Attention NRE members:

You are invited to submit a solution idea white paper (approximately 5-7 pages) addressing the problem identified below. The deadline for these submissions is COB 13 June 2013. If funded, we expect this project will begin in the fourth quarter of FY13, with a maximum performance period of 18 months.

***Description of the problem:

Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic (CNAL)submitted a TechSolutions request to address US aircraft carriers (CVNs) lack of ability to download high-quality, full-motion video for purposes of distribution to news agencies (primarily) through the DVIDS site. DVIDS stands for the Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System. CVNs are an important tool for diplomacy so having the capability to send video for public consumption is highly important to the US Navy.

***What the solution needs to do:

Provide a capabilityto upload full motion video (FMV) and imagery to DVIDS – an established system through the use of a CVN compatible unit that takes advantage of the established DVIDS infrastructure (SATCOM/ Shore presence/ process/ knowledge base/ etc.) and package it into sea-worthy containers that are air transportable by U.S. Navy C-2 Greyhound aircraft.One of the more important requirements of the system is that the directional SATCOM link must be able to be set up on the CVN and maintain lock with the satellite through CVN motion either due to high sea state or just being underway.

Performance Objectives:

  • Hard wired with option of rechargeable batteries with solar charger. Batteries need to be compliant with different country customs department requirements. Minimum of 2 hours run time on batteries.
  • Ability to transmit in SIPR if needed.
  • Man-portable by one- or two-man team.
  • Transmitting and receiving no less than 1MB/s including overhead.
  • Operate on both KU, KA and X bands, if not possible to have all three KA and KU bands are the minimum.
  • Air-transportable by commercial aircraft for Defense Security Cooperation Agency(DSCA) and U.S. Navy C-2 Greyhound.
  • Ability to connect the stand-alone digital production lab network to a fixed uplink system, i.e. DVIDS, Shipboard Information Training and Entertainment System (SITE), etc.
  • System must have 10 dedicated input lines that can be configured to address multiple media demands
  • Self pointing or auto acquisition of satellites
  • High operational availability
  • Low maintenance requirements

***Submission instructions:

TechSolutions is interested both in new S&T developments to solve the problem described in this solicitation, and in information about the current state of the art, including any existing COTS/GOTS solutions that satisfy the requirements outlined above.

Each solution idea submitted should be described in a short write-up (5-7 pages maximum) with a supplemental quad chart (see attachedtemplates); additional materials may be included if necessary.Respondents should also outline a methodology for testing and evaluating their idea(s). Testing of the proposed solution will be developed in coordination with CNAL Public Affairs Office (PAO), Science Advisor, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) located in Norfolk, VA.

All submission materials should be in pdf or MS Office 2007 compatible format, and should be emailed .

All questions should be directed toTechSolutions (, 703-696-0616).

***General information:

Our decision whether or not to proceed with this project will be based on an evaluation of the solution ideas received. If we do decide to proceed, submitters of the top-ranked solution idea(s) may be asked to provide additional details about their idea(s) and/or their test plans.

Solution ideas will be rated on (in priority order):

• Mission relevance and effectiveness of the proposed solution

• Technical approach

• Estimated schedule and cost

This opportunity is open only to members of the Naval Research Enterprise (NRE): the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Naval Warfare Centers and SYSCOM labs, the University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) and the National Laboratories. TechSolutions does not contract with industry providers directly – we require a Government/NRE Principal Investigator (PI) for every project. PIs are encouraged to team with industry and/or academia as appropriate; you may share this solicitation with potential partners, but distribution of this solicitation is limited to Government/NRE only. Any inquiries and responses to TechSolutions directly from non-NRE parties will be rejected. Please disseminate this solicitation only within the NRE.

Thank you for your support of the TechSolutions program. If you have any questions about this request, about the program in general, or would like to be removed from our notification list, please call 703-696-0616 or send email to