR solution: a. 24/7 availability service. The UN is considering a minimum of two (2) 24/7 available tasking lines that will be operated from MOB Beni. The contractor must provide on a continuous basis enough crew to ensure a maximum of 180 flight hours per month per tasking line. These hours do not include currency or training requirements, just operational Mission flight time. It is envisioned the need for day and night personnel shifts to guarantee the availability of crews, aircraft, analysis, and service associated components on a 24/7 basis. b. Aircraft and aircrew must be able to operate in uncontrolled and unsegregated airspace. c. Each tasking line must be able to provide ten (10) hours on-station time at a distance of 250 km from the MOB. d. The Class III UAS ISR platform must be able to operate 24/7 from/to Beni. e. The UN intends to provide basic ground ops handling support such as GPUs and other ground equipment at its main bases, however aircraft and aircrew shall be capable of self-sustained activity at non-main base locations when and where required for operational reasons. High mobility and regular operations on most of the mentioned airfields is an important requirement. f. The capability must support VHF/FM and UHF two-way radio communication with troops and/or command centers on the ground for dynamic tasking and coordination. The Class III UAS ISR asset must be able to take off within 90 minutes of tasking and reach the target area, 250 km away from the MOB within two and a half hours. g. The crews including pilots, payload operators and data analysis, shall have the sufficient specific qualification and/or training to perform their respective functions during airborne ISR operations. h. Sensor capabilities i. The system shall be a compact, multi sensor, gyro-stabilized electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payload designed for long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting missions. It shall integrate day, thermal, and short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging capabilities within a single stabilized gimbal suitable for UAV platforms. ii. A gimbal-stabilized daylight color video EO camera and IR imaging camera is required. EO camera must be of minimum high definition (HD) 4k output resolution or higher with multiple fields of view (wide to ultra-narrow), continuous zoom or step-zoom capability and high-sensitivity performance for low-light operations. Proposals must define imaging sensor specifications including type, field of view, resolution and zoom capabilities. iii. The daylight camera must be full HD. The IR and SWIR camera must also be with resolution compared to industry leading products in this class (ideally not less than 1280×1024 pixels). Proposals must define turret specifications including azimuth pan range, tilt range, slew rate, stabilization performance as well as the number and type of output channels. The capability to be able to auto-track targets in a fly-by camera mode is preferred iv. The payload must be rated a minimum National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS) 7 at a minimum Day/Night 20 cm – 40 cm Ground Sample Distance (GSD) at 10km by day using EO, and 7 km by night using IR. Bidders must provide the slant range for achieving 20 cm – 40 cm GSD or better for both day and night, as well as the Circle Error of Probability (CEP) at those ranges essential in distinguishing the following: 1) Distinguish combatants from non-combatants being able to identify small arms. (i.e. person holding rifle AK 47 type); 2) Detect and count human sized targets by day and night, in the open or under light vegetation; 3) Distinguish men, women and children, by day and night; 4) Detect IR signature from automobile and movement of an automobile door, trunk etc; and, 5) Identify the movement of small subgroups of people moving away from a larger group or gathering of people. Laser pointer/range finder is highly desirable. a. Imagery distribution Imagery distribution. The UAS ISR service must have outputs to enable simultaneous 1080p multiple viewing in multiple locations, such as via landlines or communications links provided by the Mission (the specification of which must be outlined in the proposal). Images are to be displayable on standard UN provided computer networks and monitors and recorded (ideally on a NAS, provided by the UN) for subsequent retrieval and display, as required. In time, all captured FMV data must be made available in an unencrypted format for UN long term storage (duration of the contract). FMV has to be stored in a common standard video file format (e.g. mpeg) including all relevant metadata. The vendor must provide “FMV with metadata” viewing software. The software must be UN approved for loading on to the MONUSCO network. The vendor solution must include an organized and searchable video/imagery database by common fields like date/time/geo coordinates, etc. As a minimum requirement, images must include details such as time and date of the recording, three dimensional coordinates of the target to the nearest ten (10) meters, slant range from the UAV to the target, and some form of measuring distances across the image appearing on screen. In addition, UAS positional data shall be supplied separately in a raw data format compatible with Google Earth and other open-source GIS programs like QGIS. The data will be used for post mission analysis and sensor optimization. b. Remote Viewing Terminals (RVT). It must be possible to simultaneously transmit NRT imagery to RVT field-deployed with the Mission’s ground forces. RVT type is to be compatible with the systems and Line of Sight link being provided by the contractor. The RVT and associated user equipment must be portable by two (2) peacekeepers in full patrol gear. Imagery reception of the RVT should be achievable at a slant range of 30 km from the UAV. The required screen resolution and frame rate of the video link will be 1080p at 30 fps (frames per second) or higher. Bidders must confirm that they meet this requirement. c. Dual/multiple payloads. Bidders must describe the abilities of the UAV to carry a payload in addition to the primary EO/IR sensor. The vendor should detail the specifications and performance characteristics of the additional payload(s). Ideally, foliage penetration radars capable of performing in a 3 layer canopy environment. Bidders shall include any degradation to the primary EO/IR performance or degradation to flight capabilities when two payloads are used simultaneously. . i. Remote Viewing Terminals (RVT). Remote Viewing Terminals (RVT). It must be possible to simultaneously transmit NRT imagery to RVT field-deployed with the Mission’s ground forces. RVT type is to be compatible with the systems and Line of Sight link being provided by the contractor. The RVT and associated user equipment must be portable by two (2) peacekeepers in full patrol gear. Imagery reception of the RVT should be achievable at a slant range of 30 km from the UAV. The required screen resolution and frame rate of the video link will be 1080p at 30 fps (frames per second) or higher. Bidders must confirm that they meet this requirement. j. Dual Payload. In addition to the EO/IR cameras, the service must provide (1) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with ground moving target indicator (GMTI) with Coherent Change Detection (CCD) capabilities and (2) ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems for detection of IED. The minimum resolution of the SAR sensor must be 30cm GSD, with a circular error probability no greater than 40m. A signal detection capability is desirable which will be useful to find active devices such as mobile phones, wireless local area networks (WLAN), radios etc. This sensor must be capable of detecting, locating, and identifying the data source.