As the world SOF eyes are always on USSOCOM, below is a list of USSOCOM’s wish list of what it is interested in receiving from industry, academia, individuals, and government laboratories capable of providing the design, construction, and testing of SOF related technologies. The intent is to accelerate the delivery of innovative capabilities.
Other areas of interest are: Advanced propellants for assessment in standard military calibres that have a higher energy density (12%-20%), temperature stable pressure/velocities from -40F to 160F, and standard deviation velocities of <10ft/sec; modernised lightweight (<9lbs) 40mm RPG launchers or trainers with enhanced fire control that can safely, reliably, and accurately fire US and allied produced RPG-7 family of ammunition; a M4A1 belt feed kit enabling the operator to convert the M4A1 from magazine fed to a belt fed lightweight machine gun; as well as a Concealable/Take Down Urban Sniper Rifle (CUSR) - a small and light sniper rifle that can be rapidly dissembled for concealed carry and rapidly reassembled by the operator to engage target; desired characteristics include accurate (1 minute of angle at 300m), lightweight (12lbs threshold, 8lbs objective), fit in small case (12x20in threshold, 12x16in objective), and compatible with current suppressor or include suppressed barrel.
The Personnel Defence Weapon (PDW) is significantly smaller and lighter than the M4A1 with capabilities beyond any pistol. There are two types of interest, those based on an operator/unit armour modification to a M4A1 carbine and those based on a unique weapon design, both of which must fire standard 5.56X45mm NATO ammunition. PDW desired characteristics include lightweight (6lbs threshold, 5lbs objective), concealable (18in threshold, 16in objective), effectively fired in its collapsed configuration, semi/full automatic, and rapidly employed from concealed carry. .338 Lapua Magnum anti-materiel ammunition that would be fired from the Precision Sniper Rifle at ranges from 500-1,500m with desired characteristics including armour piercing capability to penetrate Level IV body armour (500m threshold, 800m objective), cinder block greater than 12in, 10% Gel, and stop vehicle/small boat engines.
Other areas include technologies that can stop/disable individuals for an extended duration, remain less lethal, and be useable on combatant and non-combatant individuals, as well as technologies that use less lethal payloads to prevent combatant and non-combatant individuals from entering a specific area for a specified period of time.
Of interest are also small unit organic munitions capable of delivering highly accurate kinetic effects on stationary, moving, soft targets, or the interior of hardened targets at ranges beyond crew served weapons effective range. Potential material approaches may include guided 40mm tube launched grenades; self-propelled, precision-guided, handheld grenades; guided 84mm CARL GUSTAF munitions; and handheld guided kinetically armed UAS.
Design solutions that incorporate the dismounted operator as a system, with his powered and non-powered equipment (e.g., navigation system, radios, antennas, computers, visual augmentation systems, displays, NVGs, combat ID systems, armour, etc.) as subsystems. Design solutions that incorporate advanced power technologies and provide centrally wearable power on dismount; intelligent and highly efficient power and distribution management; automatic power charging/recharging capability; seamless integration for all powered subsystems; and novel power systems.
The award of each selected proposal will depend on the methodology and the technical approach to be pursued by the selected offeror. Proposals identified for negotiation may result in a procurement contract and/or other transaction. USSOCOM notionally expects to have $18 million of available funds for approximately 10 total awards from this wish list.
C4
C4 solutions that USSOCOM is acquiring include antenna designs combining broad banded and performance, such as 1.5 or lower Standing Wave Ratio 30MHz–5.8GHz that have dismounted (lightweight and ruggedised), mounted, and fixed site applicability, but are visually difficult or impossible to distinguish from their mounted platform. Furthermore the capability to conduct secure, low probability of intercept communications in Line-of-Site (LOS), Beyond LOS (BLOS), and Over-the-Horizon (OTH) scenarios. Modular, configurable electronic devices that maximise common interfaces are also sought. Enabling technologies such as advances in semiconductors, field programmable gate arrays, and microcomputers with multiple devices collapsed into a single platform/enclosure that would allow SOF operators to plug and play their modules for varying missions without having to jump between multiple interfaces.Comprehensive Signature Management
Multispectral signature reduction for the individual soldier and his equipment including materials or technologies that reduce the likelihood of detection/identification/targeting of SOF operators and vehicles. These include Airburst/counter defilade capability and advanced sniper rifle barrel technologies, i.e. applicability of hot hard alloys (e.g., H-11,H14, H19) to cold hammer forged barrel making technology and cryocooling to create longer life sniper grade barrels in 7.62mm NATO, 300 Winchester Magnum, and/or .338 Lapua Magnum. The rifling of interest is 5R and/or 6 land and groove with 1 in 9.5in twist in .338 and 1-in-10in twist in 300WM. As well as, Match grade 7.62mm and .338 caliber rhenium and/or rhenium alloy lined rifle barrels, and, other advanced sniper barrel concepts, designs, materials and/or processes that significantly enhance barrel life and maintain accuracy are also sought.Other areas of interest are: Advanced propellants for assessment in standard military calibres that have a higher energy density (12%-20%), temperature stable pressure/velocities from -40F to 160F, and standard deviation velocities of <10ft/sec; modernised lightweight (<9lbs) 40mm RPG launchers or trainers with enhanced fire control that can safely, reliably, and accurately fire US and allied produced RPG-7 family of ammunition; a M4A1 belt feed kit enabling the operator to convert the M4A1 from magazine fed to a belt fed lightweight machine gun; as well as a Concealable/Take Down Urban Sniper Rifle (CUSR) - a small and light sniper rifle that can be rapidly dissembled for concealed carry and rapidly reassembled by the operator to engage target; desired characteristics include accurate (1 minute of angle at 300m), lightweight (12lbs threshold, 8lbs objective), fit in small case (12x20in threshold, 12x16in objective), and compatible with current suppressor or include suppressed barrel.
The Personnel Defence Weapon (PDW) is significantly smaller and lighter than the M4A1 with capabilities beyond any pistol. There are two types of interest, those based on an operator/unit armour modification to a M4A1 carbine and those based on a unique weapon design, both of which must fire standard 5.56X45mm NATO ammunition. PDW desired characteristics include lightweight (6lbs threshold, 5lbs objective), concealable (18in threshold, 16in objective), effectively fired in its collapsed configuration, semi/full automatic, and rapidly employed from concealed carry. .338 Lapua Magnum anti-materiel ammunition that would be fired from the Precision Sniper Rifle at ranges from 500-1,500m with desired characteristics including armour piercing capability to penetrate Level IV body armour (500m threshold, 800m objective), cinder block greater than 12in, 10% Gel, and stop vehicle/small boat engines.
Other areas include technologies that can stop/disable individuals for an extended duration, remain less lethal, and be useable on combatant and non-combatant individuals, as well as technologies that use less lethal payloads to prevent combatant and non-combatant individuals from entering a specific area for a specified period of time.
Of interest are also small unit organic munitions capable of delivering highly accurate kinetic effects on stationary, moving, soft targets, or the interior of hardened targets at ranges beyond crew served weapons effective range. Potential material approaches may include guided 40mm tube launched grenades; self-propelled, precision-guided, handheld grenades; guided 84mm CARL GUSTAF munitions; and handheld guided kinetically armed UAS.
Human Protection
The USSOCOM wish list includes:- Lightweight body armour (<5.5lbs per square feet) able to defeat the following rounds with less than 44 millimeters of backface deformation: One round of 7.62x54R API; and three rounds of 7.62x39 API at 2.5in inch.
- Lightweight helmet (<2.0lbs per square feet) able to defeat 7.62x39mm rifle rounds with the following backface deformations:<25.4mm on the front and back of the helmet, and <16.0mm on the crown, left and right sides of the helmet.
- Thin, lightweight concealable body armour (<0.2in thick) that protects against 7.62x39mm mild steel core (MSC) rounds.
Mobility Small UAS
UAS system improvements include reduced acoustics and visual signature technologies, external/internal bay payload solutions, increased endurance, advanced fuel cell/battery propulsion, kinetic engagement, advanced integrated day/night fire control, increased electronic attack capabilities, a common ground control station and digital data link, and improved ISR and Exploitation capabilities.Power and Energy/Lighten the Load
Lighten the load for the dismounted SOF operator to the extent that he is safe and unencumbered while executing the mission, without adversely impacting his survivability and ability to communicate, move, and shoot. Reduce the mass and volume of carried equipment. Decrease the overall carried equipment mass and/or volume for the dismounted SOF operator (i.e. objective is fighting load plus mission load total less than 45% of operator body weight) with no decrease in current capability (i.e., reduce size and/ or weight for all non-powered and powered equipment to the extent possible, which includes intelligent, efficient power & distribution management).Design solutions that incorporate the dismounted operator as a system, with his powered and non-powered equipment (e.g., navigation system, radios, antennas, computers, visual augmentation systems, displays, NVGs, combat ID systems, armour, etc.) as subsystems. Design solutions that incorporate advanced power technologies and provide centrally wearable power on dismount; intelligent and highly efficient power and distribution management; automatic power charging/recharging capability; seamless integration for all powered subsystems; and novel power systems.
The award of each selected proposal will depend on the methodology and the technical approach to be pursued by the selected offeror. Proposals identified for negotiation may result in a procurement contract and/or other transaction. USSOCOM notionally expects to have $18 million of available funds for approximately 10 total awards from this wish list.
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