Part of the DoW SBIR/STTR FY27 Release 2 topic list. Browse all 83 topics by industry or service.
Topic ARM27BX02-NV002 from the DoW SBIR 2027 BAA, Release 2. Pre-release now; proposals due January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET.
Quick answer
ARM27BX02-NV002 is an Army SBIR topic in the DoW SBIR 2027 CSO seeking CEMA CAMO, a low-cost, distributed, attritable set of software-configurable RF nodes that sense the electromagnetic environment and create controlled ambiguity to protect command posts from adversary ISR and targeting. It accepts Phase I proposals with a $300,000 cost limit and a 6-month period of performance. Proposals are due January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET.
Solicitation at a glance
- Topic number: ARM27BX02-NV002
- Official title: Command Electromagnetic Management & Command-node Awareness, Management, and Obscuration (CEMA CAMO)
- Agency: Army
- Program: SBIR (DoW SBIR 2027 CSO, Release 2)
- Award type: Phase I (see topic text for Phase II)
- Award amount: Up to $300,000 (6 months). Source: Army Release 2 instructions in DSIP.
- CMMC level: Level 2 (Self)
- ITAR: No
- Technology areas: Electronics, Materials, Sensors
- Pre-release (direct TPOC contact allowed): November 4 to December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET
- Opens in DSIP: December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET
- Proposals due: January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET
- Official source: DSIP Topics app (search ARM27BX02-NV002)
BW&CO's take
What the Army wants
XVIII Airborne Corps needs a way to keep adversary sensors from finding and targeting command posts by their RF emissions during large-scale combat. The Army wants many cheap, software-configurable nodes that work together to sense the local spectrum, generate Government-authorized RF effects representations, and adapt as conditions change, so the real signature is hidden in controlled ambiguity. Phase I builds an initial prototype from mature parts such as software-defined radios, modular RF front ends, and low-SWaP compute, plus a preliminary hardware architecture and bill of materials. Phase II matures it through Joint Innovation Out Post and XVIII ABC experimentation toward delivery and transition to MEMSS.
Who is a good fit
- Hands-on experience building distributed software-defined radio systems with modular RF front ends and low-SWaP edge compute
- Spectrum sensing and signal characterization software, ideally with AI-enabled processing that adapts node behavior automatically
- Networking and synchronization approaches that keep multiple nodes coordinated under degraded communications or node loss
- A credible hardware cost model showing a path to a fielded node below $50,000, with $30,000 as the desired target
Watch-outs
- Unit cost is an explicit requirement: proposals should show a credible pathway to a fielded node cost below $50,000; Phase I also calls for a preliminary bill of materials and cost trades.
- Phase I must cover more than sensing: automated characterization, generation of Government-authorized RF effects representations, multi-node coordination, and adaptive behavior are all expected in the initial prototype.
- The Army asks offerors to address resilience to node loss and protection or sanitization of mission data, software, and configuration if a node is captured.
- The topic metadata lists CMMC Level 2 (Self). It is not marked as ITAR-restricted in the topic metadata.
Think your company fits ARM27BX02-NV002? Talk with BW&CO before the January 6 deadline.
Plan Your ARM27BX02-NV002 Submission
Official topic text (verbatim from DSIP)
The text in this section is copied word for word from the official DSIP topic as published on November 4, 2026. DSIP is the official source and topics can be amended. Always confirm the current version at dodsbirsttr.mil before you submit. Our commentary above is BW&CO's interpretation, not Government guidance.
Title
Command Electromagnetic Management & Command-node Awareness, Management, and Obscuration (CEMA CAMO)
Objective
Develop and demonstrate Command Electromagnetic Management & Command-node Awareness, Management, and Obscuration (CEMA CAMO), a low-cost, distributed, and attritable electromagnetic spectrum capability that enhances Command Post Survivability and RF Signature Management during Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). The desired capability will employ distributed, software-configurable nodes to sense and shape the electromagnetic environment, creating controlled electromagnetic ambiguity that complicates adversary intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), reduces targeting confidence, and degrades adversary decision-making and targeting cycles while preserving friendly freedom of maneuver. The capability will be demonstrated in partnership with Joint Innovation Out Post (JIOP) through XVIII Airborne Corps (XVIII ABC) experimentation to assess operational effectiveness, inform capability refinement, and demonstrate integration with Army formations and command-and-control architectures.
Description
Army formations, including XVIII Airborne Corps (XVIII ABC) and its subordinate formations, operating in Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) face increasingly capable adversary intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems that can exploit electromagnetic emissions to detect, characterize, locate, and target command posts, platforms, and other mission-critical nodes. The proliferation of networked sensors and increasingly rapid sensor-to-shooter processes creates a need for affordable and scalable capabilities that reduce the effectiveness of adversary electromagnetic sensing and targeting.
XVIII ABC requires capabilities that can be rapidly employed and distributed across formations to improve electromagnetic signature management and enhance survivability and freedom of maneuver in contested environments. This topic seeks innovative approaches for Command Electromagnetic Management & Command-node Awareness, Management, and Obscuration (CEMA CAMO), a low-cost, modular, distributed, and attritable capability for electromagnetic signature management. The desired solution should enable multiple software-configurable nodes to operate cooperatively across an operational area to sense the local electromagnetic environment and generate controlled electromagnetic activity that increases ambiguity and uncertainty for adversary ISR and targeting processes. Potential approaches may include distributed electromagnetic signature shaping, configurable RF effects representations, coordinated emissions, and adaptive management of distributed nodes. Proposed solutions should address the ability to sense and characterize the local electromagnetic environment, coordinate activity across distributed nodes, generate Government-authorized RF effects representations, and dynamically adapt system behavior as the electromagnetic environment changes.
The solution should emphasize low cost, low size, weight, and power (SWaP), modularity, scalability, software configurability, distributed operation, and interoperability with Army command-and-control architectures at Corp and Division. Innovative approaches to autonomous coordination, AI-enabled processing, electromagnetic environment awareness, and dynamic signature management are encouraged. The capability should be scalable from individual nodes to distributed networks and adaptable to different platforms and operational environments. Offerors should characterize key trades including frequency coverage, bandwidth, processing requirements, network latency and synchronization, RF-generation capability, SWaP, node density, and unit cost. Solutions should demonstrate a credible pathway toward a fielded node cost below $50,000, with $30,000 desired where technically feasible.
The desired outcome is a prototype capability that demonstrates how XVIII ABC and Army formations can employ distributed, attritable electromagnetic spectrum technologies to improve survivability and freedom of maneuver by complicating adversary ISR, reducing confidence in electromagnetic-derived targeting information, and degrading adversary decision-making and targeting cycles during LSCO.
Throughout the SBIR|STTR Phase I and Phase II, CEMA CAMO prototype capabilities will be demonstrated in partnership with Joint Innovation Out Post (JIOP) through XVIII Airborne Corps (XVIII ABC) experimentation to assess operational effectiveness, inform capability refinement, and demonstrate integration with Army formations and command-and-control architectures.
Phase I
This topic is accepting Phase I submissions with a cost limit of $300,000 and a period of performance of 6 months. Phase I will establish the technical approach and develop an initial CEMA CAMO prototype leveraging mature technologies, including software-defined radios, modular RF front ends, low-SWaP computing, distributed networking, and AI-enabled signal processing. The effort should demonstrate automated electromagnetic sensing and characterization, software-configurable generation or regeneration of Government-authorized RF effects representations, coordinated operation of multiple distributed nodes, and automated or AI-enabled adaptation of node behavior. The effort should also characterize key performance, SWaP, networking, and cost trades, including a preliminary hardware architecture and bill of materials. Proposed solutions should also address resilient operation under degraded communications or loss of individual nodes and approaches for protecting or sanitizing sensitive mission data, software, and configuration information in the event of physical capture or compromise. Experimentation should align, where prototype maturity and contracting timelines permit, with anticipated Scarlet Dragon opportunities tentatively planned for April and August 2027 at Ft. Bragg, NC, and other XVIII ABC-supported experimentation opportunities. Specific dates, locations, and objectives for experimentation may shift based on operational priorities, exercise schedules, prototype maturity, and Government direction.
Phase II
Phase II will design, integrate, test, and mature a CEMA CAMO prototype for Warfighter integration and continued experimentation through Joint Innovation Out Post (JIOP)and XVIII Airborne Corps (XVIII ABC). The prototype will demonstrate distributed electromagnetic sensing and RF signature-management capabilities in representative LSCO scenarios focused on Command Post Survivability and complicating adversary ISR and targeting. Experimentation will build on Phase I activities and leverage Scarlet Dragon and other XVIII ABC experimentation opportunities, as available, to assess performance, refine capabilities, and inform operational integration. The effort will culminate in prototype delivery to the Warfighter, performance assessment, documented results, and continued maturation and transition to MEMSS.
Phase III Dual Use Applications
CEMA CAMO technologies may have commercial applications where distributed, low-cost electromagnetic sensing and spectrum awareness are required. Potential uses include wireless network monitoring, spectrum management, interference detection and localization, critical infrastructure spectrum awareness, communications testing, and distributed RF monitoring. The modular hardware, software-defined architecture, edge processing, and distributed sensing capabilities may also support commercial telecommunications, utilities, transportation, and industrial wireless networks.
References
https://cpeisw.army.mil/pm-ewc/?utm_source
Keywords
Electromagnetic Warfare; RF Signature Management; Command Post Survivability; Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations; Distributed RF Systems
Frequently asked questions
What is ARM27BX02-NV002?
It is an Army SBIR topic for CEMA CAMO, a low-cost, distributed, attritable electromagnetic spectrum capability that uses cooperating software-configurable nodes to manage and obscure the RF signature of command posts and other critical nodes during large-scale combat operations.
When is ARM27BX02-NV002 due?
Proposals are due January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET. DSIP pre-release began November 4, 2026, and direct contact with the topic authors is allowed only until the topic opens on December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET.
Is this a Phase I or Direct-to-Phase II topic?
It accepts Phase I submissions with a cost limit of $300,000 and a 6-month period of performance. Phase II then matures the prototype for Warfighter integration and continued experimentation.
Where will the prototype be tested?
Demonstrations happen in partnership with Joint Innovation Out Post through XVIII Airborne Corps experimentation. Where maturity and contracting timelines permit, Phase I experimentation should align with Scarlet Dragon opportunities tentatively planned for April and August 2027 at Ft. Bragg, NC, though dates may shift.