The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) seeks a rapidly fieldable, cost-effective, and user-focused solution to modernize and improve the Emergency Aircrew Response (EAR) equipment and communication pathways used to move aircrew personnel from locations across an installation to and from the aircraft with minimal or no warning.
To effectively launch missions during crises, the Air Force needs to quickly and reliably reach emergency aircrew. Existing solutions are outdated, cumbersome, limited in scale, and do not leverage newer flexible technologies. The current two legacy systems used in the field today date back to 1970s technology.
The goal is to find a simple and intelligent replacement system that can operate without fail on America’s worst day. This new Emergency Aircrew Response System must include a suite of modern-day capabilities like hardware and software that enable rapid communication and accurate information dissemination. Via a lightweight, portable device, the communication must also have the ability to reach aircrew members with no interruption, anytime, anywhere. The system needs to reach aircrew members inside aircraft and secure areas that do not allow electronics, potentially using other auditory or visual warning devices. Structural protection from High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) produced in the atmosphere by a nuclear explosion's power and radiation is a must.
With the unique needs and challenges of command post leadership and individual aircrew, the portable system will need to be operational worldwide in deployed and home station environments.
