SBIR-STTR Award

Precision Rapid Aerial Employment System for Fixed-Wing Assets
Award last edited on: 12/14/2022

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$995,533
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF20R-DCSO1
Principal Investigator
Logan Goodrich

Company Information

Vita Inclinata Technologies LLC (AKA: Vita Inclinata Techologies Inc)

295 Interlocken Boulevard Suite 175
Broomfield, CO 80021
   (833) 600-8482
   vita@vitatech.co
   www.vitatech.co
Location: Single
Congr. District: 02
County: Jefferson

Phase I

Contract Number: N/A
Start Date: 7/6/2020    Completed: 11/6/2021
Phase I year
2020
Phase I Amount
$1
Direct to Phase II

Phase II

Contract Number: FA86492099097
Start Date: 7/6/2020    Completed: 11/6/2021
Phase II year
2020
Phase II Amount
$995,532
The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks a method for fixed-wing assets to conduct precision payload and cargo delivery, or more importantly, extraction of a person or critical supplies in confined, congested areas without putting loads at risk of entanglement or damaging/injuring those in the intended target area. The USAF lacks any capability to extract cargo or personnel from remote sites without the use of slower and shorter-range helicopters, often from other services, to perform this function. Worse yet, existing methods force helicopters to operate in-range of small arms and rocket propelled grenade altitudes, or force a ground team to enact an even slower and riskier ground transportation to relocate the cargo and personnel to an airfield. The ability for a fixed wing asset to precisely insert or extract a drastically opens up the operational envelope by utilizing the speed, range, and altitude of fixed-wing platforms. Under this effort, the team of Vita Inclinata Technologies Inc (VitaTech) and Modern Technology Solutions Inc (MTSI) are teaming to demonstrate the next generation capability of a long-range fixed wing asset able to precisely insert and extract a ground-based asset without landing via the integration of two emerging dual-use technologies in the global aerospace marketplace: MTSI’s Rapid Aerial Employment System (RAES) and VitaTech’s Load Stability System (LSS). The merged solution, the Precision Rapid Aerial Employment System (P-RAES), or “praise” addresses the DoD-wide capability gap and broadens the utility of a USAF fixed wing platform never before seen. Under the scope of this Phase II Trial, VitaTech & MTSI are teaming to: Demonstrate a precision delivery and pickup system deployed from a manned fixed wing aircraft with the objective to emplace the payload within 5m square area while flying loiter from above 3000 feet above ground level (AGL) Demonstrate retrieval of a grounded payload from a fixed-wing asset flying overhead and return to the aircraft using via precision extraction of the P-RAES method. Demonstrate a control station that provides a USAF user end-of-line positioning control to manually direct the P-RAES solution to a location of interest on the ground. Collaborate with USAF aircrews and combat controllers to determine key performance parameters (KPPs) for a final fieldable solution and associated Concept of Operations (CONOPs)