DON26BZ05-DV083 TITLE: DIRECT TO PHASE II: Solution to Reduce Towing Based Mishaps During Flightline Operations
COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY AREA(S): Trusted AI and Autonomy
PROJECTED CMMC LEVEL REQUIREMENT: Level 2 (Self)
OBJECTIVE: Develop advanced, modular technology to enhance situational awareness and collision-prevention during aircraft towing operations; both at land-based airfields and on shipboard flight decks.
DESCRIPTION: Towing procedures are frequent and indispensable flightline operations, essential for repositioning aircraft and other rolling support equipment for maintenance, fueling, parking, and deployment. Towing related mishaps can damage aircraft and ground support equipment, require costly repairs, and negatively impact mission readiness.
The Navy is seeking innovative solutions that can retrofit existing towing units with modern technology to enhance situational awareness for towing crews. The solution must be compatible with current Navy tow tractors (Mid-Range Tow Tractor (MRTT), Shipboard Tow Tractor (STT), and Large Land-Based Tow Tractor (LLTT)) and meet the rigorous military environmental conditions of the fleet. The proposed system must comply with all naval requirements, including operation in an Emission Controlled (EMCON) environment and meet electromagnetic interference (EMI) requirements for both shipboard and shore-based operations. The system must remain fully functional whether or not the unit is actively towing an object. Additionally, it must provide the towing crew with sufficient time to make informed decisions and prevent unintended collisions, accounting for acceleration and inertial effects.
The solution should incorporate real-time alert systems to warn towing crews of imminent collisions or innovative intervention systems capable of stopping the towing unit to prevent accidents. The approach may employ low-tech, human-in-the-loop solutions or high-tech, fully autonomous systems, provided mission needs are met. By reducing human error and improving operational safety, this technology will significantly decrease towing-related mishaps and help protect valuable military assets.
PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II topic, the Government expects that the small business will have accomplished the following in a Phase I-type effort and developed a concept for a workable prototype or design to address, at a minimum, the basic requirements of the stated objective above. The following actions would be required to satisfy the requirements of Phase I:
Technical feasibility has been demonstrated through prior development and evaluation of a modular collision-awareness and intervention capability applicable to aircraft towing operations. Core sensing, alerting, and control functions have been prototyped and tested in relevant operational conditions.
Prior efforts validated real-time proximity detection, operator alerting performance, and system integration with representative towing platforms.
These activities reduced key technical risks related to sensing accuracy, alert latency, integration, and operational compatibility. The technology is sufficiently mature to proceed directly to Phase II prototype refinement, integration, and fleet-relevant testing.
FEASIBILITY DOCUMENTATION: Offerors interested in participating in Direct to Phase II must include in their response to this topic Phase I feasibility documentation that substantiates the scientific and technical merit and Phase I feasibility described in Phase I above has been met (i.e., the small business must have performed Phase I-type research and development related to the topic NOT solely based on work performed under prior or ongoing federally funded SBIR/STTR work) and describe the potential commercialization applications. The documentation provided must validate that the proposer has completed development of technology as stated in Phase I above.
PHASE II: Demonstrate the solution’s ability to alert the towing team and enhance situational awareness in real-world operational environments, significantly reducing the risk of mishaps. Based on the results of this demonstration, a determination will be made regarding next steps and a detailed plan developed for further optimization and integration into military towing platforms and operational procedures.
Phase II deliverables include a developed Technical Data Package, maintained system specifications, and an evaluation and analysis report detailing the reliability of the technical approach, as well as the maintainability and sustainability of the hardware and software. The report shall also include a thorough evaluation of Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). Additionally, training documentation, manuals, and aids shall be developed as part of the Phase II deliverables.
At the conclusion of Phase II, a final prototype demonstration will be conducted at NAS Lakehurst or NAS PAX. The system will be tested on existing towing units, such as the MRTT, STT, and LLTT, during standard towing procedures and operations to validate the effectiveness of the developed technology.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III will focus on either Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) or Full Rate Production (FRP) and deployment of the solution, including integration with existing towing equipment and procedures, as well as the implementation of training programs to ensure effective utilization by personnel.
Partnerships with military agencies and contractors will be established to support widespread adoption, and commercialization opportunities for civilian aviation applications will be explored to extend the technology’s impact beyond military operations. Documentation of operational outcomes, including reductions in mishap rates and cost savings, will be provided to demonstrate the solution’s value and scalability.
The project has significant benefits to the commercial airspace industry. Towing aircraft plays an important role in commercial flight operations. Solutions developed in this effort can be utilized by major airports ensuring the reduction of unnecessary incidents that may result in schedule delays and increase overall operation safety.
REFERENCES:
KEYWORDS: Aviation Crunches; Towing; Sensors; Situational Awareness; Autonomy; Human – Machine interaction; Decision Aid
TPOC 1 : Ezra Idy
(732) 323-2261
ezra.idy.civ@us.navy.milTPOC 2 : Mark Blair
(732) 323-7310
mark.r.blair.civ@us.navy.milTPOC3 : Joshua Moser
(732) 323-2572
joshua.a.moser6.civ@us.navy.mil
** TOPIC NOTICE ** |
The Navy Topic above is an "unofficial" copy from the Navy Topics in the DoW FY-26 Release 5 SBIR BAA. Please see the official DoW Topic website at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/solicitation-documents/active-solicitations for any updates. The DoW issued its Navy FY-26 Release 5 SBIR Topics pre-release on August 5, 2026 which opens to receive proposals on August 26, 2026, and closes September 23, 2026 (12:00pm ET). Direct Contact with Topic Authors: During the pre-release period (August 5, through August 25, 2026) proposing firms have an opportunity to directly contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask technical questions about the specific BAA topic. The TPOC contact information is listed in each topic description. Once DoW begins accepting proposals on August 26, 2026 no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed unless the Topic Author is responding to a question submitted during the Pre-release period. DoD On-line Q&A System: After the pre-release period, until September 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, proposers may submit written questions through the DoW On-line Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login/ by logging in and following instructions. In the Topic Q&A system, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous but all questions and answers are posted for general viewing.
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