VULCAN is a propulsion system demonstration program to design, build and ground test an engine capable of accelerating a full scale hypersonic vehicle from rest to Mach 4+. The VULCAN engine will consist of an integrated Constant Volume Combustion (CVC) engine and a full scale turbine engine. CVC engine architectures could include Pulsed Detonation Engines (PDE’s), Continuous Detonation Engines (CDE’s) or other unsteady CVC engine architectures. The CVC engine would operate from below the upper Mach limit of the turbine engine to Mach 4+. The turbine engine will be a current production engine capable of operating above Mach 2 and may be based on any of the following engines, the F100-229, F110-129, F119 or F414 engines. A key objective of the program is to integrate the turbine engine into the VULCAN engine with minimal modification to the turbine engine, to operate the turbine engine from rest to its upper Mach limit and to cocoon the turbine engine when it is not in use. It desired that both the turbine and the CVC engines share a common inlet and nozzle. It is envisioned that developing the VULCAN engine will enable full scale hypersonic cruise vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike or other critical national missions.

The initial dissemination of information on this initiative will be the VULCAN Program Industry Day on June 10, 2008. The goals of this meeting are threefold: 1) to familiarize participants with DARPA’s interest in combining turbine engines with constant volume combustion engine cycles, 2) to identify potential Offerors and promote understanding of the BAA proposal requirements, and 3) to promote discussion of synergistic capabilities among potential program participants. It is our desire to facilitate the formation of strong teams and business relationships in order to develop comprehensive, quality responses to any potential DARPA solicitation.

The Industry Day will be held at 3811 N. Fairfax Drive, Ste 400, Arlington VA 22203. This announcement serves as a pre-solicitation notice and is issued solely for information and program planning purposes. The Industry Day does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or proposal abstracts. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Attendance at the Industry Day is voluntary and is not required to propose to subsequent Broad Agency Announcements (if any) or research solicitations (if any) on this topic. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this Industry Day.

Pre-registration is required NO LATER THAN 3:00 PM EST on June 3, 2008. The Industry Day will be UNCLASSIFIED with information that is ITAR restricted and therefore attendance is limited to individuals who are U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green card holders). Attendance is limited to three representatives per organization. Check-in for the Industry Day begins at 8:00 AM, followed by presentations beginning at 8:30 AM. These presentations will include an overview of the DARPA VULCAN Program vision, goals and objectives, technical information on state-of-the-art of the foundational technologies; and planned acquisition strategy, program schedule and contracting details. Following the presentations, the room will be available for a networking session to promote communications among potential program participants.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: If interested in attending the Industry Day, please send an e-mail, with the Subject line “VULCAN Industry Day Request for Information”, to Matt Bringman at bringmanm@centratechnology.com. In reply to your email, you will receive information detailing the registration process and logistics of the Industry Day.

INVITEE INFORMATION: Registration is restricted to U.S. citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents only. Proof of U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Resident Status must be provided at least five (5) business days prior to this meeting. Additionally, Permanent Residents must complete DARPA Form 60, "U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request" (found here, http://www.darpa.mil/sio/documents/DARPA60.pdf) and this completed form must be provided to the Administrative Point of Contact below. U.S. citizens should have their Facility Security Officer or Personnel Officer send a letter to verify their citizenship status. U.S. permanent residents should send a copy of their Alien Registration Card (green card) along with a completed Form 60. In addition, U.S. Permanent Residents must bring their green cards to the Industry Day for verification. There will be no exceptions!

Administrative Point of Contact: Mr. Matt Bringman,

email: bringmanm@centratechnology.com, 703-276-7702 x 112

Technical Point of Contact: Dr. Thomas Bussing,

email: thomas.bussing@darpa.mil

Contracting Point of Contact: Mr. Chris Glista, DARPA Contracting Officer,

email: Christopher.glista@darpa.mil