RFI: Feedback on Draft MIL-DTL for Militarized USB-C (USB-CM) Connections

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or an Invitation for Bid (IFB). The Program Manager – Protection and Integration (PM-PI) is seeking feedback on a draft Military Detail document aka MIL-DTL on a new design for military connections. This draft is subject to change based on relevant feedback and other developmental milestones of the program.

Militarized USB-C aka “USB-CM” is an environmentally hardened connection built to survive military environments. The connector supports power and data requirements and supports USB standards unless specifically stated otherwise. This government owned design is intended to provide a standard interface for military equipment and is not proprietary.

USB-CM is intended to provide a reliable and ruggedized standard connector for users across the Department of War in their deployed terrestrial, maritime: surface and sub-surface, air, and space operational environment(s). PM-PI is looking for public feedback on the MIL-DTL document including, but not limited to:

USB-CM connector design, manufacturability, ability to integrate into vendor products, cost considerations, any perceived limitations of use, durability and corrosion resistance, materials, etc. It is encouraged that comments include tradeoffs in metrics, such as cost/data/design/testing as it relates to data rate and power levels. Please send all comments to USB-CMilitary@army.mil. MS word or PDF is the preferred format.

The draft MIL-DTL including design and detailed performance characteristics, can be found in the Attachments section of this posting. The Request for Information associated with this can be found at: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/ea73b15c453c4848af776fb8d293034d/view