ARCS Awarded SBIR Phase III contract by Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office

Oct 14, 2022

Awarded Sept 27, 2022

ARCS Aviation is pleased to announce we have been awarded an SBIR Phase III contract by the Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office (AFRSO). This contract will enable ARCS, over the next two years, to commercialize our Paint ScannAR system, meet cybersecurity requirements, develop new features for users, and implement the system at a second major Air Force maintenance location. Interested Government customers can now purchase the ARCS Paint ScannAR system on a sole source basis, provided the purchase derives from, extends, or completes this SBIR effort and is funded with non-SBIR funds.

This award was made possible by the efforts of the ARCS technical team in developing a functional prototype in Phase II, the ARCS business development team, all of ARCS’ support and enablement staff, our end users at Warner Robins ALC, and the program and contracting folks at AFRSO who treated ARCS well and executed this process in a fair, friendly manner. AFRSO’s support for innovative small businesses who can solve Air Force maintainer challenges has made a difference for ARCS and many other companies, while enhancing Air Force readiness. ARCS looks forward to leveraging this contract into commercial sales and has already started that process.

ABOUT Paint ScannAR: The system integrates commercial Augmented Reality technology with a third-party paint thickness scanner to present results with data-rich icons within the user’s field of view, tagging the data in the 3D space, showing problems in real-time, and saving results for later review and analysis. Other existing features include digitally tagging observed paint defects such as drips and orange peel, presenting results on a tablet-based digital twin, and presenting feedback to painters on hand speed and distance to target while painting. Future features include providing 3D overlays for sealant and masking materials, adding additional aircraft, and developing an API for new integrations.

ABOUT ARCS Aviation: Founded in Cookeville, TN in 2012 by a retired pilot, ARCS Aviation develops technology-based solutions for pilots and maintainers. Systems include a wide range of training and operations technologies, from courseware to interactive multimedia instruction and technical manuals to virtual and augmented reality. ARCS is a certified HUBZone small business.

ABOUT AFRSO: The RSO (Rapid Sustainment Office) increases mission readiness and capabilities by identifying, applying, and scaling technology and innovative solutions to advance and modernize sustainment operations of the United States Air Force. Visit https://www.afrso.com/ to learn more.