PURPOSE

The purpose of the DARPA Vehicle Armor challenge is to identify revolutionary and promising new armor concepts for military vehicles. The Vehicle Armor Challenge is aimed primarily at inventors and small organizations that do not have the resources to initiate full-scale armor development programs. The Vehicle Armor Challenge is an opportunity for developers to obtain a rapid and impartial assessment of their existing armor designs with testing of submitted armor panels in a "shoot-out" at a certified ballistics laboratory.

Participants in the Vehicle Armor Challenge will be selected by DARPA based on the criteria listed below, and selectees will be invited to send test samples of their novel armor for testing at an independent facility. Funding will NOT be provided for Research and Development, but DARPA will pay for the cost of manufacturing and shipping of the samples. DARPA will fund all ballistic testing at an independent laboratory to ensure that armor performance is judged consistently by an objective organization operating under recognized standards. Samples that demonstrate superior performance against one or more threats, or that incorporate a particularly innovative design feature, may be considered by DARPA for further development.

TECHNICAL SCOPE

The focus of the Vehicle Armor Challenge is to identify promising armor concepts for military vehicles. There is no requirement to include specific classes of materials in the armor, although it is anticipated that successful systems may be combinations of more than one material type.

The primary goal for the Vehicle Armor Challenge is identify vehicle armor with a total areal density of less than 18 psf (pounds per square foot) capable of defeating the following two threats: (i) the 7.62mm x 63 (0.30 caliber) APM2 armor piercing round, and (ii) the 20 mm fragment simulating projectile (FSP). A secondary goal is the feasibility for producing vehicle armor materials at a cost competitive to current vehicle armor.

If selected, proposers should expect to deliver ten (10) plates, each with dimensions of eighteen inch (18 in.) by eighteen inch (18 in.) for V50 ballistic testing against the threats. It is understood that proposers may have more than one configuration they anticipate to defeat the specified threats. Although multiple configurations may be included in the technical proposal, the submitter should identify the solution they believe will provide the best ballistic performance. Proposals should therefore include cost estimates for that single armor design.

SELECTION PROCESS

The Vehicle Armor Challenge participants will be selected by DARPA through the following process:

1. Submit a concept paper following the guidelines provided in the CONCEPT PAPER REQUIREMENTS and FORMAT sections below.
2. Provide an oral presentation (telecon) of the proposed concept paper upon request.
3. DARPA will accept or decline to test the proposed armor concept in the Vehicle Armor Challenge.
4. If accepted, the proposer will fabricate and ship requested panels to the testing coordinator (shipping information will be provided).
5. Panels will be tested at a certified ballistics laboratory for the threat listed in the "TECHNICAL SCOPE" section above, as soon as it is practicable.
6. Ballistic test results will be reviewed by DARPA.
7. Recommendations will be made to successful participants for the next steps, including potentially proposing for a DARPA vehicle armor development program.

CONCEPT PAPER REQUIREMENTS

Concept papers for the Vehicle Armor Challenge may be submitted through the email address provided at the bottom of this page. Concept Papers are expected to address the following:

• Projected areal density (pounds per square foot) required to provide protection against realistic military threat. It is understood that some proposers will not have preliminary ballistic test data available when projecting the performance of their new vehicle armor concepts. In those cases, a description of the assumed projectile-defeating mechanism is required.
  
  
• Layer-by-layer description of each material included in the body armor solution. The description should include a technical explanation for the use of each component material and why that component/material is vital to the performance of the solution. If the solution consists of only one material, please provide a technical explanation as to how this material alone will defeat the specified threat.
  
  
• Schedule of delivery of the required test panels. Ten (10) panels, each with dimensions of eighteen inches (18 in.) by eighteen inches (18 in.) are required for testing. The target size requirement can be adjusted in exceptional circumstances if the proposer has no capability for producing 18" x 18" plates, however, the number of targets required may change.
  
  
• Total cost for delivered plates (materials, labor, and shipping). The cost breakdown and summary should be one page and included with the concept paper.
  
  
• Potential for producing the proposed body armor solution in large volumes, its projected production cost, a discussion of the materials sourcing and possible manufacturing options.

CONCEPT PAPER FORMAT

The concept paper must not exceed 8 pages, and must address the issues listed in sections A through D below. Proposers are free to decide the emphasis given to each section, but the focus should be on the technical description of innovative features of the proposed vehicle armor design. Only unclassified concept papers will be accepted for the Armor Challenge - Phase 2 Program.

A) Description of the Proposed Vehicle Armor Concept.
This is the centerpiece of the concept papers and should succinctly describe the unique aspects of the vehicle armor design in accordance with the CONCEPT PAPER REQUIREMENTS section described above. Provide any available test data to support and/or justification for how the proposed armor design will lead to the performance for the threats to be evaluated by DARPA and cost goals.

B) Schedule
Proposers are required to indicate the time required to deliver the test articles if their concept paper is selected for inclusion in the Vehicle Armor Challenge. The Armor Challenge - Phase 2 program will take place over a twelve month period. The deliverable for the Vehicle Armor Challenge will be the submission of no fewer than ten (10) targets, each with dimensions of eighteen inches (18 in.) by eighteen inches (18 in.).

C) Facilities
Description of the facilities that would be used for the proposed effort. Provide enough detail so that reviewers can be confident that proposed vehicle armor designs can be delivered to the quality and in the time proposed.

D) Cost
Total cost for delivered plates, including materials, labor, and shipping. The cost summary should not exceed one page. Funding will NOT be provided for research and development.

CONCEPT PAPER EVAULATION CRITERIA

Receipt of all concept papers will be acknowledged and evaluated as soon as possible. Concept papers will not be evaluated against each other; there is no common work statement. To aid in the selection decision, requests for clarifications or further information may be made. The request for an oral presentation, or lack thereof, should not be construed as either a positive or negative assessment of the concept paper. The Government reserves the right to select all, some, or none of the concept papers received in response to this special notice and to make selections without discussions with offerors.

The following evaluation criteria are listed in order of decreasing importance:

Ability to Achieve Program Metrics

Evaluation of the likelihood of the proposed concept to provide effective protection against the specified threats at the specified areal density and for a projected production cost competitive with current vehicle armor.

Scientific and Technical Merit of the Concept Paper

Evaluation of the plausibility, innovativeness, and uniqueness of the concept, the soundness of the technical approach, and assess the materials of construction and methodologies to be utilized for credibility, appropriateness, sufficiency, and judicious application.

Value to Defense

Evaluate whether the product is likely to be applicable and useful to the Department of Defense.

Cost Realism

Costs of the purchased panels must be reasonable and justified.

SCHEDULE

Vehicle Armor Challenge ballistic testing will take place periodically throughout the program. Concept papers are required for participation in testing. Performance of the submitted test articles will be evaluated in two respects: 1) potential for reducing vehicle armor weight as determined by ballistic performance relative to the areal density, and 2) the projected cost of the vehicle armor for production quantities. There is no guarantee of a DARPA development program arising from this Special Notice and no pre-determined number of Vehicle Armor Challenge participants that will be considered should a DARPA development program be approved.

SECURITY

Due to the possibility that ballistic test data may be classified, proposers must be willing and able to obtain a security clearance if they are selected to continue with a full development program after the Vehicle Armor Challenge if they do not already have a current SECRET security clearance. This program will adhere to US Army's Security Classification Guide for Armor Materials and Technology dated 10 April 2002. These guidelines will be provided to contractors as necessary. Classified test data cannot be released to Vehicle Armor Challenge participants who do not hold the appropriate security clearance.

The Vehicle Armor Challenge may generate information controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR 120-130; therefore Vehicle Armor Challenge selectees may be required to protect information pursuant to ITAR and are encouraged to consider this when proposing.

PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

Proposed solutions and armor concepts will be appropriately protected as intellectual property by the Government. Information will be treated as Government Use only.

CONTACT INFORMATION

DARPA Point of Contact:
Dr. Judah Goldwasser

DARPA Program Manager

Defense Sciences Office
Phone: 571.218.4293
Fax: 703.465.1044
E-mail: judah.goldwasser@darpa.mil

CONCEPT PAPER SUBMISSION

Please prepare your Vehicle Armor Challenge Concept Paper in accordance with the above criteria and submit it by email to judah.goldwasser@darpa.mil as an attachment in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF formats. Concept papers will be accepted from March 16, 2009 through September 30, 2010.