Advanced Communications Experiment – Cross-border Autonomous Vehicle Session Persistence Experiment and Research

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate is issuing a Request for Information (RFI 70RSAT26RFI000017) to identify vendors capable of supporting the ACE‑CASPER (Advanced Communications Experiment Cross‑border Autonomous Vehicle Session Persistence Experiment and Research) in a multi‑day, cross‑border emergency scenario on the U.S.–Canada border in late fall 2026. The primary objective is to evaluate 5G session‑persistence and secure, resilient 5G connectivity for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV) that operate under cold‑weather conditions, provide real‑time situational awareness, and sustain command‑and‑control (C2ISR) performance. Participants must demonstrate platforms with a minimum 30‑minute flight time, hot‑swap or fail‑over modem capability (single‑ or multi‑SIM for U.S. and Canadian 5G networks), and robust battery management (including hot‑swap or other resilience mechanisms). The experiment focuses on validating reliable 5G connectivity and C2 performance; autonomous decision‑making or AI‑driven navigation is not required. Respondents are asked to provide organization details, technology readiness (current and projected TRL by 29 May 2026), prototype availability, and capability gaps for UAS, AV, and 5G Core/RAN solutions. Submissions—including an optional five‑page whitepaper—must be emailed to NGFR hq.dhs.gov by 5:00 p.m. EST on 8 May 2026. This RFI is for market research only; DHS will not incur any costs for responses or participation, and no contract commitment is implied.

Notice ID

477b70a7cfda4d1fbc22d6d2fa2effe8

Solicitation Number

70RSAT26RFI000017

NAICS Code

541715

Classification Code

1550