AI Reinforcements (AIR)

Background
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative solutions that will advance tactical air combat autonomy by developing advanced Modeling and Simulation (M&S) approaches and dominant Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents for live, multi-ship, beyond visual range (BVR) offensive and defensive counterair missions. The outcome of this program will be a robust AI air combat capability that works with sensors, electronic warfare, and weapons in dynamic, operationally representative environments.
Equally important, AIR will establish a development process and test assets required to rapidly mature and continuously evolve autonomous air-combat mission capabilities.

Work Details
The proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, and/or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. DARPA plans to award approximately six (6) Phase 1 Base efforts across two technical areas, with up to four (4) Phase 2 Options that may be exercised at the end of Phase 1, based on concept viability and program execution.
The activity defined in this BAA spans the full duration of the program. Proposers are expected to submit fully priced proposals for both a Phase 1 Base period and a Phase 2 Option. Performer teams may propose to a single TA, both TAs independently (2 separate proposals), or both TAs jointly within the same proposal in order to produce a fully integrated solution.

Period of Performance
AIR is planned as a two-phase, four-year effort. This solicitation is for a Phase 1 Base Period and a Phase 2 Option.