DON26BZ01-NV001 — Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Maneuver Improvements

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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY (DON) — Phase I

DON26BZ01-NV001 — Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Maneuver Improvements

Award Maximum: $140,000 (Base) / $100,000 (Option) Period of Performance: 6 months (Base) + 6 months (Option) Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Improve the Human-Machine Interface for operator control in the transition from water to land and improve water mobility in the surf zone for Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs).

DESCRIPTION: The ACV is an adaptation of an Italian Combat Vehicle with enough changes to weight and buoyancy that water mobility has been negatively impacted. Improvements are needed to the operator's controls and water propulsion hardware to reduce operator workload and improve maneuverability in the water and surf zone.

The new design shall make the transition between land and water operations easier for the operator by simplifying the human-machine interface (i.e., having to monitor and actuate fewer controls). The focus should be on determining innovative functional capability and controls which will reduce cognitive load on the operator when entering and exiting the surf zone and traversing through water. The new design should also make the vehicle more responsive to the operator's input. The new design needs to consider maintenance and corrosion control. The design needs to maintain or, if possible, improve water speed, bollard pull, and water operation fuel economy. The new design shall not result in degraded performance as baselined by the current propulsion system.

The ACV powerpack currently provides a maximum of 690hp at 1,800rpm (490kW) with maximum torque of 2,036 ft-lb (2,761 N-m) at 1,500rpm. The size of the area that an improved water propulsion device MUST FIT is 28 inches by 26 inches by 26 inches not including potential bracketry. The propulsion device must operate in shallow water where it will be exposed to sand, mud and small rocks in the water flow.

PHASE I: Design a new control system and concepts to improve steering in both the water and transition modes (land and fording). Modeling and simulation will be used to document the new design, and a control system model will be developed to simulate system operation with operator inputs, corresponding water propulsion system outputs, and system feedback to the operator. A bench top system may be built to show how the concept would work and allow users to comment on the design. The design will be documented in a performance specification and an architecture diagram to be used in Phase II to build a prototype for testing.

PHASE II: Develop the design concept from Phase I into a fully functional prototype. The prototype system will be lab tested once the design is mature. The test plan for the prototype will be prepared by the awardee, and reviewed by the government, to test the performance against the specification developed in Phase I. Lessons learned from the prototype system will be used to update the performance specification developed in Phase I.

Phase II Option (if exercised): Upon successful lab performance of the prototype system, the government will make an ACV available, and a refined design will be generated and integrated into the ACV. An updated computer model of the refined system will be generated to simulate operation of the refined design for the government prior to vehicle integration. The ACV with the refined design will be tested at a commercial or government facility to validate performance. The government will provide test support to include operators. The test plan for the refined design will be prepared by the awardee, and reviewed by the government, to test the performance against the updated Phase II performance specification. The refined design and test results will be documented in the final report.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Upon successful completion of testing, the final design shall be provisioned and catalogued with the necessary logistical documents to enable ACV modification and employment of the system based on battalion desire to implement on their vehicles.

The main transition path will be to the ACV. Other military vehicles that require a fording or swim mode may also be interested, to include the Stryker and the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV). Commercial applications include amphibious vehicles used to deliver cargo to remote locations where ports are not available.

DAF26BZ01-NV501 — Commercial-Derived Insights for Novel Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) Capabilities

Award Maximum: $175,000 Period of Performance: 3 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this Phase I effort is to identify, assess, and demonstrate the feasibility of novel, non–missile-warning space and/or ground enabled sensing and analytic capabilities that can deliver rapid, commercially derived insights with meaningful operational utility. The effort seeks concepts that enhance geospatial tactical awareness, reduce operational risk, and provide operators with timely, relevant, and resilient information in contested environments. Phase I will evaluate scientific and technical feasibility, characterize expected performance, and define the minimum viable capability that can be matured into a rapidly fieldable prototype in Phase II.

DESCRIPTION: This topic seeks to rapidly field non–missile-warning, space and/or ground enabled sensing and analytic capabilities that enhance warfighter decision speed. Space Force Components and Combatant Commands increasingly depend on commercially derived, space and/or ground enabled insights, but existing systems lack the responsiveness, automation, and sensing diversity needed for real-time tactical awareness. Adversary advancements and dynamic operational environments have outpaced traditional acquisition approaches, creating critical gaps that Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) is working to solve.

Aligned with the Space Force Commercial Space Strategy, this topic solicits innovative, unclassified concepts across the sensing-to-analysis continuum—including data collection, phenomenology exploitation, analytic fusion, and information delivery—that can deliver meaningful operational utility within one year. Proposed solutions may introduce new sensing or analytic methods or significantly advance existing commercial approaches. An initial operational capability (IOC) is defined as a functional prototype that provides testable outputs directly to operators.

Solutions may include hardware, software, analytic tools, sensing concepts, data-processing architectures, or integrated workflows. Stand-alone capabilities and service-based models are acceptable, and performers may leverage commercial space-as-a-service or existing commercial space infrastructure. Approaches must deliver timely, operationally relevant insights without requiring government development of new space hardware.

Representative in-scope areas include novel phenomenology sensing, automated exploitation pipelines, multi-sensor fusion, change detection, activity characterization, material or environmental signature analysis, deep maritime or littoral monitoring, rapid-revisit analytics, unconventional sensing approaches, space-to-air or space-to-ground tipping and cueing, high-cadence environmental insight, incorporation of AI/ML, and fusion of structured or unstructured data. Out-of-scope areas include missile warning/tracking, kinetic interceptors, satellite buses, and launch vehicles. The overarching intent is to operationalize commercial capabilities rapidly and ensure warfighters receive meaningful, unique insights at the speed of need. The intent of this effort is not focused on Operational Planning Product (OPP) generation through the Global Data Marketplace but targets a new innovative solution.

PHASE I: Phase I will determine the technical merit, scientific feasibility, and operational applicability of proposed non–missile-warning space-enabled sensing or analytic capabilities. Over a three-month Period of Performance (PoP), performers will identify the core technical approach, characterize expected performance, and validate feasibility through targeted analysis, modeling, simulation, or initial prototype demonstrations. Activities may include:

• Characterizing sensing or analytic methods and defining the minimum viable capability.

• Conducting trade studies, modeling, data analysis, or small-scale experiments.

• Assessing performance in relevant operational scenarios aligned to SRT-supported Components.

• Evaluating pathways for integration into existing commercial-derived workflows or architectures.

• Identifying technical risks, operational constraints, data dependencies, and mitigation strategies.

• Outlining expected capability maturity achievable within a 12-month timeframe, from Phase I contract award through Phase II.

Phase I must culminate in:

1. A clear feasibility assessment supported by technical evidence.

2. A Phase II plan aligned to the schedule, including delivery of an initial operational capability and full prototype within the Phase II PoP.

3. Defined operating parameters and anticipated performance metrics.

4. An integration and transition concept demonstrating how the capability can support SRT mission needs.

Performers must demonstrate that Phase II development can begin immediately to ensure continuity and minimizing administrative latency.

PHASE II: Phase II will mature the feasible concepts identified in Phase I into a deployable, testable prototype. As the principal R&D effort, Phase II will include design refinement, system development, integration activities, and operationally relevant testing focused on delivering a measurable improvement in tactical insight or decision advantage. Activities may include:

• Developing and demonstrating a prototype that produces actionable outputs.

• Conducting system integration, to include data pipelines, processing architectures, or delivery mechanisms.

• Evaluating performance across key operating parameters such as latency, persistence, coverage, accuracy, resilience, and usability.

• Testing in relevant or operationally representative environments, including SRT-supported workflows.

• Iterating capability in collaboration with Space Force Components and end users.

• Documenting performance, reliability, and scalability for transition planning.

Success criteria for Phase II include:

• Demonstrated prototype capability that materially improves the sensing or analytic options available to the warfighter.

• Ability to integrate outputs into operational workflows with minimal burden on users.

• Evidence that commercial markets can support long-term sustainment or scaling.

• Achievable path to Phase III transition, including identification of customers, funding mechanisms, and required approvals.

For Phase II proposals, the target should be to develop a working prototype for immediate operational demonstration and transition as soon as possible and adhere to the expected capability maturity timeframe developed in Phase I.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III will pursue full transition of the capability to operational use through non-SBIR/STTR funding streams. This phase may include final integration, expanded testing, scaling to larger user bases, or adaptation for additional mission partners. Capabilities entering Phase III should target a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6-7, demonstrating functionality in relevant environments and readiness for operational deployment. Activities may include:

• Full integration into SRT operational workflows or related architectures.

• Transition planning with acquiring organizations, including SYD 810/ETT, and their stakeholders.

• Compliance with security, accreditation, data, and interoperability requirements.

• Engagement with Combatant Commands and Partner Nations for expanded adoption.

• Identifying dual-use opportunities across defense, civil, and commercial markets to strengthen long-term sustainability.

Phase III success is achieved when the capability is fielded at scale, provides recurring operational value, and reduces warfighter risk by delivering timely, commercial-derived insights that expand sensing diversity and strengthen decision advantage.

DAF26BZ01-NV500 — Autonomous Space Cargo Network (ASCN): AI-Driven Logistics Automation and Digital Twin Integration for Space Mobility

Award Maximum: $75,000 Period of Performance: 3 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this effort is to develop and assess the feasibility of an Autonomous Space Cargo Network (ASCN) centered on Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) to modernize cargo handling and logistics operations at the Space Joint Movement Complex (SJMC) and across the Department of War's (DoW) space mobility enterprise. The ASCN will prioritize robotic mobility, autonomous cargo transport, and modular robotic integration, enabling real-time cargo movement, autonomous load execution, and resilient logistics in contested and commercial environments. Supporting technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) for task orchestration and digital twins for system modeling, will be used to evaluate AMR coordination, predictive maintenance, and system optimization. This effort will establish the foundational architecture and performance requirements for a scalable, cybersecure, and interoperable logistics framework for future space sustainment missions.

DESCRIPTION: The SJMC is envisioned as the central logistics hub for DoW space operations, supporting rapid deployment, sustainment, and agile mobility. Current cargo handling and logistics processes are heavily manual, lack real-time adaptability, and are not optimized for space-based supply chains or contested logistics environments. To address these capability gaps, the ASCN will deliver a hardware-centric logistics automation platform built around Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). The ASCN will combine autonomous robotics, intelligent decision-support, and digital twin technology to enable full-spectrum cargo management from warehouse to orbital interface while increasing speed, precision, and resilience. This effort will lay the foundation for a modular, scalable space logistics infrastructure aligned with U.S. Space Force (USSF) sustainment strategy. Key capabilities include:

1. Autonomous Cargo Handling & Transport Optimization

• Robotic forklifts, pallet movers, and modular AMRs for autonomous loading/unloading

• Sensor-rich navigation systems for dynamic obstacle avoidance and precision docking

• Fleet coordination for multi-robot cargo movement across terrestrial and orbital logistics nodes

2. AI-Driven Logistics Command & Control

• AI used for task orchestration, load prioritization, and mission responsiveness

• Integration with the Spaceport of the Future's Common Operating Picture (SPOF COP)

3. Machine Learning for Mission Adaptability

• Predictive analytics for resource positioning and contingency planning

• Visibility and orchestration across all classes of supply

4. Commercial & Military Logistics Interoperability

• Compatibility with U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Space Systems Command (SSC), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and commercial launch providers

• Joint protocol development for space cargo integration

5. Cybersecure & Resilient Robotics Architecture

• Blockchain-secured logistics tracking and tamper prevention

• Quantum-resistant algorithms and Zero Trust cybersecurity framework

This effort will lay the foundation for a future-ready, modular, and scalable space logistics infrastructure, aligned with U.S. Space Force (USSF) sustainment strategy and capable of supporting both terrestrial and orbital cargo networks.

PHASE I: The objective of Phase I is to develop a conceptual design and functional prototype for an AMR-based ASCN system that integrates robotic cargo handling and logistics optimization for space-focused missions and/or environments. Phase I will focus on system architecture, workflow modeling, early prototyping, and integration requirements—not full system development. Technical approach considerations include:

• Simulate AMR-enhanced cargo workflows within the SJMC, focusing on load planning and routing

• Design and model robotic automation frameworks for autonomous cargo handling and dynamic load stabilization

• Assess integration with DoW logistics platforms and commercial space operations

• Conduct stakeholder engagements to refine system requirements

• Execute preliminary load balance and maneuverability testing using 463L pallets

• Perform energy efficiency and power requirement analyses

Phase I deliverables include:

• Conceptual design document detailing AMR system architecture, and integration pathways.

• Initial prototype demonstration showcasing cargo management logic, load balancing, and sensing capabilities.

• Feasibility study covering integration potential with DoW systems, environmental resilience, scalability, and power/energy assessments.

• Phase II roadmap outlining test campaigns, system modifications for larger payloads, and milestones for operational prototype development.

PHASE II: The Phase II objective is to design, develop, and demonstrate a fully operational prototype of the ASCN capable of autonomous cargo handling, intelligent logistics coordination, and mission adaptability in contested, austere logistics, or space mission focused environments. This phase will validate the system's ability to improve cargo throughput, reduce human intervention, and integrate with both DoW and commercial logistics systems. Technical focus areas include:

• Build and integrate a full-scale ASCN prototype with autonomous robotic handlers, real-time cargo identification, and secure communications.

• Implement advanced AI models for adaptive cargo prioritization, dynamic routing, and autonomous load planning.

• Integrate with existing DoW logistics platforms such as USTRANSCOM, the Spaceport of the Future's Common Operating Procedure (COP) Logistics Module, and commercial systems where applicable.

• Conduct operational testing in representative logistics environments (e.g., Space Launch facilities, Distribution Hubs).

• Collect performance data for load accuracy, handling speed, mission responsiveness, energy usage, and system reliability.

• Demonstrate predictive maintenance and mission adaptability functions under simulated disruption scenarios.

Phase II deliverables include:

• Fully functional AMR-based ASCN prototype

• Operational test campaign report with performance metrics and logistics improvements

• AI performance evaluation for AMR coordination and decision support

• Integration documentation with SSC, DLA, USTRANSCOM, and commercial platforms

• Phase III transition plan, outlining commercialization strategy, scaling pathways, and targeted end-user adoption timelines.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: For Phase III, military applications include:

• Deploy AMRs across USSF logistics operations for autonomous cargo handling

• Integrate with DoW logistics ecosystems for multi-domain cargo movement

• Provide real-time logistics decision support for Joint Logistics planners

• Enhance sustainment for Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and distributed operations

• Support mission rehearsal and planning via integration with Spaceport of the Future Common Operating Picture (COP) Logistics Module

Commercial applications include:

• Offer AMR-based cargo handling and warehouse robotics to aerospace and space launch sectors

• Enable robotic logistics optimization for commercial supply chains and intermodal hubs

• Deliver cybersecure, AI-managed inventory and transport systems to spaceports and research facilities

• Position AMRs for future lunar and orbital supply chain networks

Transition plan considerations include:

• Military Transition through operational implementation at SSC logistics nodes and USTRANSCOM-managed facilities, with support from DLA for broad sustainment integration.

• Commercial Licensing to logistics automation firms, aerospace manufacturers, and spaceport operators, supported by targeted pilot deployments.

• Technology Integration with enterprise AI/machine learning (ML) platforms used in military logistics and commercial warehouse management systems.

The anticipated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for each phase is the following:

• Phase I: TRL 3 to 4 – Analytical and laboratory-based proof of concept

• Phase II: TRL 5 to 6 – System/subsystem prototype demonstrated in relevant environment

• Phase III: TRL 7 to 9 – System demonstration in operational environment and full deployment.

DAF26BZ01-NV008 — Runtime Assured Autonomy

Award Maximum: $300,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: The Need for Advanced Autonomy: The Air Force has gained wide interest in fully autonomous, unmanned air platforms operating in teams making collaborative decisions to successfully complete missions. Highest level, real-time decision making will be the responsibility of advanced autonomy. This autonomy will include both flight-level autonomy and mission-level autonomy. Flight-level autonomy functions will generate local commands that keep the vehicle operating safely. Mission-level autonomy functions will continuously deliver courses of action (COAs) to each platform in the fleet, commanding mission progress in real time. Although all vehicles in the fleet will have instantiations of the mission-level autonomy functions, COAs will typically be generated by a chosen fleet leader.

The Need for Runtime Assured Autonomy: Autonomy approaches under current development can be highly complex and nondeterministic in their behaviors. AFRL is currently developing approaches for autonomously executed missions using complex event processing techniques. This class of autonomy will be difficult, if not impossible, to fully certify from an airworthiness perspective, and therefore cannot be trusted to correctly operate under all mission conditions. Further, the capabilities of artificial intelligence and autonomy are rapidly increasing with continually updated versions and design iterations expected to occur throughout the operational lifecycles of unmanned systems. Such protocols are clearly not amenable to the time consuming and expensive airworthiness certification process.

To address this hurdle, Runtime assured autonomy (RTAA) functions will be needed to perform runtime monitoring of the autonomy and enact procedures to mitigate any adverse effects due to errors in the autonomy design. The safety and performance protections provided by RTAA will lessen the certification burden, allowing rapid fielding of autonomy functions.

Topic Objective: The objective of this topic is to develop innovative approaches to RTAA systems that protect the individual platform and the fleet against undiscovered design errors in the autonomy functions. The focus should be on use cases in which the RTAA determines whether the autonomy is generating infeasible, incorrect, and/or non-optimal solutions (e.g., commanded paths or task allocation) that may affect mission progress and effectiveness.

DESCRIPTION: Several of the Air Force's Operational Imperatives call for unmanned platforms to support manned platforms. The Advanced Battle Management System, Moving Target Engagement, Tactical Air Dominance and Global Strike imperatives all call for less expensive, attritable uncrewed platforms to aid in executing complex battle missions. These uncrewed systems cannot always be guaranteed to be controlled by remote human operators due to loss of radio communications or saturated operator workload. Full autonomy will need to fill the gap when human command/control cannot. To address future Air Force tactical and strategic needs, an increasing number of advanced systems with intelligent autonomy are being envisioned. Intelligent autonomy is central to systems involving a wide range of advanced adaptation, reconfiguration, autonomous decision making and contingency management.

Assured autonomy is the requirement that the autonomy operates safely and correctly under all circumstances and mission scenarios. RTAA fulfills this Air Force technology need, providing continuous monitoring/mitigation of autonomy functions to deliver required assurances of safe flight and correct mission execution. There are considerable challenges to developing a working RTAA system. The two key functions of the RTAA are:

1. Fault detection & isolation: The RTAA system must be able to determine if the autonomy is correctly producing COAs and other commands, which is especially difficult if agnostic of the autonomy function details. Developing strategies that can indirectly detect and isolate autonomy design faults in dynamic environments will be key to developing the RTAA system. Faults within the autonomy will need to be determined through the effects those faults have on the platform's safety, performance, and/or mission effectiveness. RTAA fault determination may come from comparing the current actions of the autonomy with nominal functional or performance requirements (e.g., what defines correct behavior), sanity checks, rubrics, rule sets, etc.

2. Mitigation response: If the RTAA determines that errors in the design of the autonomy functions are adversely affecting flight and mission decisions, it must then activate proper recovery or reversionary protocols. This may include first commanding the vehicle to a failsafe loiter point, then clearing functional states and restarting the autonomy functions. As a last resort, the RTAA may activate return-to-base or ditch procedures. If available, the RTAA may switch to simpler, reversionary autonomy functions that can continue the mission either temporarily until the advanced autonomy is back online, or to mission completion, if capable.

The two main functional levels of an RTAA system are:

1. Platform/fleet safety: Here, the RTAA typically treats the autonomy functions as a black box and simply monitors the platform and fleet for safety violations. The RTAA will monitor, for example, 1) flight envelope parameters such as angle of attack, angular rates, g-loading, etc., determining if their values remain within prescribed limits, 2) flight corridor values, determining if the vehicles are within their prescribed airspace and location for path deconfliction, and 3) path commands generated by the autonomy functions to determine if the vehicle's maneuvering capabilities can fly the commanded path. If it is determined that safety violations are ensuing, (and assuming no hardware faults or other contingencies are causing unsafe conditions), then the RTAA will deactivate the autonomy functions and activate simpler reversionary controllers or procedures designed to bring the vehicle/fleet back to a safe state.

2. Autonomy function performance: Here, the RTAA is monitoring for correct and/or optimal performance of the autonomy itself. The RTAA must determine if the autonomy functions are, for example, 1) generating correct COAs, including safe, optimal and deconflicted paths, 2) commanding proper asset allocation and reassignment of platform roles, if necessary (e.g., send the vehicle with the most fuel to the furthest mission point, or use the fastest vehicle for the most time-critical objective, etc.), 3) replanning mission objectives accordingly due to unforeseen changes in the environment (inclement weather, observed adversarial threats, etc.), changes in the commander's intent (uploaded changes to mission objectives, etc.) or other unforeseen contingencies, and 4) addressing other relevant mission aspects to maximize mission effectiveness.

PHASE I: This SBIR topic directly aligns with several current Air Force Operational Imperatives involved in autonomy and uncrewed air platforms. Phases I and II directly support R&D efforts in AFRL and larger Air Force efforts involving autonomous collaborative platforms (ACPs). Successful outcomes of Phases I and II will directly support future 6.3 efforts in autonomous combat operations, tactical teaming, advanced contingency management, and runtime assurance.

Phase I should be a feasibility study of proposed solutions, focusing on initial design ideas of architectures and approaches for the RTAA system. The effort should identify technical challenges, risks, and design requirements. The architecture should explicate functional design elements of the integrated components, interface requirements, required communication pathways, and required sensor suites. Functional designs of the two main elements of the RTAA system should be addressed:

RTAA fault determination function: The RTAA system should continually perform information acquisition, gathering relevant information from onboard sensors, information transmitted from local fleetmates, and broadcasted information from tactical and strategic sources (e.g., ground command base, satellites, AWACs, etc.). RTAA subsystems will then perform knowledge extraction, fusing and filtering the gathered information and delivering this knowledge to fault determination functions within the RTAA system.

Although monitoring for platform safety violations will be a critical part of the RTAA system, for this effort, focus should be primarily on determining the autonomy's performance in delivering correct or optimal COAs. Use cases should be developed that cover a range of faults in the autonomy design causing corrupt COA generation and subsequent erroneous actions. Use cases involving contingencies may provide rich scenarios for experimental studies (platform hardware faults, pop-up threats, unforeseen mission changes, etc.). Here, strategies should be constructed to determine if the autonomy is incorrectly responding to contingencies. Strategies may involve fault detection and isolation techniques, heuristic mechanisms, or other formal methods. Accurate determination is critical and the RTAA function should not be producing false alarms, shutting down correctly operating autonomy functions that are responding to off-nominal contingency conditions.

Mission scenarios for use case development may include ISR, patrol, supply delivery, high-value escort, weapon engagement/deployment, enemy suppression, etc. Contested areas of operation may include high-risk zones, no-fly zones, natural and urban terrain, with red team air and ground assets, etc.

RTAA mitigation function: If the RTAA system determines the autonomy is not operating correctly, it will activate recovery procedures to re-acquire safe and correct operations. This may involve simple reversionary functions that bring the platform or mission to a safe state. Here too, Phase I should be a feasibility study of proposed solutions, focusing on initial design ideas. Recovery procedures under various scenarios/context should be outlined and risks assessed. Under what conditions should the mission be abandoned and the fleet commanded to return to base? Or, should a failsafe loiter point be targeted as the autonomy functions are cleared and restarted? Can vehicles continue with the mission under a set of pre-defined COAs commanded in succession?

Phase I objectives: Initial architecture and functional design approaches may be delivered as documented descriptions. Initial, low-order design and analysis studies in desktop simulation environments can be performed to support the proposed set of use cases. A Phase II technology development plan should be completed based on Phase I results.

Respondents can propose use of their own models and simulation environments in Phase I. No government furnished data is required. However, awardees should expect significant interaction and involvement with the Air Force during initial planning for Phase II and beyond to align with specific platforms, architectures and missions of interest to the Air Force.

PHASE II: In Phase II, design architectures should be significantly matured and align with the Air Force's Autonomy-Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA). Technology maturation should be a significant part of the Phase II, with design iteration and testing in higher fidelity desktop simulation environments with representative platform applications and mission scenarios of interest to the Air Force. Develop realistic use cases that exercise the functionality of the RTAA fault detection and subsequent mitigation measures. Benefits of the recovery processes and operation over a wide range of scenarios should be demonstrated. Capstone demonstrations should be constructed showcasing the utility of the technology advancements.

The technology readiness level of the developed products should then be matured further, constructing real-time functionality and testing the developed technologies in a real-time software integration laboratory environment. Repeat capstone experiments that were performed in desktop simulations.

Depending on contractual arrangements, government furnished data or equipment could be provided in the form of simulation models or equipment supporting laboratory bench testing. At this stage, systems used to demonstrate the developed technologies should closely align with Air Force programs of interest that employ advanced intelligent autonomy. Technology transfer plans should be constructed showing how the developed Phase II products can directly support such programs in preparations for Phase III efforts.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III efforts should be pursued in Air Force programs, other DoD branches and commercial endeavors. The AFWERX's STRATFI/TACFI programs could serve as potential starting points, supporting identified Air Force customers in, for example, 1) AFRL directorates, 2) AFWERX's Autonomy Prime with application to low-cost unmanned aircraft system test beds, 3) Agility Prime with application to air mobility systems with autonomy, or 4) current and future air wings that focus on platforms and systems driven by autonomy. For example, the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base has conducted multiple autonomous flight tests and research projects to advance the capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems.

Proposed activities should directly support these Air Force customers and their programs of interest with advanced technology development and flight testing. Teaming arrangements should be made with airframe/avionics manufacturers to develop/finalize the system designs in a pre-production phase. The Phase II-developed real time code should be ported to flight processors and initial flight demonstrations with surrogate sUAS platforms should be performed, again testing capstone experiments.

Follow-on Phase III programs should focus on final design developments, completely expanding the RTAA products for full envelop operation and integrated with fully matured contingency management and flight and mission autonomy systems. Required V&V, safety analysis and testing for eventual certification should be performed at this stage.

Commercialization efforts should be pursued in parallel, teaming with industry to license the developed code and/or manufacture relevant avionics subsystems. The developed products could support DoD platforms and mission systems of interest, or advanced civilian applications, such as urban/advanced air mobility (UAM/AAM). These vehicles are incorporating non-traditional electric or hybrid propulsion vertical takeoff and landing capabilities (eVTOL/hVTOL). These aircraft are being developed for both manned and unmanned operations, typically utilizing a single onboard pilot, remote pilot, or fully autonomous control. Mission applications include personnel recovery/delivery, medical evacuation, resupply/distribution, patrol, search and rescue, etc., with applications in law enforcement, civil air patrol, firefighting, disaster/humanitarian relief, border patrol, bridge/building/utility inspections, environmental services, agriculture, etc.

With these applications, trust in the onboard autonomy will be critical. Often the onboard pilot will have limited flight training (e.g., an EMT or first responder) and he/she will not have sufficient experience to correctly respond to complex contingencies that may arise. Fully automatic contingency management integrated with the onboard autonomy will be required. Further, operations over densely populated urban areas will require significant evidence that the autonomy will be bounded to safe/correct actions. RTAA systems will be a key enabling technology to provide this evidence.

RTAA applications should be extended to ground vehicles, self-driving cars, and other autonomous modes of transportation. Other applications may include industrial systems, medical devices, robotic applications and any functions requiring assured intelligent autonomy.

Wherever autonomy is needed, systems that assure that autonomy will always do the right thing will also be needed. RTAA is not only a required technology, it is an enabling technology for future systems driven by autonomy. Sending unchecked autonomy out into the world will simply not be allowed. Societal regulations will not allow untrusted autonomy to control machinery that can harm people or cause physical damage. RTAA will be required without doubt.

DAF26BZ01-NV006 — Intelligent Threat Aware Autonomy

Award Maximum: $300,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: The objectives are to do: 1. Weapon Engagement Zone (WEZ) Modeling: Develop models to represent the area where a weapon can effectively engage targets. This involves considering factors like weapon range, vehicle movement, and threat trajectories, to provide risk measures for path planning and weapons employment. 2. WEZ Avoidance: Develop path planning algorithms for ACPs to navigate safely through dynamic WEZs, minimizing risk while reaching objectives efficiently. This requires real-time solutions that can handle multiple static and moving threats. 3. Advanced Weaponeering: Optimize weapon usage for ACPs to maximize target capture and neutralization. This includes assigning appropriate weapons to targets, considering target movement and the overall mission context. 4. Mutual Support: Investigate how multiple ACPs can cooperate effectively in adversarial situations. This includes coordinated movement to avoid threats and collaborative weapon engagement for increased effectiveness.

DESCRIPTION: To address future Air Force strategic needs, an increasing number of advanced systems with intelligent autonomy are being envisioned. Intelligent autonomy is central to systems involving advanced automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, adaptive control architectures, and heightened performance compared to the state of the art. A critical need for enabling these future autonomous systems are behaviors that can be leveraged by higher level cognition or mission managers to achieve collaborative mission execution for ACPs. The question that needs to be asked is, "Provided that systems have all the data available to them from sensors and mission objectives, what is it that the systems actually have to do to be successful in their mission?" It is clear that the sensing and available of data is a critical requirement for making informed decisions, this may entail a deep investigation on coupling behaviors with sensing capability; but, the focus of this effort is more toward the thinking and action than the sensing of the sense-think-act process flow. Near term objectives of this work are to invest in basic and applied research to building on the accomplished R&D, address specific identified technical challenges and tools for solving Intelligent Threat Aware Autonomy (ITA2) objectives. Far term objectives involve advanced technology development to constrict ITA2 avionics packages, perform real-time hardware and flight testing of ITA2 products, manufacture vehicles capable of performing ITA2 or hardware that interfaces with current ACPs, and flight test on Air Force / DoD commercial platforms.

Intelligent Threat Aware Autonomy (ITA2) is aimed at finding ways to take measured risks and enable autonomous systems to achieve air superiority in threat laden environments. Multiple facets of this project are to be investigated including: ways of measuring risk from ensuing threats, leveraging ownship weapon models for capturing targets of interest, avoiding adversarial threats, addressing limited communication range and navigational error, quantifying mutual support and types of mutual support, and measures of force through collaboration and teaming. Lastly, the addressing of uncertainty of own-ship(s) states, target vehicle(s) states, operations boundaries, target vehicle capability, and other forms of uncertainties such as communication delay and environmental disturbances (wind) are important for obtaining reliable and robust behaviors.

Vehicle control is performed by providing the vehicles desired aim-points or waypoint plans in three-dimensional space. The inner loop control systems of aircraft is out of scope of this work; rather, interfacing with current / existing vehicle control technologies is expected though the use of aim-points. This reduces the burden of developing the necessary vehicle control commands such as normal acceleration, roll-rate, and throttle. Furthermore, it leverages the most state of the art methods for performing vehicle control and AI enabling technologies.

PHASE I: In Phase 1, focus should be on initial developments of proposed solutions to one or more of the design challenges. Alternate solutions should be considered and the most promising approaches identified. Development and analysis in desktop simulation environments with representative aircraft platforms (kinematic or dynamic in nature) can be performed to assist transition to Phase II. Investigations in methodology and computational performance should motivate the use of flight-worthy methods in later phases. Feasibility studies should be conducted regarding proposed solution approaches. Initial design and analysis studies in desktop simulation environments should be performed. Based on initial analyses and experimental results, recommendations for further R&D and a Phase II technology development plan should be completed. Surrogate models representing Air Force platforms of interest can be used in Phase I. No government furnished data or equipment should be required. Air Force customers/stakeholders and specific Air Force technology applications of interest should be identified. These should be technologies in which advancements in ITA2 will provide significant benefit.

PHASE II: In Phase II, design details and experimental test plans should be significantly expanded. Development and analysis in higher fidelity desktop simulation environments with representative platform applications should be performed. Develop realistic use cases that exercise ITA2 functionality and demonstrate benefits or capabilities. The ITA2 system should be able to avoid adversarial threats, engage on targets of interest, and be able to quantify relevant mission parameters for a mission manager to select from available behaviors. Success will be defined by demonstrating the benefits of the advanced ITA2 technology as compared to current state of the art methods such as circumnavigation around threat regions or pure-pursuit to intended targets. Evaluation of ITA2 Technology will entail review of real-time functionality and test/demonstrate the technologies in a software/hardware integration laboratory environment. It may be valuable to repeat some or all of the capstone experiments that were performed in desktop simulations. Cost and schedule permitting, port developed real time code to flight processors and perform initial flight demonstrations with surrogate sUAS platform(s), again testing capstone experiments.

Depending on contractual arrangements, government furnished data or equipment could be provided in the form of simulation models or equipment supporting laboratory or flight testing. At this stage, systems used to demonstrate the developed ITA2 technologies should closely align with Air Force programs of interest that employ advanced, adaptive and intelligent autonomy. Technology transfer plans should be constructed showing how the developed Phase II products can directly support such programs in preparations for Phase III efforts.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: In Phase III, teaming arrangements should be made with airframe/avionics manufacturers to develop/finalize ITA2 system design(s) in a pre-production phase. Required safety analysis and testing for eventual certification should be performed. Phase III activities should directly support Air Force programs of interest with flight testing and demonstrations on full scale vehicles. This program is integrating ACP technology with Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) missions systems to enable ACP transitions. A successful program will deliver a prototype suite of technologies to enable autonomous ACPs with enhanced capabilities for Air Force missions. However, trust in the autonomy will be paramount for close-in manned-unmanned operations and ITA2 will be a key enabling technology to provide the required level of trust in the unmanned systems.

Follow-on Phase III activities should expand applications to other branches of the military and DoD customers. Clear applications include counter uncrewed aerial system defense, cruise missile defense, high-value airborne asset defense, high-speed interception of incoming threats, suppression of enemy air defenses, destruction of enemy air defenses, combat air patrol, etc. Methods and approaches should be suitable for pre-mission planning, real-time mission execution, and wargaming to inform commander's intent. ITA2 applications should be extended to various groups of air platforms; but, group 5 systems are of particular interest to the DoD.

DAF26BZ01-NV003 — Low-Cost Modular Payload Vehicle for Agile Electronic Warfare Swarms with Ground Launch Capability

Award Maximum: $275,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop a low-cost, versatile sUAS platform (Group 3 and below) specifically designed to accommodate modular payloads and capable of ground launch. This platform should enable agile electronic warfare applications in swarms. This topic is intended to develop a standalone solution that can be integrated with a variety of payloads, either by modifying an existing sUAS platform or by developing a new platform from the ground up.

DESCRIPTION: The effective deployment of electronic warfare (EW) capabilities relies on agile and adaptable platforms that can rapidly integrate and deploy a variety of payloads. Current sUAS platforms often lack the modularity and flexibility required to support the rapid evolution of EW technology. This topic addresses the need for a low-cost, versatile sUAS platform specifically designed to accommodate modular payloads and designed for ground launch, enabling rapid deployment in diverse operational environments. Proposals may consider either modifying an existing, commercially available sUAS platform to meet the requirements of this topic, or developing a new platform optimized for modularity and ground launch.

The key innovation is the development of a sUAS platform (either new or modified) with a standardized payload interface that allows for rapid integration and swapping of different payloads. This modular design, combined with ground launch capability, will enable:

• Rapid Payload Integration: Simplified and standardized interfaces for connecting power, data, and control signals to the payload.

• Payload Agnosticism: The ability to accommodate a wide range of payload sizes, weights, and power requirements.

• Enhanced Mission Flexibility: The ability to quickly reconfigure the sUAS for different missions by swapping payloads.

• Simplified Logistics: Reduced maintenance and support costs through standardized components and interfaces.

• Ground Launch Compatibility: Robust design specifically for compatibility with ground launch systems, enabling rapid deployment from ground-based platforms, even in challenging terrain.

The sUAS platform should be optimized for operation in low to medium sized swarms (3-10 units), allowing for coordinated EW effects. The design should also prioritize low cost, ease of use, reliability, and the following Key Performance Parameters (KPPs):

• Payload Capacity: Minimum of 5 lbs

• Endurance: Minimum flight time of 45 minutes with a 5 lb payload.

• Range: Minimum operational range of 100 kilometers.

• Ground Launch System Compatibility: Compatible with a readily available ground launch system (e.g., pneumatic launcher, rail system).

• Deployment Time: Capable of being launched and operational within 5 minutes of arrival at the launch site.

PHASE I: Develop a concept for a modular payload vehicle, either by modifying an existing platform or designing a new one, including detailed specifications for the payload interface, power system, communication system, and control system. The proposal should demonstrate the feasibility of achieving rapid payload integration, payload agnosticism, the stated KPPs, and successful ground launch. The proposal should detail the integration challenges and requirements, whether modifying an existing platform or developing a new one. Documentation should include preliminary designs, performance simulations, component selection rationale, and a ground launch integration plan.

PHASE II: Develop, integrate, and demonstrate a prototype modular payload vehicle. Specific goals include:

• Demonstrate rapid payload integration and swapping capabilities.

• Achieve a target cost of [Insert Specific Cost Target based on your research] per unit.

• Demonstrate achievement of the stated KPPs.

• Develop a user-friendly interface for controlling and managing the sUAS and its payload.

• Utilize open-source software and off-the-shelf hardware components where possible.

• Demonstrate successful integration and launch from a representative ground launch system.

• Evaluate the impact of ground launch conditions on the performance and reliability of the sUAS platform and its payload.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Successful development of a modular payload vehicle will have significant applications in both military and commercial sectors. Potential applications include:

• Rapidly deployable sensor platforms for environmental monitoring.

• Versatile delivery platforms for logistics and supply chain management.

• Adaptable inspection platforms for infrastructure maintenance.

• Enhanced situational awareness for first responders, rapidly deployable from ground-based platforms.

• Rapidly deployable communication and EW capabilities for disaster relief efforts, even in areas with limited infrastructure.

The core technologies developed in this SBIR have broad applicability across both defense and commercial sectors, fostering economic growth and societal benefit.

DAF26TZ01-NV004 — Low-Cost, Phased Array Antennas for Collaborative Jamming in sUAS Swarms

Award Maximum: $275,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I (STTR)

OBJECTIVE: Develop a low-cost, phased array antenna system and associated signal processing techniques for collaborative jamming applications using small to medium-sized sUAS swarms (3-7 units).

DESCRIPTION: This topic addresses the need for affordable and scalable jamming capabilities leveraging sUAS swarms. Instead of focusing on individual, high-power jammers, this STTR seeks to develop a collaborative jamming approach using multiple sUAS equipped with low-cost phased array antennas.

The key innovation is the development of a low-cost phased array antenna system that can be precisely controlled to focus jamming energy on specific targets. By coordinating the signals from multiple sUAS in a swarm, the effective jamming power can be significantly increased. The focus on low to medium-sized swarms (3-7 units) allows for manageable coordination and control strategies.

This approach offers several advantages over traditional jamming techniques, including:

• Increased jamming effectiveness through beamforming.

• Improved resilience through redundancy.

• Reduced risk of detection and counter-attack.

• Lower cost compared to high-power jamming systems.

PHASE I: Develop a concept for a low-cost phased array antenna system suitable for sUAS-based collaborative jamming. The proposal should demonstrate the feasibility of achieving beamforming, low cost, and performance suitable for disrupting target communication systems. Documentation should include preliminary designs, performance simulations, and component selection rationale.

PHASE II: Develop, integrate, and demonstrate a prototype collaborative jamming system using a swarm of 3-7 sUAS equipped with the developed phased array antennas. Specific goals include:

• Demonstrate effective beamforming and jamming of target communication signals.

• Develop a software interface for controlling and coordinating the phased array antennas within the swarm.

• Utilize open-source software and off-the-shelf hardware components where possible.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Successful development of low-cost phased array antennas and collaborative jamming techniques will have significant applications in both military and commercial sectors. Potential applications include:

• Disrupting illegal drone activity.

• Protecting critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks.

• Enhancing communication security in contested environments.

DHA26BZ01-DV005 — Development of Small Molecules with Antifungal Properties for Safe Use in Human Patients (Direct to Phase II)

Award Maximum: $1,400,000 Period of Performance: 24 months Phase Type: Direct to Phase II (DP2)

OBJECTIVE: This topic is intended for technology proven ready to move directly into Phase II and accepts Direct to Phase II proposals only. The proposed research will focus on identifying compounds with broad-spectrum activity against clinically relevant fungal pathogens while minimizing toxicity to humans. The primary objective is to identify a small molecule with fungicidal properties that are safe for human use, with FDA clearance.

DESCRIPTION: Fungal infections represent a growing global health challenge, particularly among immuno-compromised individuals. Invasive fungal infections caused by pathogens such as Candida species, Aspergillus species, Fusarium species, and Mucor species are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Fungal infections are associated with 130k hospitalizations, 13 million outpatient visits, and result in a financial burden of $19 billion on the civilian health care sector. Fungal wound infections in particular are also growing challenge for the military. Despite the availability of antifungal agents, current treatments are often limited by toxicity, drug resistance, and narrow-spectrum activity. The emergence of multidrug-resistant fungal strains, such as Candida auris, has further exacerbated the need for novel antifungal therapies. Small molecules with antifungal properties offer a promising avenue for addressing these challenges. Their ability to target specific fungal pathways, combined with the potential for oral bioavailability and low manufacturing costs, makes them ideal candidates for therapeutic development. However, significant scientific and technical hurdles remain with the discovery and optimization of small molecules that are both effective against fungal pathogens and safe for human use. Qualified proposals should identify small molecules with antifungal properties from an existing library. These small molecules should be active against all of the following fungi: Fusarium species, Aspergillus species, Candida auris, or Mucorales species. Qualified molecules will have antifungal activity at nanomolar concentrations. Further, these small molecules must have a cytotoxicity profile similar, or better than Amphotericin B.

PHASE I: This topic is intended for technology proven ready to move directly into Phase II. Therefore, the offeror must demonstrate and provide documentation to substantiate that the scientific and technical merit and feasibility described in Phase I has been met and describes the potential commercial applications. Documentation must include all relevant information including, but not limited to technical reports, test data, prototype designs/models, and performance goals/results.

Demonstrate screening of existing chemical libraries or other sources to identify a single or multiple candidate compounds with antifungal properties in vitro. The chemical candidate or candidates must demonstrate antifungal activity at nanomolar concentrations. Acceptable routes of administration are topical and systemic. Further, in vitro cell culture conditions, the chemical candidate or candidates must be as or less cytotoxic than Amphotericin B, as measured by a lactate dehydrogenase assay or similar test. Multiple candidates can be included in Phase II.

PHASE II: During this phase, the lead antifungal candidate or candidates should be optimized into a viable treatment option in vivo. The cytotoxicity must be screened against a skin organoid model and compared to Amphotericin B. The efficacy of the candidate antifungal or antifungals must be tested in these organoid models to determine if the fungal burden is reduced by at least 100-fold. Further, testing on small animals should be completed to ensure that the candidate antifungal or antifungals can reduce fungal burden in vivo. In vivo studies using a wound model are encouraged. Operational effectiveness must be demonstrated in this phase, with evaluations of the product's stability in austere conditions (temperatures ranging from -32 to 49 ℃). An optimal shelf life in these conditions is one year; a minimum acceptable shelf life is 6 months. The regulatory strategy for this product or products should be clearly defined with a detailed plan to obtain FDA clearance.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This phase is critical as it transitions the prototype from an advanced development stage to a fully viable concept ready for real-world military and civilian use. The company should develop partnerships that adhere to Quality Management System (QMS) requirements to demonstrate and commercialize the technology in civilian relevant settings, such as hospitals and clinics. The company should also investigate other funding opportunities with other government agencies, such as Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), that may be interested in supporting the development and commercialization of this technology. The goal of this phase is to secure FDA approval. This phase should include testing in large animal models and randomized clinical trials under formal institutional protocol approval. The candidate antifungals must be optimized for a shelf life of one year in austere environments. Once fully developed the antifungal should be positioned for use in both civilian and military settings. The selected offeror is responsible for making the product accessible to potential military and civilian users. Coordinate with military customers to establish a National Stock Number.

DHA26BZ01-NV004 — Development of Wearable Device for Detecting Biomarkers and Treating Viral and Bacterial Infections

Award Maximum: $300,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop a non-invasive wearable device that can discretely detect biomarkers for and provide initial broad-spectrum treatment for pan-viral and pan-bacterial infections. If fielded for military use, it may require additional security measures.

DESCRIPTION: The DHA Strategic Research Plan (SRP): Environmental Exposures (June 2024) lists two capability requirements under the "Assess" and "Treat" capability areas that align with this proposal: Environmental Detection and Health Risk Assessments under Assess and Environmental Exposures Treatment under Treat. In addition, the DHA SRP: Military Infectious Diseases (May 2024) lists three capability requirements under the "Prevent", "Treat", and "Enable" capability areas that align with this proposal: Prevention of Military Relevant Endemic and Emerging Infectious Diseases under Prevent, Treatment of Military Relevant Endemic and Emerging Infectious Diseases under Treat, and Core Competencies under Enable.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is looking for an advanced, non-invasive (does not break the skin or physically enter the body) wearable device (i.e., flash/continuous glucose style monitoring) capable of qualitatively detecting all-viral and all-bacterial infections using discrete biomarkers for such infections: TRAIL, MxA, CD46, IP-10, PTX3, or other non-blood based biomarkers (saliva, sweat, etc.) for viral infections and CRP, PCT, IL-6, IL-8, CD35, CD55, CD64, pro-ADM, or other non-blood based biomarkers (saliva, sweat, etc.) for bacterial infections. The end goal is a wearable device that discretely detects viral and bacterial infections and renders initial, broad-spectrum anti-viral or anti-bacterial treatment(s) at austere operational environments where no immediate medical countermeasures and no other detection capabilities are available until casualties are evacuated to locations with more robust medical resources for additional and specific differentiation and treatment. At a higher echelon of care, medical personnel must be able to receive data from the device to find out what category of threats (viral or bacterial) has triggered a biomarker detection and what corresponding treatments have been rendered to the affected force before providing more advanced care.

By continuously monitoring validated biomarkers, this device will empower warfighters to detect and respond to biological threats early, enhancing their survivability and operational effectiveness in high-threat theaters and mitigating risks to mission and force. This Air Force Medical Command initiative improves force health protection and ensures mission success. Dual-use functionality of this technology will focus on civilian healthcare systems.

PHASE I: Phase I will provide proof of feasibility on biomarker detection capabilities and initial treatment integration under various operational parameters. Efficacy must be demonstrated in progress documents via reproducible testing results against, at minimum, the bacterial and viral biomarkers listed in the description. Specifically, provide a detailed analysis of selected biomarkers (and their thresholds to indicate infections) and biosensor technologies, demonstrating their critical role in detecting and differentiating viral and bacterial infections as well as initial treatment considerations for such infections. This investigation will systematically address key attributes such as device detection capabilities, continuous monitoring in austere operational environments, and operator interface design. Additionally, results will outline specific power supply requirements for the system and propose resilient solutions that guarantee the continuity of health status data, whether the device is actively deployed or in storage. This Phase will demonstrate the feasibility of a wearable device for DAF warfighters and explore significant opportunities for standardization across the Department of War (DoW).

PHASE II: Phase II will focus on development and testing of one to five wearable prototypes:

Biomarker Detection: Qualitatively detect pan-viral and pan-bacterial infection biomarkers to achieve 95% sensitivity and 95% specificity or higher. Durability and Design: Ruggedized and capable of operating in a wide range of environments and all-weather conditions (i.e., 0°F to 120°F operating temperatures and up to 100% humidity). The device must be able to withstand physical impacts (i.e., repeated contacts with body armor or repeated drop from 6 ft on hard surface) as well as prevent chafing and potential detachment (i.e., no thicker than 5 mm). Materials must be fully compatible with military uniforms and equipment. Monitoring Frequency and Power: Continuous monitoring with a maximum interval of 5 minutes, and the power must continuously operate for a minimum of 30 days without a need to recharge. Solar power is acceptable. User Interface: Infection alert status must be a simple, intuitive format, using color codes, audible alerts and/or vibration, even when the device is worn under protective gear, allowing warfighters to rapidly manipulate functions (i.e., reset, turn on/off alarms, system restarts) by touching or tapping. One to five prototype(s) must be delivered. Prototype(s) must have wireless integration allowing for secure data storage and transmission (ie. military grade blockchain encryption and HIPAA/Privacy Act compliant). Detailed initial test and evaluation results and validation process must be delivered with the prototypes. An applicable Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory strategy outlining requirements for testing from safety and effectiveness must be included as well as how FDA approval will be received.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III will involve deployment, testing, evaluation, and improvement of the mobile platform for military (and civilian) use. FDA approval is the end goal of this Phase. The inherent dual-use capability of this technology presents opportunities for integration across the military and within civilian healthcare systems. Specifically, target applications include DAF Deployed Personnel: enhancing force health protection for at-risk personnel vulnerable to biological threats, with potential application across the DoW. Commercial applications include civilian healthcare facilities specifically in rural communities: enabling civilian hospitals to remotely monitor and render initial treatment for at-risk patients prior to further patient management.

DHA26BZ01-NV003 — Environmental Exposure Detection Technologies and/or Decontamination Treatments for Military Working Dogs

Award Maximum: $300,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop decontamination treatments for military working dogs that have been exposed to toxic industrial chemicals and materials through the performance of their duties.

DESCRIPTION: This topic is in support of the DoD Working Dog Strategic Research Plan concerning mitigation, countermeasures and treatments for toxin/toxic exposures. In modern military operations, military working dogs (MWDs) are at risk of exposure by many different types of hazardous materials. These include toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and materials (TIMs) such as hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, glycols, hazardous metals, gases (hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, freon, carbon monoxide, etc.), acids and alkali substances. Techniques for the decontamination of hazardous material exposures to the surface of the MWD are well defined. Although there are useful treatment options for external decontamination, there are few treatment options for toxic exposures that have been absorbed into the body of the MWD.

The objective of this topic is to develop new treatments for MWDs against hazardous materials that have been absorbed into the body either through the skin or mucous membranes, by inhalation, or ingestion. Current systemic treatments employed to care for MWDs include supportive antibiotic therapy for sulfur mustard, atropine injections for nerve agents, and Narcan for narcotics, but there are limited treatment options available for TIC/TIM exposures. Systemic treatments for the MWD should be able to be performed by veterinarians and their support personnel (trained animal care specialists (68T) in Role 1 and/or veterinary medical and surgical teams (VMST) in Role 2). Potential MWD systemic treatments could include but are not limited to kits containing indicators or detectors of TIC/TIM exposure with easily identifiable injectable treatments for the identified contaminant (indicator/detector) and/or hemoperfusion systems and filters that can be used to remove contaminants from the blood (systemic). This research topic does not support the use of canines for testing purposes. Any animal testing would require use of a suitable animal model that would approximate the response of a canine.

PHASE I: This phase is to propose either a TIC/TIM indicator/detector that can be used in conjunction with current treatments and/or propose a systemic treatment system for MWD toxic exposures. For indicator/detector technologies, identify potential technologies that are lightweight for use in the field and can ascertain exposures to specific TICs/TIMs and determine what decontamination treatment options to use for MWD survival. For systemic treatments, determine the potential of materials and methods which could be developed into a system for the systemic treatment of TIC/TIM exposures in canines. All proposed treatments must have the potential to reduce the specific TIC/TIM to levels that are safely below the LD50 of the TIC/TIM based on average weight of a canine (80-100 lbs). A listing of potential toxins and LD50 levels can be found in the MERCK Veterinary Manual Toxicology. Down select the best candidate materials and methods for inclusion in an exposure indicator or detection system and/or systemic treatments for development and testing in Phase II based on operational relevance. Develop a plan for the testing of candidate technologies and treatments using both in vitro and in vivo studies (as necessary). Any in vivo studies are to be planned using a suitable animal model that approximates the canine. No canine research will be performed for this topic area. The plan must include the descriptions and methods of determining the study endpoints to be measured for successful prototypes. Estimate the potential effects of the proposed systems and processes on MWDs and their handlers.

PHASE II: For TIC/TIM indicator/detector technologies associated with the treatment approach, develop and optimize a workable prototype that can be used in both laboratory and field testing. Perform the testing plan for the evaluation of the prototype as described in Phase I. Demonstrate the effectiveness, sensitivity, and specificity of the technologies for the detection of the specified contaminants. Demonstrate the ability for the technology to be used in the appropriate field setting by the working dog handler or Role 1 or Role 2 veterinary staff once trained.

For systemic treatment products, develop and optimize a workable prototype for laboratory testing. Validate the proof of concept by demonstrating the effectiveness of the developed prototype against TICs/TIMs on appropriate surrogate materials and evaluate its effectiveness by performing the testing plan developed as part of Phase I on appropriate efficacy models. Verify that contamination levels are reduced to or below performance objective levels. Demonstrate the practicality of use at the specified Role of Care in which the treatment is intended to occur. If any in vivo studies were planned, they must be performed on an animal model that approximates the canine. No canine research will be performed for this topic area.

Estimate transportability and storage stability of the developed detection and/or treatment prototype. Develop final product specification documents that include a list of all system components and their requirements and instructions for deployment and stowage.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The end goal is to achieve FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine approval for the prototype developed in Phase II. Optimize the TIC/TIM indicator or detector prototypes and/or systemic treatments for use with additional hazardous materials and demonstrate its effectiveness with end users. Use feedback from end-users to further optimize the prototypes. Transition the prototype from an advanced development stage to a fully vetted product ready for real-world use. Refine the development of a commercialization plan that may include development of different pathways, including both military and private sectors. This product should be applicable to a broad spectrum of civilian use markets, including emergency veterinary facilities, other government agencies (DHS, FEMA, ATF, etc.), law enforcement and search and rescue canines. In addition, the work may result in technology transition to Acquisition Program Managers within DoW. These efforts will be crucial in turning the prototype into a commercially viable product that can be rapidly deployed in military operations.

DHA26BZ01-NV002 — Detection and Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury in Military Working Dogs

Award Maximum: $300,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate previously developed traumatic brain injury (TBI) detection and treatments methods that can be repurposed for use in military working dogs (MWDs) after suffering from battlefield injuries.

DESCRIPTION: This topic is in support of the DoD Working Dog Strategic Research Plan concerning mitigation, strategies, and treatments for the detection and treatment of TBI. Due to the high-risk nature of MWD operations, TBI is a common injury. TBI in the MWD carries an extremely high mortality rate with a prehospital mortality of over 40% for severe TBI cases. It is estimated that 25-40% of all MWD trauma cases are accompanied by TBI, but there is limited data concerning the short- and long-term effects of TBI on the performance and health of the MWD. Current clinical detection methods for TBI in the MWD are by the observation of altered mentation (coma, stupor, depression, lethargy, inappropriate behavior or responses) of the MWD and by use of the modified veterinary Glasgow coma scale or with physical evidence of head trauma (e.g., lacerations, abrasions, bruising, swelling, pain, bleeding from the nose or ears). Current treatment guidelines for TBI in MWDs are largely based on treatment recommendations for humans and are primarily supportive measures to maintain blood pressure, oxygen levels, proper ventilation, and body temperature to mitigate secondary injuries. There have been many TBI detection methods and treatment strategies developed for humans that have shown promising results in rodent and large animal models. The objective of this SBIR is to review research that was performed in rodents, canines, or other large animal models that could be repurposed for the detection and treatment of TBI specifically in MWDs. This research topic does not support the use of canines for testing purposes. Any animal testing would require use of suitable animal model that would approximate the response of a canine.

PHASE I: Identify TBI detection and/or TBI treatment methodologies that could be used for canine physiology based on previous TBI research. Develop a solution that builds on one or more of these methodologies. This solution must address the level(s) of TBI severity (mild, moderate, and severe) that the detection or treatment solution will address. Determine the technical feasibility of performing the proposed TBI detection and/or treatment concept in a Role 1 or Role 2 setting within a 72-hour window post injury. Define key components and milestones needed to develop the proposed solution. Develop a research plan that can be used to conduct in vitro and/or in vivo feasibility studies. This plan must include study descriptions and methods for determining study endpoints which will be used to measure the effectiveness of the detection or treatment methodology. The developed plan must also address any potential risks that may occur as part of any in vivo studies. The size of any studies performed must be appropriately powered to ensure that the results are statistically significant. Any in vivo studies are to be planned using a suitable animal model that approximates the canine. No canine research will be performed for this topic area. The plan must include the descriptions and methods of determining the study endpoints to be measured for successful prototypes. The expectation is that the outcome of this phase will be a developed plan for prototype development and for proof-of-concept testing.

PHASE II: Develop a working TBI detection prototype and/or TBI treatment based on the solution outlined in Phase I that can be used for laboratory feasibility testing. Conduct the feasibility studies as described in the outcome documentation of the Phase I project to demonstrate the feasibility of the prototype and document the results which can be used to determine success in an appropriate in vivo model. No canine research will be performed for this topic area. The testing plan as described in Phase I for any in vivo study must compare the proposed solution to current TBI detection methods (altered mentation criteria and/or veterinary Glasgow coma scale) or TBI treatment methods (as defined by the Management Algorithm for TBI for MWDs) as a base measure of effectiveness. Additional outcome measures based on the method to test can include detection time, detection rate, rate of survival, permanent behavioral changes, ability to return to duty, and/or days until return to duty. Successful prototype solutions must develop final product specification documents that list all product components and their concentrations, instructions for storage, and instructions for preparation (if required) and use. Develop an initial plan for product approval through the appropriate regulatory pathway of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The end goal is to achieve FDA CVM approval for the prototype developed in Phase II. Optimize the TBI detection prototype and/or the TBI treatment and demonstrate its usefulness with end users. Use feedback from end-users to further optimize the prototypes. Transition the prototype from an advanced development stage to a fully vetted product ready for real-world use. Refine the development of a commercialization plan that may include development of different pathways, including both military and private sectors. This product should be applicable to a broad spectrum of civilian use markets, including emergency veterinary facilities, other government agencies (DHS, FEMA, ATF, etc.), law enforcement and search and rescue canines. In addition, the work may result in technology transition to Acquisition Program managers within DoW. These efforts will be crucial in turning the prototype into a commercially viable product that can be rapidly deployed in military operations.

DHA26BZ01-NV001 — Military Working Dog Whole Blood Product or Substitute

Award Maximum: $300,000 Period of Performance: 6 months Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop a whole blood product or substitute to aid in hemorrhage control for Military Working Dogs (MWD) after battlefield injury that can be used near the point of injury (POI) and throughout the continuum of care to reduce morbidity and mortality.

DESCRIPTION: This topic is in support of the DoD Working Dog Strategic Research Plan concerning solutions for bleeding control and coagulopathy support. The Military Working Dog (MWD) provides a unique and important service to the warfighter. MWDs serve as sentries, perform tracking and patrol, and are used for the detection of explosives. These activities come with a high risk of injury. Uncontrolled hemorrhage following traumatic injury accounts for over 45% of all MWD battlefield deaths. The current standard of care for hemorrhage in the MWD is to provide immediate fluid therapy through the delivery of crystalloid fluids as the first-line treatment, which is then followed by a synthetic colloid or hypertonic saline. These treatments also require the administration of supplemental oxygen to maintain appropriate oxygen levels and for the survival of the MWD. To improve their survival rates, the development of a shelf stable canine whole blood product or substitute is a critical priority.

The goal of this topic is to develop a stable canine whole blood product and/or substitute (i.e. hemoglobin or polymer oxygen carriers), intended for canine use at both POI and throughout the continuum of care. The product should have a shelf-life of greater than 3 years and be thermal stable (-9℃ to 60℃) to ensure accessibility in operational environments. The product must primarily replicate the oxygen carrier characteristics of whole blood and demonstrate the ability to be used safely and effectively to treat blood loss following traumatic injury. This research topic does not support the use of canines for testing purposes. Any animal testing would require use of suitable animal models that would approximate the response of a canine.

Blood products derived from canine donors must be negative for canine red blood cell antigens DEA 1.1 and DEA 1.2. Donor animals must also be tested for blood borne diseases including canine brucellosis, hemobartonellosis, Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm disease), Ehrlichia canis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Coccidioides immitis, Babesia canis, Babesia gibsoni, Mycoplasma haemocanis and plasma levels of von Willebrand factor. All donor animals must be current on immunizations for canine distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, leptospirosis, parvovirus, Bordatella, coronavirus and rabies virus as applicable.

PHASE I: Identify a blood substitute solution that can meet the performance and chemical specifications for a canine whole blood product or substitute. The primary specifications must include the ability to perform oxygen exchange, possess an oxygen capacity of approximately 24 ml/dL, and be compatible with the blood chemistry of a canine. The proposed solution must have a shelf life of greater than 3 years and be thermally stable (-9℃ to 60℃). This phase should address the feasibility of the proposed solution and end with the development of a plan for the testing of the proposed solution. The plan will include appropriate studies using in vitro and in vivo models to determine whether the solution can address the various functional aspects of whole blood that are required for being a replacement. The plan must include the descriptions and methods of determining the study endpoints to be measured for each of the specifications. The plan must address the risks and potential payoffs of the technologies that are being investigated and recommend the best option to achieve the objective. Any in vivo studies are to be planned using a suitable animal model that approximates the canine. No canine research will be performed for this topic area.

PHASE II: Develop the solution as described in Phase I to generate a shelf-stable (> 3 years) and thermal stable (-9℃ to 60℃) whole blood product or substitute that possess the primary performance (ability to perform oxygen exchange, possess an oxygen capacity of approximately 24 ml/dL) and chemical characteristics of canine blood. Methods for development must be amenable to large scale production and be able to produce a sustainable commercial market. Conduct the testing plan as outlined in Phase I. Testing will include an in vivo evaluation of the technology compared to crystalloid fluids (current standard of care), plasma, and whole blood in a model of severe hemorrhage/hemorrhagic shock. The size of the study must be appropriately powered to ensure that the results are statistically significant. The study must include the evaluation of the solution for the acute phase of care through 72 hours for hemorrhage/hemorrhagic shock. Any in vivo studies must be performed on an animal model that approximates the canine. No canine research will be performed for this topic area. Outcome measures of the in vivo evaluation must include survival, evaluation of tissue oxygenation, correction of coagulopathies, prevention of endothelial injury and vascular reactivity, end organ function, inflammatory markers or toxicity measures, evaluation of coagulation parameters, and evaluation of metabolic parameters. Successful prototype solutions must develop final product specification documents that list all product components and their concentrations, instructions for storage, and instructions for preparation (if required) and use of the whole blood product or substitute.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The end goal is to achieve FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine approval for this product. Transition the prototype from an advanced development stage to a fully vetted product ready for real-world use. Refine the development of a commercialization plan that may include development of different pathways, including both military and private sectors. This product should be applicable to a broad spectrum of civilian use markets, including remote and emergency veterinary facilities. In addition, the work may result in technology transition to Acquisition Program managers within DoW. These efforts will be crucial in turning the prototype into a commercially viable product that can be rapidly deployed in military operations.

DON26BZ01-DV044 — DIRECT TO PHASE II: Advanced Damage Criticality Analysis

Award Maximum: $2,000,000 Period of Performance: 12 months (Base) + 24 months (Option) Phase Type: Direct to Phase II (DP2)

OBJECTIVE: Develop a passive Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system to identify, locate, and characterize the severity of defects and cracks due to fatigue loading or impacts based on novel or advanced technologies with a basis in physics and avoiding qualitative assumptions.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy seeks an effective passive Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system for Navy ship hulls and other structures that can monitor defects, such as crack growth from fatigue or impacts, and provide actionable information about the severity of the defect in an automated manner, i.e., in real time. Such fatigue cracks develop and grow in Navy ship hull welds and plating from cyclical life-cycle stresses and event-driven forces from severe sea states, collisions, and groundings.

The U.S. Navy and other navies around the world have installed SHM systems to monitor hull structural health but almost all are based on using strain gauges to monitor stresses on the hull and inferring crack growth based on fatigue life calculations. For example, the Military Sealift Command (MSC) has worked with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and installed SHM systems consisting of strain gauges and accelerometers on several ships in the T-EPF class, which monitor hull deflection and dynamic movement due to the ship's loading and the sea states encountered. The data from these sensors is being fed into a digital twin model developed to calculate structural stresses for managing vessel survivability and to minimize operating risk.

There have been some attempts to develop fiber optics sensors to measure strain or Acoustic Emission (AE) sensors to monitor fatigue cracks directly. These approaches have seen varying levels of success, yet, better systems are needed. There may even be some applications for LiDAR use to improve success probability. The Navy is particularly interested in locating and characterizing the severity or criticality of a defect if one is detected. Currently there is not a system available on the commercial market.

The Navy's need for such hull monitoring capability has become more important with the introduction of high-speed and catamaran vessels, which are more prone to hull cracking due to the designs of the ships, materials of the hull, and stresses experienced in high seas. An ideal system would be capable of monitoring large areas of the ship's hull with sensing devices that provide cost effective coverage with the following capabilities:

• Detect and identify the location of crack growth signals in the hull if they exist in the presence of ship's background noise without producing false positives or negatives.

• Produce results in an automated manner, i.e., real time, so they are immediately available to the operating crew.

• Provide insight as to the severity of the crack growth considering the complex geometries found in hull structures with varying thicknesses and stiffeners.

The Navy would benefit from understanding structural risks in real time with the goal of minimizing the possibility of incurring structural damage at sea. The SHM system the Navy needs should provide meaningful information on ship structural health and reduce inspection and maintenance costs during repair availabilities by identifying areas of concern or damage in advance.

PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II topic, the Government expects that the small business has accomplished the following in a Phase I-type feasibility effort and developed a concept for a workable prototype or design to address, at a minimum, the basic requirements for identifying, locating, and characterizing crack growth in ship hull structures in an automated, real-time manner.

PHASE II: Develop and deliver a passive SHM prototype solution (hardware/software/firmware) using novel or advanced technologies for use by the Navy in demonstrating the ability to monitor large area hull structures and identify, locate, and characterize crack growth in ship hull structures in an automated, real-time manner.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Assist the Navy in transitioning the technology for Navy use. Provide and field a passive SHM capability based on advanced technologies that will be used for identifying, locating, and characterizing crack growth in ship hull structures in an automated, real-time manner. Provide Navy personnel with training on how to utilize the system for the collection of data. Work with Navy personnel on how to install and operate the system until such time as they intend to assume that role.

In a manner like shipboard hull structural monitoring, the advanced passive SHM system could be employed in other useful applications, such as the following:

• Monitor ship hulls covered with acoustic tiles or other coatings/coverings for loose or missing tiles due to failure of the tile adhesive or other material defects.

• Monitor ship hulls with known areas of cracking or corrosion to determine when repairs are dictated and when other maintenance should occur.

• Monitor large Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST), common to both military and civilian petrochemical storage, to identify and locate AST bottom plate leaks.

This technology would also apply to commercial ship hull monitoring and SHM of offshore platform structures, such as oil drilling and production rigs.

DON26BZ01-DV043 — DIRECT TO PHASE II: Highly Loaded Grain in 2.75" Form Factor

Award Maximum: $1,400,000 Period of Performance: 30 months (Base) + 12 months (Option) Phase Type: Direct to Phase II (DP2)

OBJECTIVE: Design, develop, and demonstrate a Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) technology in a 2.75 inch rocket motor to extend range in a tactically relevant form factor.

DESCRIPTION: The objective of this SBIR Direct to Phase II topic is to utilize HLG to increase the range available in a 2.75" rocket motor and advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of HLG technology. HLG is a propellant technology that improves total impulse in a given volume, as well as provides capability for mission flexibility. The Mk66 is a low cost 2.75" rocket motor utilizing minimum smoke propellent and is in use with unguided rockets and the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS II) All Up Round (AUR). Increasing the range available at an affordable cost in a Mk66 motor case is needed to pace emerging threats.

Key Technology Guidelines:

1. Rocket motor case: 2.75" Mk 66 case

2. Grain design: HLG propulsion technology

3. Ballistics software: CLWire provided by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD)

4. Risk posture: Low/moderate risk for non-HLG specific components

5. Total Impulse: Increase by 30%

6. Thrust Profile: Implement all-boost and boost/sustain thrust profile with performance guidelines provided by NAWCWD (Maximum Expected Operating Pressure (MEOP) and initial thrust dictated by legacy Mk 66 system)

7. Propellant: Objective: Min-Smoke, Threshold: Reduced Smoke

8. Materials: Maximize compatibility/usage of existing rocket motor materials (propellant oxidizers and binders, insulation, liners, etc.)

9. Environments: thermal (-65 °F to 160 °F) (-53.9 °C to 71.1 °C) and mechanical environments (shock/vibe) required to enter military usage.

10. Nozzle and igniter: medium risk with path towards tactical design

PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II SBIR topic, the Government expects that the small business has accomplished Phase I-type feasibility work and can document within the proposal submission to indicate previous research and development work has been conducted to design, implement, and test HLG propulsion technology in a "Phase I-type" effort. This work would include ballistic design, motor fabrication, and static test results. The feasibility documentation MUST NOT be solely based on work performed under prior or ongoing SBIR/STTR effort.

PHASE II: Develop an initial concept design incorporating the following elements: ballistics, insulation, nozzle, and igniter. This design will be formally documented and presented in a Detailed Design Review (DDR) to evaluate compliance with the technical requirements established in coordination with the Government. Approval of the DDR and its associated exit criteria is a prerequisite for advancing motor fabrication. Upon acceptance, the awardee will initiate fabrication activities, which include detailed design finalization, component and cast tooling production, and propellant mix and casting.

Following fabrication, the as-manufactured motor will undergo an Item Under Test (IUT) evaluation, during which its performance and specifications will be assessed relative to the original design concept. This review will be submitted to the Government for validation and approval. Subsequently, the motor will be static fired, contingent upon mutual agreement between the Government and the awardee.

Upon completion, the awardee will submit a final report to Naval Aviation Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD). This report will document the prototype's design, fabrication process, and test results. It will also identify any low-maturity technology areas and introduce a plan to further develop these technologies during Phase III.

The Government will furnish the motor case, HLG materials, and technical support as requested by the awardee throughout the award process.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Utilizing Phase II results, refine and execute risk reduction and technology maturation efforts to develop the design to an overall high TRL, and integrate into a full system, progressing towards potential integration into an existing program of record.

Dual uses include development of high-rate minimum-smoke propellant and HLG development toward rotary-wing applications.

Potential commercial industry utilization include pace-based applications, such as satellite thrusters/solid propulsion systems.

DON26BZ01-DV042 — DIRECT TO PHASE II: AI/ML Assisted Field Troubleshooting in Avionics Optical Network

Award Maximum: $1,400,000 Period of Performance: 30 months (Base) + 12 months (Option) Phase Type: Direct to Phase II (DP2)

OBJECTIVE: Design, develop, and integrate a portable artificial intelligence/ machine learning (AI/ML)-enabled diagnostic module compatible with existing Optical Backscattering Reflectometer (OBR) and Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) mainframes. The module will be engineered to support in-field optical network troubleshooting and management for high-speed communication systems.

DESCRIPTION: Current airborne military (mil-aero) core avionics, electro-optical (EO), communications, and electronic warfare systems are experiencing continuous growth in bandwidth demand, coupled with stringent requirements to reduce Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). Earlier-generation multimode optical fibers have replaced traditional shielded twisted-pair wire and coaxial cable, offering increased electromagnetic interference (EMI) immunity, higher bandwidth and throughput, and notable reductions in aircraft size and weight.

However, maintenance and troubleshooting of these advanced optical networks remain highly dependent on traditional telecommunication test equipment. Identifying and resolving faults—such as fiber breaks, fractures, and high-loss terminations—requires locating and distinguishing anomalies within meter-level precision, whereas modern avionic information-processing networks demand centimeter-level spatial resolution from source to detector.

Fault detection must extend beyond typical Weapons Replaceable Assembly (WRA) interfaces to identify:

• Backplane/module degradation

• Line replaceable module-to-optical transceiver faults

• Polymer waveguide failures

• Inline sensor (fiber grating) issues

• Optical link loss across concatenated waveguide segments

Frequent airframe panel removal during fault isolation disrupts aircraft availability and mission readiness—especially for stealth platforms—highlighting the need for faster, more accurate, and less intrusive diagnostics.

To overcome these limitations, a portable AI/ML-enabled troubleshooting device is proposed to support field diagnostics across military airborne fiber-optic systems. The device will leverage next-generation reflectometry technologies and machine intelligence to enhance fault resolution precision and technician efficiency.

Key Capabilities:

• AI-Augmented Fault Detection o Real-time identification of defects (breaks, voids, misalignments, link degradation) o Pattern recognition and anomaly classification using historical signature databases

• AI-Driven Virtual Assistants o On-device or network-connected chatbots providing guided maintenance workflows o Embedded AR interface for overlaying diagnostics on test hardware in real time

• Advanced Troubleshooting Metrics o Spatial resolution to centimeter scale across multiple fiber types o Predictive maintenance algorithms to reduce unplanned network downtime

• Plug-and-Play Integration o Fully compatible with existing portable OTDR/OBR mainframes o Support for both multimode (50/125, 62.5/125, 100/140 µm) and single mode (9/125 µm) fiber types o GUI developed for intuitive field use across all operational conditions

• Wavelength and Environmental Resilience o Operational wavelength support: SWDM and CWDM o Designed for MIL-PRF-28800 Class 2 with select Class 1 enhancements o Operational temperature range: –40°C to +95°C o Resistant to mechanical shock, altitude variation, vibration, humidity, and thermal cycling

The device will build upon a fusion of legacy and emerging fiber-optic diagnostic technologies, including:

• Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR)

• Optical Backscatter Reflectometry (OBR)

• Photon-Counting OTDR (PC-OTDR)

• Low Correlation OTDR (LC-OTDR)

• Pseudo Random Sequence (PRS) Correlation OTDR (C-OTDR)

• Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR)

PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II topic, the Government expects that the small business would have accomplished the following in a Phase I-type effort and developed a concept for a workable prototype or design to address, at a minimum, the basic requirements of the stated objective above. The below actions would be required to satisfy the requirements of Phase I:

Concept Development: Developed a concept for a viable prototype or design solution that addresses, at a minimum, the core technical and performance objectives outlined in the stated topic.

Feasibility Demonstration: Designed, developed, and demonstrated the technical feasibility of a low-cost, AI/ML-based plug-in module compatible with portable OBR and OTDR mainframes. The solution must meet applicable aviation support equipment requirements, including ruggedization, thermal compatibility, and interface standards.

Performance Modeling and Simulation: Modeled and simulated the plug-in module's performance under high-speed application conditions, validating its functionality across relevant operational scenarios and wavelengths.

Design Packaging: Delivered a conceptual packaged design of the plug-in module, incorporating mechanical footprint, connector interface, and Graphical User Interface (GUI) considerations to support seamless integration into current field-deployable test equipment.

PHASE II: Design, construct, and validate a functional AI/ML-enabled plug-in module prototype. Focus on transitioning the concept design into an operational system capable of meeting the rigorous demands of military optical diagnostics.

Include in the Prototype Design and Fabrication the following:

• Engineering of a robust plug-in module design based on Phase I feasibility studies and modeling outcomes.

• Integrating AI/ML processing hardware, signal acquisition architecture, and interfaces into a fully packaged prototype.

• Ensuring form-factor compliance with portable OTDR and OBR mainframes, including connector integrity, mechanical footprint, and GUI usability.

• Compiling system-level test data and validating against entry criteria for Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Collaborate with defense avionics industries as well as support equipment companies to accelerate transition to production.

Commercial telecommunication systems, fiber-optic networks, and data centers will benefit from the development of the AI/MIL based OBR and OTDR. These applications will be able to easily test/diagnose optical networks.

DON26BZ01-DV041 — DIRECT TO PHASE II: Domestic Production of Zirconium and Hafnium Metal Organic Precursors

Award Maximum: $1,400,000 Period of Performance: 30 months (Base) + 12 months (Option) Phase Type: Direct to Phase II (DP2)

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate a pilot-scale manufacturing process for producing high purity tetrakis(dimethylamido)zirconium(IV) (TDMAZ), tetrakis(dimethylamido)hafnium(IV) (TDMAH) and related metal dimethylamide compounds, with a targeted annual production capacity exceeding 6,000 kg of TDMAZ.

DESCRIPTION: The Department of the Navy is seeking a domestic source of critical chemical feedstocks including TDMAZ, TDMAH, and other metal dimethylamide compounds. These chemical feedstocks can be used as metal organic precursors for atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) of metal oxides, nitrides, and carbonitrides used in microelectronics and ceramic manufacturing. While TDMAZ is a vital ceramic precursor for the electronics and semiconducting industry, this effort will also support the use of TDMAZ for the preparation of metal nitrides and carbonitrides for ceramics and ceramic matrix composites.

This SBIR topic seeks to establish a domestic manufacturing capability for the production of > 6,000 kg/year of TDMAZ. Synthesis of TDMAZ and other metal dimethylamides often involves pyrophoric and air/water sensitive reagents, and the proper storage and handling of these reagents is crucial for the development of a cost-effective and large-scale manufacturing process. Along with the production volumes mentioned above, the metal precursors must have a purity > 99% and a target retail price of < $4,000/kg of TDMAZ, preferably < $2,500/kg. The proposed manufacturing facility must be located in the United States or US territories, and the company owning and operating this manufacturing facility must be wholly US owned and based.

PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II topic, the Government expects that the small business would have accomplished the following in a Phase I-type effort and developed a concept for a workable prototype or design to address, at a minimum, the basic requirements of the stated objective above. The below actions would be required to satisfy the requirements of Phase I:

Proposing SBCs will have demonstrated expertise in the synthesis of air and water-sensitive compounds and access to facilities that will enable them to produce zirconium and hafnium organic precursors at the kilogram scale.

PHASE II: Identify a chemical process to manufacture TDMAZ and perform a safety analysis on the handling, storage, and waste management of air and water sensitive reagents and intermediates used in production scale synthesis. Facility upgrades to allow for safety compliance during manufacture of metal dimethylamides is allowed. The ability to expand and manufacture other metal dimethylamide compounds, such as TDMAH is encouraged.

Demonstrate a scalable approach for the synthesis of TDMAZ and provide 1 kg of material for analysis and internal verification by Navy researchers. Demonstrate pilot scale production of at least 50 kg TDMAZ/month. It is expected that the optimized approach will be consistent with a target production of > 6,000 kg TDMAZ/year. Conduct a technoeconomic analysis based on production at the > 6,000 kg/year scale. Identification of manufacturing or production issues and business model modifications required to further improve the process (e.g., reduced cost, increased availability, safety) will be documented. At the end of the Phase II Base period, 100 kg of TDMAZ produced using the new pilot scale manufacturing process will be delivered to the Government.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Establish a facility to produce > 6,000 kg of TDMAZ/year. Conduct several production runs to demonstrate the ability to supply zirconium and hafnium carbide precursors at < $2,500/kg to the DoW through the Defense Logistics Agency.

Zirconium and hafnium carbide are used in commercial aerospace structures, microelectronics, cutting tool bits, and coatings in nuclear reactors.

DON26BZ01-DV040 — DIRECT TO PHASE II: Extended Range 10-inch Air Launched Rocket

Award Maximum: $1,400,000 Period of Performance: 30 months (Base) + 12 months (Option) Phase Type: Direct to Phase II (DP2)

OBJECTIVE: Implement Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) propulsion technology into an existing 10-inch diameter rocket motor to create a tactically relevant, extended range rocket motor.

DESCRIPTION: The U.S. Navy is pursuing enhancements to the performance, range, and tactical flexibility of existing 10-inch rocket motor systems. A key enabler of this objective is the maturation and application of HLG propulsion technology. HLG designs maximize total impulse within volume-constrained tactical solid propellant systems while enabling adaptable thrust-time profiles, including boost-sustain variants.

This Direct to Phase II SBIR topic seeks integration of HLG technology into an existing 10-inch diameter rocket motor, thereby increasing performance and advancing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of the HLG propulsion approach.

Key Technical Guidelines:

1. Rocket Motor Case: 10-inch diameter tactical casing with boat-tail geometry based on the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) aft-end structure

2. Grain Design: HLG-formulated geometry tailored for constrained volume and thrust shaping

3. Ballistics Software: CLWire ballistic simulation software provided by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD)

4. Risk Posture: Low to moderate for non-HLG-specific subsystems; medium risk for nozzle/igniter design

5. Performance Objective: Total impulse increase of approximately 30% over legacy baseline

6. Thrust Profile: Support both all-boost and boost/sustain regimes; comply with NAWCWD performance parameters including Maximum Expected Operating Pressure (MEOP) and thrust onset rates

7. Propellant Formulation: Aluminized solid propellant: Ammonium Perchlorate (AP) / Aluminum (Al) / Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) binder

8. Materials Compatibility: Maximize re-use of existing materials for insulation, liners, oxidizers, and binders

9. Environmental Qualification: Thermal: –65 °F to +160 °F (–53.9 °C to +71.1 °C); Structural: withstand shock and vibration in accordance with military deployment profiles

10. Nozzle & Igniter Development: Moderate risk with identified maturation path toward tactically viable configurations

PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II topic, the Government expects that the small business would have accomplished the following in a Phase I-type effort and developed a concept for a workable prototype or design to address, at a minimum, the basic requirements of the stated objective above. The below actions would be required to satisfy the requirements of Phase I:

1. Ballistic Design: Evidence of preliminary or detailed grain geometry development, performance modeling (e.g., with CLWire or similar), and total impulse optimization.

2. Motor Fabrication: Documentation of hardware build efforts, including grain casting, case integration, and materials characterization relevant to the HLG configuration.

3. Static Test Results: Data from one or more static firings that validate thrust-time profiles, ignition performance, MEOP survivability, and total impulse enhancement attributed to the HLG propulsion technology.

4. Importantly, feasibility documentation must not rely solely on work conducted under prior or ongoing federally funded SBIR/STTR awards. Applicants are required to demonstrate that the proposed concept has been advanced through non-SBIR/STTR-funded efforts, indicating technical maturity sufficient for immediate Phase II execution.

PHASE II: Focus on developing, documenting, fabricating, and validating a tactical solid rocket motor that integrates HLG propulsion technology, in accordance with Government technical guidelines and performance objectives.

1. Initial Concept Design and Detailed Design Review (DDR)

• Develop an initial system design incorporating: (1) Ballistic modeling using CLWire (Government-furnished); (2) Thermal and structural insulation design; (3) Tactically relevant nozzle architecture; and (4) Igniter configuration suited for aluminized propellant initiation.

• Document the full design concept for review in a DDR to be assessed against Government-agreed technical requirements and performance metrics.

• Government acceptance of DDR exit criteria is required prior to initiating fabrication.

2. Fabrication and Assembly (following DDR approval)

• Finalize design details, generate component drawings, and fabricate tooling for both component and propellant casting.

• Perform propellant mixing and casting per specified aluminized solid formulation (AP/Al/HTPB), ensuring compatibility with insulation and liner materials.

• Utilize a Government-supplied flight weight motor case and HLG-specific materials, as requested and made available by the program office.

3. As-Manufactured Validation and Testing

• Conduct an Item Under Test (IUT) review to compare the as-built motor configuration with the as-designed concept.

• Present findings to the Government for validation and alignment with performance expectations.

• Upon concurrence, proceed to static fire testing of the motor in a controlled test environment.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Mature the Phase II rocket motor concept for higher fidelity static fire demonstrations. The developed rocket motors will incorporate flight representative subcomponents (e.g., nozzle, insulation, ignition system, etc.) while still optimizing the propulsion design to maximize system range. Demonstrate multiple static firings to assess the environmental robustness of the rocket motors and performance relative to the technical guidelines provided by the Government. A final report will be provided that documents the design and testing results, provides a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment, and outlines a path to further mature the technology.

The developed propulsion technology with have application to space launch and space-based systems.

DON26BX01-NP001 — NAVWAR Open Topic for Resilient Wideband RF Photonic Architectures for Assured Communications and PNT in Contested Electromagnetic Environments

Award Maximum: $175,000 | Period of Performance: 4 months (Base) + 6 months (Option) | Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop, prototype, and demonstrate next-generation radio frequency (RF) photonic front-end technologies that improve the reliability, clarity, and resilience of wireless communications and navigation in high-interference environments. These solutions will leverage advances similar to those used in commercial fiber-optic telecommunications, satellite broadband (e.g., Starlink-class systems), 5G wireless infrastructure, and autonomous vehicle sensor systems to ensure the U.S. Navy maintains assured communications and assured position, navigation, and timing (APNT) during contested maritime operations.

DESCRIPTION: The United States Navy must maintain reliable communications and accurate navigation to operate effectively at sea, coordinate with allies, and ensure freedom of navigation in increasingly complex and contested environments. Modern naval operations depend on uninterrupted wireless communications and precise timing and positioning, much like commercial aviation, autonomous shipping, satellite internet providers, and global logistics companies.

The Navy's Communications and GPS Navigation Program Office (PMW/A 170) is responsible for delivering resilient and adaptive communications and APNT capabilities to Fleet forces and coalition partners. As commercial technology rapidly advances in areas such as fiber-optic networking, 5G/6G wireless systems, high-speed satellite communications, and advanced sensing platforms, the Navy seeks to harness and adapt these innovations to strengthen maritime mission performance.

The Golden Fleet initiative emphasizes modernizing not only ships, but also the systems that enable command, control, communications, navigation, and situational awareness. Modern Naval operations depend heavily on reliable communications and precise navigation, much like commercial aviation, satellite broadband networks, autonomous systems, and global logistics enterprises. As commercial industries continue to advance technologies that maintain reliable performance in crowded and interference-heavy environments, the Navy seeks to adapt and transition these innovations to strengthen maritime mission resilience.

Naval communications and navigation systems must operate reliably not only in routine conditions, but also in environments where adversaries attempt to disrupt signals or where the radio spectrum is heavily congested. Traditional RF front-end electronics can experience degraded performance or signal loss when exposed to jamming, electromagnetic interference, or strong competing signals. These vulnerabilities can create operational risk and threaten mission continuity in contested electromagnetic environments.

To address these challenges, this Open Topic invites system-level innovations in wideband RF photonic front-end architectures. RF photonics combines radio and optical technologies by using light and fiber-based components to carry, preserve, and condition radio signals with high fidelity. Similar approaches are widely used in commercial fiber-optic communications, high-capacity wireless infrastructure, and precision timing networks to improve signal quality, expand bandwidth, and reduce distortion over long distances. When adapted to Naval RF systems, these technologies offer a promising path to lower noise, improved resistance to interference, wider signal capture, and more reliable signal recovery than conventional electronic front ends.

Proposed solutions may incorporate commercially inspired technologies such as:

• Coherent optical signal processing used in high-speed telecom networks

• Advanced phase-tracking techniques similar to those used in precision satellite navigation and autonomous vehicle localization

• Interference suppression approaches used in dense commercial wireless environments (e.g., stadiums, smart cities, and industrial IoT networks)

• Compact photonic integrated circuits (PICs), similar to those being developed for next-generation data centers and lidar systems

Desired capabilities include systems that:

• Reduce receiver noise without relying on traditional RF amplifiers

• Maintain signal integrity under heavy interference and jamming

• Capture and reconstruct wideband signals with high accuracy

• Automatically detect and remove unknown interference sources

• Support scalable, ruggedized deployment on ships, aircraft, and distributed maritime platforms

• Reduce size, weight, power, and cost while improving survivability

Of particular interest are integrated, fiber-remoted, and packaged front-end modules that can operate reliably in harsh maritime environments, similar to ruggedized telecom and offshore energy communications equipment. Solutions that enable real-time interference excision without prior knowledge of the signal or threat are strongly encouraged.

Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. owned and operated with no foreign influence as defined by 32 U.S.C. § 2004.20 et seq., National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) formerly Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances. This will allow contractor personnel to perform on advanced phases of this project as set forth by DCSA and NAVWAR in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material during the advanced phases of this contract IAW the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), which can be found at Title 32, Part 2004.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

PHASE I: Phase I will explore technical feasibility and different approaches and identify a solution based on the investigation and technical tradeoffs. During Phase I, develop a coherent link architecture addressing the specifications detailed in the Description. Develop a design, chip level layout, and packaging concept for an integrated front end transceiver module. The transceiver should contain at minimum a sub 1V Vp coherent modulator deriving a signal and local oscillator from a remote optical source and a nominal 50 ohm antenna input. The transceiver package should incorporate necessary optical I/O to deliver I and Q signals to the backend. The link architecture should contain polarization management to eliminate the need for polarization maintaining fiber. The expected analog performance of the proposed transceiver should be determined and incorporated in an end-to-end link model to determine the expected performance (e.g. minimum detectable signal, input voltage range, digital sampling rate, operating bandwidth and SFDR) of the digital back end. Analysis of the effects of specific hardware and software innovations to reduce digitization and processing requirements is encouraged.

PHASE II: Phase II should optimize the Phase I design. Create, and test a functioning transceiver front end. Demonstrate a packaged, fiberized transceiver front end suitable for interface to a broadband antenna in a realistic environment. Update the end-to-end link model with the measured performance of the front-end transceiver and optimize the link architecture. Perform a feasibility demonstration of back-end signal recovery. The demonstration does not need to implement the entire planned functionality but should produce quantitative results that can be used to extrapolate the expected link performance with reasonable fidelity. Phase II should include a set of performance specifications for the identified solution and prototype(s). Proposals should also include the use of Systems Engineering Technical Review (SETR) events, plans for testing, demonstration, and validation of the solution within the target Program of Record (PoR) or an equivalent and Government approved development environment. Proposals should also include the development of a strategy or plan for post-Phase II activities to include the development of production representative articles, Formal Qualification Tests (FQT) plans, life-cycle support strategies and concepts, commercialization opportunities, etc.

It is highly likely that the work, prototyping, test, simulation, and validation may become classified in Phase II (see Description for details). However, the proposal for Phase II will be UNCLASSIFIED.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support the transition of developed technology to the Fleet. Investigate the dual use of the developed solution(s) for commercial applications. Commercial technology is rapidly advancing in areas such as fiber-optic networking, 5G/6G wireless systems, high-speed satellite communications, and advanced sensing platforms. Commercial aviation, shipping, satellite broadband networks, autonomous systems, and global logistics enterprises depend heavily on reliable communications and precise navigation. There will be many dual uses in the commercial sector for capabilities developed under this topic that maintain reliable performance in crowded and interference-heavy environments for command, control, communications, navigation, and situational awareness.

DON26TZ01-NV019 — High Voltage and Current Silicon-Carbide (SiC) Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) for Fast Turn-On Current Applications

Award Maximum: $300,000 | Period of Performance: 6 months | Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop state-of-the-art silicon carbide (SiC) Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) packaged for improved size, weight, and power (SWaP) for applications where a high-blocking voltage of more than 10 kV, a high pulsed current density of greater than +/- 5 kA (10 kA ideal), and tens of nanoseconds turn-on time, with low-jitter, are needed for integration with high power microwave (HPM) systems.

DESCRIPTION: The DOW needs SWaP-favorable solutions for fast turn-on and low-jitter SiC MOSFETs to generate high current densities from high voltage capacitors. Current methods of high-current/voltage switching from SiC MOSFETS rely on an array created from series and parallel combinations of commercial off the shelf (COTS) devices. However, these device arrays are limited in the voltage and amplitude they can switch, have complicated gate driving circuits, and can become size limited. To improve current state-of-the-art capability, the DOW has a need for the development of MOSFETs that have a blocking voltage greater than 10 kV for a single wafer, such that a low-side gate driver can be used to turn on the MOSFET, and a high pulsed-current capability. The requirements for a 5 kA peak current (10 kA ideal) may require multiple parallel combinations of MOSFET wafers, and if so, packaging is to be minimized and vertically stacked packaged arrays should be utilized. It is understood that at higher blocking voltages and current densities an additional diode may be necessary to accommodate the desired pulse current. Minimizing gate charge and gate resistance for an array of MOSFET is important to alleviate driver requirements, such that a turn on time of less than 30 nanoseconds (ns) is achievable with less than 30 V of gate voltage and 10's of amps of gate current.

PHASE I: Develop a conceptual design for a MOSFET solution meeting the requirements in the Description. Include methodology and prototype performance through description and modeling that will demonstrate the proposed concept. Perform a tradespace assessment of size and performance for the proposed solutions.

Phase I Key Parameters:

• Voltage blocking from drain to source (V_DS) for a single semiconductor wafer of greater than 10 kV

• Low drain to source resistance (R_DS_on) of 50 milli-ohms or less up to 150 degrees Celsius

• Pulsed current discharge greater than 1 kA for a period of 500 ns forward (drain to source) and 500 ns reverse (source to drain). o Paralleling of devices is acceptable to reach current densities o External body diode is acceptable for high reverse currents o Pulsed current design is more critical than a continuous current rating

• Turn on time less than 50 ns with a driving gate voltage of equal or less than 30 volts

• Propose methods to provide a low inductance packaging of less than 20 nH per device for drain, source, gate, and kelvin pin. Total package size anticipated to be less than 6 x 6 x 3 inches o Thermal dissipation through drain is acceptable o Propose methods to minimize partial discharge voltage degradation o Propose methods for component layout showing size density o Propose methods for improved thermal management through packaging with thermal dissipation to switch up to 1 joule of capacitive energy per discharge at a 5 kHz discharge rate for up to 10 seconds

• Propose methods for operational lifetime evaluation o Describe degradation from peak operating conditions o Describe methods for electromagnetic interference (EMI) mitigation

PHASE II: Develop and deliver to the government (Quantity 10) optimized MOSFETs for integration with solid-state pulse generator prototypes developed by the government that meet or exceed the key performance requirements listed below. Topic proposals may propose the use of commercial or Federal facilities to satisfy the performance requirements of this topic, provided the performing SBC satisfies the performance thresholds set out in 15 U.S.C. sec. 638 and as implemented in the SBIR/STTR Policy Directive. Deliver a technical data package (TDP) detailing the design and construction of the packaged MOSFET solution as well as a preliminary datasheet on performance. Support integration and testing activities performed by the DOW.

Phase II Key Parameters:

• Voltage blocking from drain to source (V_DS) for a single semiconductor wafer of greater than 10 kV, when evaluated in package in open air (ideal) or liquid dielectric (threshold)

• Pulsed current discharge greater than 5 kA (10 kA ideal) for a period of 500 ns forward (drain to source) and 500 ns reverse (source to drain) o The MOSFET will be evaluated in short circuit conditions in a low-impedance, capacitive, and low-inductive (RLC) circuit o Paralleling of devices is acceptable to reach current densities o External body diode is acceptable and anticipated for high reverse currents o Pulsed current design is more critical than a continuous current rating

• Provide a low inductance packaging of less than 10 nH per device for drain, source, gate, and kelvin pin. Total package size anticipated to be less than 3 x 3 x 1 inches o Evaluate the package for partial discharge voltage degradation o Implement methods for EMI mitigation

• Turn on time less than 30 ns with a driving gate voltage of equal or less than 30 volts

• Low drain to source resistance (R_DS_on) of 10 milli-ohms or less up to 150 degrees Celsius

• Packaging with thermal dissipation to switch up to 2 joules of capacitive energy per discharge at a 50 kHz discharge rate for up to 10 seconds

• Implement methods for operation lifetime evaluation

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Fast rising edge, high voltage MOSFETs enables the generation of higher power HPM systems. A future looking Phase III award shall deliver a complete refinement of parameters to meet requirements and develop manufacturing methods to reduce production time and cost in a commercialization path. For the delivery of MOSFETs as an enabling technology for solid-state HPM systems in such applications as counter-electronics, ultra-wideband radar, and high-power jammers. Other non-HPM applications include alternative energy (such as solar and wind inverters), power distribution, and automotive and transportation.

DON26TZ01-NV018 — Production of Norbornadiene

Award Maximum: $300,000 | Period of Performance: 6 months | Phase Type: Phase I

OBJECTIVE: Develop efficient and scalable methods for the production of norbornadiene from abundant domestic feedstocks.

DESCRIPTION: Norbornadiene is a critical chemical used in the manufacture of fuels and cross-linked polymers. The conventional process for production of norbornadiene relies on a Diels-Alder coupling reaction between cyclopentadiene and acetylene. Acetylene air mixtures can be explosive, which has increased the cost of norbornadiene and reliance on foreign supply chains. The intent of this STTR topic is to establish a manufacturing process that will enable the safe and efficient domestic production of norbornadiene, which will in turn reduce acquisition costs.

Ultimately, this topic seeks to establish a process for the domestic production of norbornadiene at > 500 metric tons/year with target acquisition costs below $20/kg. The norbornadiene synthesized in this effort should have a purity > 97%. The utilization of advanced manufacturing techniques that generate acetylene on demand or incorporate novel methods for the safe storage of acetylene on-site are encouraged. Other approaches that generate norbornadiene via unique intermediates are also of interest. A preferred approach is to utilize domestic bio-feedstocks, including hemicellulose and furfural, as substrates for the production of norbornadiene.

PHASE I: Identify a chemical process for the synthesis of norbornadiene. Particular attention will be paid to the safe handling of acetylene and other reactants/reagents and solvents used in the manufacturing process. The use of domestic biomass feedstocks as the carbon source for norbornadiene production is preferred. A preliminary technoeconomic analysis will be conducted with a target selling price < $20/kg. Awardee(s) will conduct laboratory scale reactions and demonstrate the ability to generate small quantities of norbornadiene (10-100 mL) at purities comparable to commercial norbornadiene (> 97%). The purity of the product will be confirmed through standard analytical techniques including NMR spectroscopy and gas chromatography.

PHASE II: Demonstrate a prototype scalable approach for the synthesis of norbornadiene and provide 1 kg of material for evaluation by Navy researchers. Demonstrate production of norbornadiene at the 100 kg scale and develop plans for a facility capable of producing > 500 metric tons/year. An updated technoeconomic analysis will be performed utilizing information obtained during the pilot-scale production runs. The assessment will include a comparison of processes utilizing inputs from both conventional petrochemicals and biofeedstocks. At the completion of Phase II, 100 kg of norbornadiene with a purity > 97% will be delivered to the Government.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Assist the government in the establishment a CONUS facility capable of producing norbornadiene at the estimated scale of 10-20 metric tons/year, likely doing this in collaboration with a larger chemical supplier. Informed by the standup of this facility, update the plans and technoeconomic analysis for a facility capable of producing > 500 metric tons/year.