The Army is conducting market research to find out what companies have the technology, qualifications and capabilities to demonstrate a ground vehicle mounted high performance ground penetrating radar (GPR) to detect buried munitions under roads and anti-tank landmines.

The research is being done by the Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) Acquisition Center-Washington (CACW) for Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, Countermine Division, Ground Vehicle Applications Branch. The request was issued in the Dec. 5 issue of FBODaily.

The specific objective of the market research is to identify companies that have both a mature shallow close-in, downward looking GPR system and the capability to rapidly mature such a system to detect more deeply buried anti-tank mines and munitions-based targets.

Maturity in this case is defined as a minimum GPR technology readiness level of 6 in a relevant anti-tank mine, and munitions-based target detection environment. The GPR must have a high real time detection performance for deeply buried and shallow buried targets.

Additionally, the system must have a real-time operator interface which requires little direct operator involvement.

The government may use the market research results to create a near term program integrating GPR technology onto a U.S. Army ground vehicle. This future program may include performance objectives of the detection of munitions based targets and AT mines on primary and secondary roads with a high probability of detection, greater than or equal to 0.90, and a low false alarm rate of less than or equal to 0.001 per square meter, with detection speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour.

Technical objectives would include the integration of an existing or modified prototype detection system with a manned Army ground vehicle ; limited contractor performance and environmental testing of the prototype detection system to verify satisfaction of the performance objectives; and integration of a government-furnished metal detector to provide an integrated sensor suite capable of detection of the full range of threats. The threats would include shallow buried targets, deeply buried targets and targets with high and low metal content and non-metallic.

Companies desiring to participate in the market research should submit a white paper in MS Word limited to 10 pages, discussing its specific down-looking GPR system and relevant performance test results, documentation supporting a maturity level of TRL 6 or higher or the company’s approach to maturing its GPR technology to TRL 6 or higher within 18 months, and related company experience and include point/s of contact.

The white paper must be submitted electronically to CACW Contract Specialist Tina Patterson, at [email protected] by Jan. 14. If submission cannot be made via e-mail, the package may be mailed to U.S. Army CECOM Acquisition Center Washington, 2461 Eisenhower Ave, Room 1126, Attn: AMSEL-AC-WA (Ms. Tina Patterson), Alexandria, VA 22331-0700. The government will consider all responses submitted on time. No government reimbursement is available for any costs associated with this request.