The Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO), in partnership with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the UCAH, is soliciting competitive White Papers (WP)/Prototype Project Proposals (PPP) supporting hypersonic research and technology, per the defined Statement of Need (SON) in Section 2.1 of the Core Project Call. JHTO reserves the right to fund none, some, or all of the submissions made in response to this RWP/RPP. Furthermore, JHTO may choose to fund a portion of a submission or a combination of submissions. Not all meritorious submissions will necessarily receive funding. TEES and JHTO will exercise their discretion in selecting submissions. TEES and the JHTO will provide no funding for direct reimbursement of WP/PPP development costs.
JHTO in partnership with the UCAH are interested in receiving Challenge Project WPs and PPPs for the following areas:
- Challenge Projects
Topic 1: Hypersonic Systems Cooperative Engagement and Teaming
- Technology Disciplines: Navigation, Guidance, Control and Sensing (NGC&S); and Systems Engineering and Analysis (SEDA)
- Proposal Description: Future hypersonic systems may provide improved strike effectiveness against moving and relocatable targets and better defense against hypersonic threats through cooperative engagement and teaming. Projects that design and demonstrate technologies that enable multiple hypersonic and conventional vehicles to operate, communicate, and collaborate in challenged environments to increase battlefield effectiveness are sought in this proposal. Decentralized control algorithms and robust communication architectures are required to allow a system of hypersonic strike vehicles to collaboratively engage a set of targets. The desired outcome is a set of intelligent, mission-aware systems that can complete missions despite complications such as loss of communication, attrition, adversarial engagement, and dynamic or changing target sets.
Topic 2: Characterization, Modeling and Validation of Complex Jet Interactions and Dual Aerodynamic Control
- Technology Disciplines: Applied Aerodynamics (AERO); Navigation, Guidance, Control and Sensing (NGC&S)
- Proposal Description: The unsteadiness and complex physics of divert and attitude control systems requires comprehensive evaluation for future systems. Boundary layer interactions, three-dimensional shock structures and shock-shock interactions, induced separation, and interactions with aft features (cones, flares, control surfaces) can dampen or amplify the forces on the vehicle, and the control system must be equipped to maintain stability and precise control throughout these dynamic processes. Advancements in throttleable actuators provide tunable interaction mechanisms, but this variability will ultimately require additional characterization for a given flight condition as well.
Applicant Eligibility:
Agreement awards are made under 10 U.S.C. § 4003(d)(1) (previously 10 U.S.C. § 2371b), and as such all awardees must meet at least one of the following conditions:
- There is at least one NTDC or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype project.
- All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are small business (including small business participating in a program described under section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) or NTDCs.
- At least one-third of the total cost of the Prototype Project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.
- The senior procurement executive for the Agency determines, in writing, that exceptional circumstances justify the use of a transaction that provides for innovative business arrangements or structures that would not be feasible or appropriate under a contract, or would provide an opportunity to expand the defense supply base in a manner that would not be practical or feasible under a contract.
Except as addressed in the next paragraph, individuals supported by a Sub-Agreement awarded as a result of this RWP/RPP process must be United States (U.S.) citizens prior to award. Since research projects are expected to include CUI, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Distribution Statement C information, the fundamental research exclusion (National Security Decision Directive 189) is not expected to apply. Universities responding to this RWP/RPP must be able to appropriately maintain and handle sensitive data. Hence, all publications will require review and approval.
Affiliate Consortium Members, including Industry, University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), a University Affiliated Laboratory (UAL), and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and universities (on a case by case basis) from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are not eligible to respond to this RWP/RPP but may team with an eligible principal -proposer and be funded accordingly.
Teams are encouraged in all areas, to include:
- Other universities;
- Industry;
- UARCs/FFRDCs;
- National Laboratories;
- Minority Serving Institutions;
- Nontraditional Members.
Period of Performance: Challenge Projects: Three-year with an anticipated start date of June 1, 2023.
Interested applicants must upload the following information by 11:59 PM on the internal deadline
1. Cover Sheet (1 page, pdf) to include:
- Project Title
- Technical Area and Topic Number (from Section 2 of RWP)
- Applicant Organization
- Primary Technical Point of Contact (POC), including name, address, phone and email contact information
- Co-PI(s) names and institutions
- Title and number of this funding opportunity
2. White Paper (no more than four pages) to include:
- Background and Benefits of Proposed Solution as related to the Statement of Need
- Technical Approach, including clearly defined prototype solution
3. 1-page biosketch of Investigators
Formatting Guidelines:
Font/size: Times New Roman (11 pt. minimum)
Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)