DON26BZ05-NV069 TITLE: Wearable Real-Time Command-and-Control Interface for Enhanced Naval Situational Awareness
COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY AREA(S): Human-Machine Interfaces
PROJECTED CMMC LEVEL REQUIREMENT: Level 2 (Self)
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.
OBJECTIVE: Develop, demonstrate, and deliver a production-ready, wearable, real-time Command-and-Control (C2) interface utilizing Mixed Reality (MR) technology with spatial anchoring that integrates and fuses multi-domain naval sensor data from Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).
DESCRIPTION: The Department of the Navy faces critical operational challenges in delivering real-time C2 capabilities to personnel operating in complex, multi-domain maritime environments. Naval operations require processing vast amounts of multi-source intelligence from JADC2 while ensuring mobility, tactical effectiveness, and operator safety.
Operational Gaps:
Key challenges include:
• Information Overload: High-tempo operations result in multi-domain data saturation, reducing situational awareness.
• Mobility Constraints: Console-based systems limit operator mobility and adaptability in dynamic maritime environments.
• Environmental Limitations: Commercial wearables lack durability and functionality under maritime conditions, including exposure to salt spray, extreme temperatures, and high humidity.
• Test Range Deficiencies: Current test ranges lack integrated C2 capabilities across JADC2 domains.
• Laser Safety Compliance: Eye protection for Class 4 laser environments is required while accessing multi-domain data.
• REPLICATOR Program Needs: Human-autonomous system interfaces are essential for coordinated swarm operations
The objective of this topic is to develop, demonstrate, and deliver a production-ready, wearable, real-time C2 interface utilizing MR technology with spatial anchoring that integrates and fuses multi-domain naval sensor data from JADC2 with the purpose of enabling enhanced human-machine interfaces (HMIs) for geographically dispersed naval forces supporting Distributed Maritime Operations.
This interface must provide real-time, multi-source intelligence processing while maintaining mobility and tactical effectiveness, with initial deployment focused on test range operations and REPLICATOR autonomous systems integration.
Technical Requirements:
This effort demands MR capabilities, surpassing basic augmented reality (AR) systems. MR provides spatial anchoring of digital information to real-world objects, environmental understanding for safety-critical operations, and occlusion handling to ensure digital displays are appropriately hidden behind real-world hazards. These features are vital for naval operations where tactical data must be spatially registered to ship equipment, deck spaces, and operational areas while maintaining operator safety.
Existing Systems and Limitations:
Current systems include console-based combat information centers, handheld tactical computers, and tablet-based devices, all of which are vulnerable to maritime conditions. Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) MR platforms, such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, Magic Leap 2, Apple Vision Pro (passthrough mode), and Meta Quest Pro (passthrough mode), provide foundational capabilities but lack maritime environmental qualification and military-grade cybersecurity features.
Technology Maturity:
• Integrated MR systems: TRL 6-7
• Maritime-qualified implementations: TRL 5-6
• JADC2 sensor fusion with laser safety integration: TRL 4-5 Performance Requirements:
Optimized for initial deployment in test range operations and REPLICATOR integration under non-combatant conditions:
• Operating temperature: -10°C to +50°C
• Water resistance: IPX6 rating
• Continuous operation: 12+ hours
• Data processing latency: <30ms
• Sensor integration: 10+ simultaneous inputs
• Display performance: 1 arc minute resolution, 90Hz refresh rate
• Angular tracking accuracy: sub-1 deg
• Security: FOUO/CUI processing capability
• Laser safety: ANSI Z136.1 and MIL-STD-1425 compliance
• Human performance: MIL-STD-1472H compliance
• Equipment Durability: MIL-STD-810 compliance
• REPLICATOR compatibility: Autonomous system interfaces and Common Control System (CCS) framework
Critical Innovation Areas:
Breakthrough development is required in:
• Laser-safe optical systems: Full MR functionality with Department of War (DoW)-approved eye protection for Class 4 laser environments.
• Adaptive brightness control: Handling extreme maritime lighting conditions and MIL-STD-1472 compliance
• Real-time processing architecture: Supporting 15+ simultaneous JADC2 data streams with AI-driven threat correlation.
• Ruggedized electronics: Surviving 1,000-hour salt spray exposure with MIL-STD-810 compliance.
• Quantum-resistant encryption: Enabling secure mesh networking.
• Autonomous system interfaces: Intuitive gesture and voice recognition for single-operator swarm management.
Security and Classification:
Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. owned and operated with no foreign influence as defined by 32 U.S.C. § 2004.20 et seq., National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) formerly Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor and/or subcontractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances. This will allow contractor personnel to perform on advanced phases of this project as set forth by DCSA and NAVAIR in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material during the advanced phases of this contract IAW the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), which can be found at Title 32, Part 2004.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
PHASE I: Define and develop a concept for a wearable MR C2 interface that meets performance and environmental constraints for test range and REPLICATOR applications. Demonstrate laser safety integration with full MR functionality. Validate cybersecurity framework for FOUO/CUI processing. Establish REPLICATOR integration baseline with autonomous system interface development. Perform modeling and simulation to provide initial assessment of concept performance. Phase I Option, if exercised, would include initial layout and capabilities description to build the unit in Phase II.
The Phase I effort will include prototype plans to be developed under Phase II.
PHASE II: Develop production-ready hardware platform optimized for initial deployment environments. Implement JADC2 sensor fusion capabilities for test range and distributed maritime operations. Integrate REPLICATOR autonomous system interfaces and human-machine teaming protocols. Validate compatibility with Navy's Common Control System (CCS) framework. Demonstrate coordinated control of multiple autonomous platforms through MR interface. Complete commercial environmental qualification testing. Conduct operator evaluation with test range personnel and fleet operators. Deliver 5 prototype systems qualified for operational evaluation with complete technical data package and source code with Government Purpose Rights.
Work in Phase II may become classified. Please see note in Description section.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Integrate Phase II developed wearable interface with multiple platforms for enhanced crew situational awareness. Upgrade to full military environmental qualification including IPX8 rating, MIL-S-901D Grade A compliance, and SECRET-level processing capability. Expand REPLICATOR program integration for autonomous swarm coordination in distributed maritime operations with full combat capability. Scale manufacturing for naval platform deployment quantities.
Commercial applications include maritime industry fleet management with real-time cargo and navigation data; offshore energy platform operations with safety-critical information overlay; port security operations integrating multiple sensor systems; manufacturing facilities with laser-intensive operations requiring worker protection; aerospace testing operations with complex instrumentation integration; and emergency response coordination with real-time situational awareness. Estimated total addressable market of $2.3B by 2030 across commercial maritime ($850M), industrial safety ($1.1B), and government/defense ($350M+) segments.
REFERENCES:
KEYWORDS: Mixed Reality; Human machine interface; JADC2; REPLICATOR; Distributed Maritime Operations; Sensor Fusion
TPOC 1 : Derek Alley
(301) 342-2056
derek.m.alley.civ@us.navy.milTPOC 2 : Michael Wardlaw
(703) 588-2427
wardlawm@onr.navy.mil
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