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Proposal Preview

JIFX Proposal Preview

Submitting Part 1 of the JIFX Proposal is required for all proposals. For experiments including unmanned systems and/or radio frequency devices, additional information is required in Part 2 of the JIFX Proposal. Once Part 1 is submitted, a link to submit Part 2 will be emailed to the listed point of contact.

  1. Which event are you proposing to conduct your experiment?

  2. What is the title of your experiment?

  3. What is the name of your organization?

  4. Is your organization a U.S. Government or Military Organization?

  5. Please provide the contact information for the Experiment Lead or Principal Investigator (PI).

  6. Please provide the best point of contact for experiment coordination with the JIFX staff.

  7. Please provide the best point of contact for technical information.

  8. What country is your company owned and operated in?

  9. Which Area of Interest best applies to your experiment?

  10. Experiment Plan: In 150 words or less, provide a description of the experiment you intend to conduct at JIFX.

  11. System Description: In 150 words or less, provide a clear and concise description of the system or technology at the core of your experiment.

  12. Does your system or any system involved in your experiment store information collected by surveillance, target acquisition, and/or reconnaissance?

  13. New Capability: In what way(s) does your experiment propose a new or innovative approach to the ?

  14. Please upload at least one image that supports/represents your proposed experiment. The image(s) will be used on your JIFX Quad Chart.

  15. Which of the following are you planning to bring to conduct your experiment?

    • Radio Transmitters (of any type, including unlicensed radios such as WiFi routers or hand-held radios)

    • Manned Aircraft

    • Unmanned Aircraft (of any type, including small "hobby" drones)

    • Unmanned Ground Vehicles

    • Unmanned Maritime Vehicles (USV, UUVs, etc.)

    • Radar

    • Explosives

    • Lasers (of any type, including LIDAR and handheld laser pointers)

    • Radiological Sources

    • Night Operations

    • Hazardous Material (including solvents, lithium batteries, etc)

  16. What is the of your technology?

  17. What is the of your technology?

  18. Which apply to your technology?

  19. Who currently uses the capability or capabilities present in this work?

  20. How is the work currently funded?

Operating any aircraft at JIFX requires extensive paperwork. Multiple forms are required to be submitted or you may not be allowed to fly at the event.

If you have previously submitted this information in the past year for the aircraft listed in Part 1 of your proposal and none of the components (flight controllers, radios, data transmission devices, cameras, gimbals, or ground control system) have changed since your last submission, you may not have to submit this information again. The point of contact for experiment coordination you provided will be contacted regarding your status of these forms. 

If you have not previously submitted this information in the past year for the aircraft listed, the point of contact for experiment coordination you provided will be emailed a link to submit this information. It is imperative that you submit this information by the specified deadline, so we recommend that you start filling out these forms ASAP.

All the questions below must be answered properly and completely. Blank blocks and questions with inappropriate answers such as "unknown," "maybe," "sometimes," or "it depends" will be cause for rejection.

Note: the following UAS Information and UAS Safety Review sections must be completed for each unique model of UAS you plan to fly.

UAS Information

Note: per Section 848 of the NDAA for FY20 and Section 817 of the NDAA for FY23, we do not allow non-Cleared UAS that are manufactured in or contain any of the components listed below that are made in China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, with the exception of Counter-UAS surrogate testing and training. For more information regarding this policy, visit the page.

  1. Manufacturer Name
  2. Manufacturer Country of Origin
  3. Manufacturer Country of Domiciled (i.e. HQ location)
  4. Model
  5. Quantity
  6. Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight (lbs)
  7. Payload Capacity (lbs)
  8. Flight Mode
  9. C2
  10. Data Link Information:
    • Radios/Freqs
    • C2 Link Encryption
    • Camera Link Data Encryption
    • Payload Encryption
  11. Flight Controller:
    • Item Nomenclature
    • Manufacturer Name
    • Manufacturer Country of Origin
    • Place of Manufacture Country of Origin
  12. Radios:
    • Item Nomenclature
    • Manufacturer Name
    • Manufacturer Country of Origin
    • Place of Manufacture Country of Origin
  13. Please upload a picture of the manufacturer label for the radios.
  14. Data Transmission Devices:
    • Item Nomenclature
    • Manufacturer Name
    • Manufacturer Country of Origin
    • Place of Manufacture Country of Origin
  15. Camera:
    • Item Nomenclature
    • Manufacturer Name
    • Manufacturer Country of Origin
    • Place of Manufacture Country of Origin
  16. Please upload a picture of the manufacturer label for the camera.
  17. Gimbals:
    • Item Nomenclature
    • Manufacturer Name
    • Manufacturer Country of Origin
    • Place of Manufacture Country of Origin
  18. Ground Control System:
    • Item Nomenclature
    • Manufacturer Name
    • Manufacturer Country of Origin
    • Place of Manufacture Country of Origin
  19. Please upload a picture of the manufacturer label for the ground control system.
  20. Please upload a picture of the UAV.

UAS Mitigations

  1. Overflight Mitigations:
    • Describe the mitigations that will be taken to ensure not to overfly sensitive equipment / buildings / personnel.
    • Number of UAS Flights per month
    • Altitude of UAS Flights
  2. Network/Wifi/AirGap Mitigations:
    • What are the mitigations taken to ensure the UAS is not vulnerable to open networks, etc.?
    • Stand-Off distance from open network
  3. Camera / Imagery Mitigations
  4. Memory Card/Memory Storage Mitigations
  5. System Recovery / Destruction Mitigations
  6. NDAA Compliant: List section you are compliant with
    • Note: UAS must be NDAA compliant to fly at JIFX.

UAS Safety Review

  1. Additional UAS Information
    • Owner/Operator
    • Airframe Value ($)
    • Classification (Program of Record, Non-Program of Record, Experimental, etc.)
    • Type (Fixed-wing, Rotary-wing, Quad/Hexa/Octo-rotor, etc.)
    • Wing/Rotor Span (in.)
    • Length (in.)
    • Method for Launch (hand-launch, bungee, wheel-launch, VTOL, etc.)
    • Method for Recovery (deep-stall, runway, VTOL, net, wire, etc.)
    • Method of Control (autonomous, semi-autonomous, RC-only, etc.)
  2. UAS Performance
    • Max Wind for Takeoff (avg. / gust-above avg.)
    • Max Cross-Wind (avg. / gust-above avg.)
    • Max Altitude (ft)
    • Max Range (from Operator/GCS)
    • Cruise Speed (kts)
    • Max Speed (kts)
    • Max Endurance (hrs)
  3. Please provide the following information for each vehicle payload item:
    • Item (EO, IR, SIGINT, etc.)
    • Details (resolution, FOV, range, etc.)
    • Preferred Altitude
    • Approximate Value ($)
  4. Does the UAS currently have one of the following? If so, state the issuing entity or upload a copy.
    • Interim Flight Clearance (IFC)
    • FAA Issued Air Worthiness Certificate
    • Certificate of Authorization (COA)
    • Experiment Certificate
    • None of the above
  5. How many flights (# of sorties, flight hours) has the UAS completed to date?
  6. How many crashes and failures have occurred? What has been the corrective action to ensure the failures do not occur again?
  7. List the first and last names of all personnel involved in the mission according to their position. Minimum crew consists of an Air Vehicle Operator (AVO)/Pilot in Command (PIC), Visual Observer (VO), and Flight Safety Officer (FSO).
  8. Please provide the following qualifications and training information for each Vehicle Operator:
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Training Experience
    • Hours (UAS / RC / GCS)
    • Current in model?
    • Licenses/Certifications
  9. Will all of the UAC/AVO/PICs listed above be current for any applicable operator currency requirements for flight during operations during the JIFX/51福利 event?
  10. For non-uniformed military UAS operators, we require an official signature(s) by the appropriate approval authority(s) (i.e. Program Manager, Principle Investigator, Research/Company Team Leader, etc.) verifying that:
    • The UAS model(s) has/have been previously flown in the current configuration
    • The operators listed above are qualified and current to fly the UAS as configured
    • The UAS will be operated in a safe manner during the event, abiding by all policies, guidance, & restrictions issued by the Camp Roberts Garrison Commander, the 51福利 Field Experimentation Director & staff, and the Air Boss.
  11. List any hazardous materials onboard (flammable, toxic, energy storage, ordnance):
    • Item (fuel, battery, fuel-cell, etc.)
    • Chemistry (gasoline, heavy-fuel, lithium-ion, etc.)
    • Quantity (volume, voltage, capacity, weight, etc.)
  12. Fully describe the command and control links, including equipment used, frequency, bandwidth, modulation, power output.
  13. What happens when command link is lost?
  14. Will the UAV climb to a specific altitude?
  15. Will the UAV orbit? If so, how long?
  16. Can the UAV land itself? If so, explain how the landing will be accomplished.
  17. How does the vehicle and GCS recognize that loss of command link has occurred?
  18. Is there a backup command transmitter and receiver? If so, is the backup link on the same frequency as the primary? Explain your answer.
  19. Has RF link analysis been performed to verify both primary and backup transmitters can communicate with the vehicle at the furthest point in its planned operation? If so, does link analysis address all RF links below? What is the maximum range for each link?
    • Uplinks from primary and backup ground stations.
    • Secondary uplinks from each ground station.
    • Downlinks to primary and backup ground stations.
    • Flight Termination Link (if equipped).
    • Is there at least 12 dB of signal excess in FTS link?
  20. Fully describe the navigation system of the UAS, including backup navigation sources if applicable.
  21. What are the sources of vehicle navigation position information to the UAS operator?
  22. Are there redundant navigation sources so the UAS operator can tell if there is a discrepancy?
  23. How will the UAS respond in a denial of GPS environment?
  24. What happens if GPS is not recovered?
  25. If the UAS operator loses primary position information, is control also lost? If so, what can the Operator do to regain control?
  26. Fully describe the inertial flight data system of the UAS, including backup sources if applicable.
  27. What are the on-board sources of position, attitude, heading, altitude, and airspeed information to the UAS operator and/or autopilot?
  28. How does the vehicle autopilot respond to loss of primary attitude source?
  29. Is there a DR (dead reckoning) mode if GPS or inertial navigation is unavailable or degraded?
  30. What will happen if a servo or flight control sticks or becomes unresponsive? How does the autopilot respond? Is there a backup? How quickly will the UAS operator recognize this?
  31. What happens if the throttle is stuck?
  32. What happens to the vehicle when propulsion stops? Will the UAS immediately depart controlled flight or can it glide for some distance?
  33. Will sufficient velocity and electrical power remain for "controlled ditch" or "dead stick landing"?
  34. Can the engine be restarted, turned off or turned on in flight?
  35. Are the limits and failure modes confirmed by test data?
  36. How is fuel volume/utilization (or battery charge) monitored during flight?
  37. What happens when primary electrical power is lost?
  38. Is there a separate battery bus? If so, what does the battery bus power?
  39. Does automatic system load shedding occur if power is reduced? Explain your answer.
  40. Are there "essential busses" for reduced power operations?
  41. Is battery usage data available on telemetry?
  42. Is a battery use log kept? If so, where?
  43. What is the source of electrical power for the ground control station?
  44. Is there an uninterruptible backup power source?
  45. Has a Dead Man鈥檚 switch, kill switch or some other failsafe mode been incorporated into the UAS design? If so, answer the following questions:
    • Is it a standalone/independent system?
    • Describe how this function has been incorporated into the UAS design.
    • When the function is activated, describe what happens to the UAS. What is the timing and sequence of events?
  46. Describe what happens when you lose C2 and GPS.
  47. Does the UAS have a parachute system? If so, answer the following questions:
    • At what altitude will the chute deploy and what is the impact and drift rate?
    • What is the rate of descent at max weight?
    • Are there altitude, airspeed, or attitude limits on deploying the parachute? Explain your answer.
    • Does the engine have to shut off prior to the deployment of the parachute?
    • Can the propeller cut the parachute shroud line?
    • What happens if the engine fails to shut down?
  48. Do you have a tracking system? If so, what kind do you have? Can it be shared?
  49. Is your UAS capable of disseminating MITRE鈥檚 Cursor On Target (CoT), Google鈥檚 Keyhole Markup Language (KML)? Other? Explain your answer.
  50. Are the restricted airspace (RAS) and restricted operation zones (ROZ) displayed on your GCS Map? (Both the RAS and ROZ MUST be displayable on GCS heads up display). Explain your answer. See the page for the Event Airspace Control Plan and Camp Roberts ROZ Files.
  51. Has a 300' buffer been added to the RAS boundaries on your GCS map?
  52. Do you have a forward-looking camera on board? Camera must be on board for non-line-of-sight. All non-proven UAS must be flown within visual line of sight until 51福利 personnel give safety approval to fly non-line-of-sight.

Required Forms

Please see the page for more information.

Experiments at JIFX must comply with U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations for radio frequency (RF) emissions. Active frequency management and monitoring is conducted during all JIFX events, and any experiment not in compliance must be stopped immediately. Reporting and approval requirements can vary depending on the type of organization conducting the experiment, the type of device, and the frequencies used.

For more information on the requirements for frequency use at JIFX, please see the page.

Note: the following questions must be answered for each distinct transmitter model.

  1. Transmitter Manufacturer
  2. Transmitter Model
  3. What is the station class?
    • Fixed
    • Mobile
    • Portable
    • Ground-based
    • Airborne
    • Other
  4. Do you plan to operate this device under (i.e. without a license)?
    • If "Yes" is selected, provide the FCC ID.
    • If "No" is selected and "Non-US Government" is selected for the operator of the RF devices used in your JIFX experiment, provide the FCC License Number and/or Call Sign and/or File Number.
    • If "No" is selected and "US Government" is selected for the operator of the RF devices used in your JIFX experiment, provide the J/F-12 Number (from your approved DD Form 1494).