Challenges in Naval aviation applications, such as high cost, fixed and limited capabilities, space constraint, slow deployment and recovery, and extensive requirement of man in the loop drive a need for affordable and highly effective solutions with novel, agile and enhanced capabilities in high capacity. ASCEND focuses on addressing these challenges by supporting basic and applied research in the areas of cost-efficiency and capabilities. ASCEND is not tied to a particular discipline, hence opening up research opportunities to leverage high-impact, novel and out-of-the-box solutions ultimately bringing evolutionary and revolutionary capabilities for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Research Concentration Areas
Cost-Efficiency: Basic and applied research in the cost-efficiency area strides in developing novel rapid, limited-life low cost (L3C) concepts for design, manufacturing and assembly of Naval aerial assets (including unmanned, attritable and expendable assets).
Capabilities: Basic and applied research in the capabilities area strides in improving existing or introducing novel capabilities enabling highly effective Naval aerial assets with novel, agile and enhanced capabilities in high capacity.
Research Challenges and Opportunities
A list of research opportunities relevant to ASCEND portfolio includes (not limited to):
- High Number/Rate Storage & Deployment: Rapidly packaging/deploying aerial assets from minimal space in high number
- Rapid, Low-Cost & Limited-Life Concepts for Design, Manufacturing & Assembly
- Persistent Technologies for aerial assets
- Multi-functional Materials/Structures for aerial assets (including aircraft and weapons)
- Self-Similar Concepts: Scalable (by number) and swappable (by similarity) components
- Modular Components with Hybrid Life and Swappable Capabilities
- Rapid Multi-discipline Analysis and Optimization
How to Submit
For detailed application and submission information for this research topic, please refer to our broad agency announcement (BAA) No. N0001425SB001.
Contracts: All white papers and full proposals for contracts must be submitted through FedConnect; instructions are included in the BAA.
Grants: All white papers for grants must be submitted through FedConnect, and full proposals for grants must be submitted through grants.gov; instructions are included in the BAA.