AeroX, a North Carolina non-profit corporation, is seeking the commercial procurement of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) ground receiver network to serve as the cooperative/secondary surveillance element of a larger, multi-sensor Ground Based Surveillance System (GBSS) for low-altitude aircraft surveillance.
The primary mission of this GBSS, Air Traffic Low-Altitude Surveillance (ATLAS), is to enable Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in Winston Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. AeroX intends to award the contract to the vendor whose proposed solution is determined to be best suited to the needs of project ATLAS for ADS-B surveillance.
Under Project ATLAS, AeroX is looking to acquire a GBSS for low-altitude aircraft surveillance to enable UAS BVLOS operations that could be implemented using industry-developed Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products without the need for substantial modification or engineering.
This system will provide non-cooperative aircraft surveillance data to accomplish three goals:
- Supply UAS operators with critical surveillance data to obtain FAA approval to operate BVLOS under Part 107, Part 135, and other authorizations;
- Allow UAS manufacturers, sensors manufacturers, and UAS operators to validate onboard Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems by using the surveillance data provided by AeroX as a truth source; and
- Capture and archive non-cooperative aircraft tracks for regional AAM forecasting and planning.
The solutions proposed in response to this RFP must be capable of providing targeted secondary surveillance for all ADS-B equipped aircraft operating within the specified area of operations. Scalability, ease of integration with other sources of surveillance data, and a high level of system reliability are essential attributes required of these proposed solutions. Additionally, in response to this solicitation, the respondent must provide evidence that the system(s) proposed meet the requirements specified in Section 5.
Project ATLAS will focus on beginning and expanding the following use cases that will benefit from BVLOS operations:
Medical and Retail Package Delivery – Forsyth County is home to two large healthcare institutions that pioneered the use of UAS to enhance medical logistics within their healthcare systems. It is also home to multiple retail stores that have partnered with UAS operators for package delivery operations. All have partnered with UAS operators who currently operate under Part 135 or pursuing Part 135 certification.
Infrastructure Inspection – “Drone-in-a-box” used for infrastructure and site monitoring has gained market traction. Several organizations with a presence in Forsyth County are interested in starting these operations, including operating the UAS from a remote location and with no one on-site. Several organizations are also interested in linear infrastructure inspection.
Public Safety – Public safety agencies have benefited from using UAS to augment their missions. Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) launched North Carolina’s first Drone as First Responder (DFR) program.
AeroX intends to use the suite of technologies and systems to serve as a Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP), as described in FAA’s UTM CONOPs, and provide low-altitude surveillance data to both, UAS operators and UAS Service Suppliers (USS).
Further information available here
Deadline for submissions: 21 August 2023
Contract award: 30 September 2023
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