The U.S. Army is now accepting concept white paper submissions for its newest prize competition, the xTech Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) Army Strategic Rapid Acquisition (AStRA) competition, with the opportunity to earn prize money and potential to submit for a follow-on contract or Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement with a total budget of $25M.
The xTechRCCTO AStRA, sponsored by RCCTO in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)), the Program Executive Office for Intelligence Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S), and PEO Soldier, aims to incentivize businesses and academic institutions to propose innovative, viable technology concepts to the Army to accelerate military technology and fill critical technology and operational gaps that fit within the Multifunction Antenna.
Problem Statement: As the Army modernizes to meet Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) and Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), it needs its aerial sensors to do more with less. Multifunction antennas are not a new concept, but with recent technological advances, the Army believes there may be commercial solutions available to expand current capabilities. The Army is looking for a millimeter-wave, multifunction radio frequency system to find, fix, and track moving targets using low-cost, commercial-off-the-shelf, or mature technology on a Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constrained platform. The frequency goal is 18-50 GHz while maximizing the number of concurrent operating modes. Primary modes include Air/Ground Moving Target Indication (AMTI/GMTI) radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging, Electronic Support/Attack (ES/EA), and ship-to-ship communications. Secondary modes include terrain following and reach-back communications. The design needs to consider both ground and airborne targets.
The challenge competition consists of four (4) phases that participants can progress through, which include the following:
- Part 1: Concept White Paper – Eligible entities will submit a 5-page technical white paper outlining their technology solution, with an optional 3-4 minute video.
- Part 2: Technology Pitches – Winners from Part 1 will have an opportunity to conduct an oral proposal/technology pitch between June 29 and 30, 2021. Participants will be awarded $5,000 when they complete their presentations.
- Part 3: Request for Project Proposal – Winners selected from Part 2 will be provided with an opportunity to submit a Request for Project Proposal (RFPP) for a potential contract/OTA.
- Part 4: Basis for Award – Upon qualitative and quantitative evaluation of all phases and all submissions, the United States Government (USG) may choose to make an award or multiple awards.
Concept White Paper submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on May 25, 2021. If you are interested in participating in the xTechRCCTO AStRA competition and want to learn more about the topics, please visit the Army xTech website at www.xtechsearch.army.mil  for further details and share with your colleagues.