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Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Long-Range Listening Device - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV054

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop a portable long-range listening device capable of accurately identifying and recording sounds from over 200 meters away. The U.S. Marine Corps seeks advanced acoustic surveillance technologies for intelligence collection, force protection, and operational awareness. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate a long-range listening device capable of accurately identifying and recording sounds at a distance.

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Description:

Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence (CI/HUMINT) Marines perform intelligence operations in support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations, with a focus on the collection of information and identification of threats posed by hostile organizations, espionage, sabotage, subversion, or terrorism. They require organic, portable capabilities to aid in the collection of information for intelligence reporting to decision makers. The capability to surveil sounds from a distance enhances their toolset. While long-range listening devices exist, innovation is required to meet the Marine Corps' portability, range, target area, accuracy, and recording requirements.

This SBIR topic seeks a small device that can accurately identify and record sounds at a distance.

Requirements for the Long-Range Listening Device

- Capable of effectively identifying and recording sounds at a distance of 200m (Threshold), while maintaining a minimal terminal target area of no more than 2 meters (Threshold).

- Capture and deliver sufficient recorded sound quality and target precision (at range) for a human listener to reliably differentiate voice, mechanical noises, and natural sounds such as wind and water.

- Small enough for an individual person to transport (50lbs or less) and set up from transit case to operational within one hour.

- Non-military in appearance (preferred).

- Able to operate by battery power with a minimum continuous recording time of 24 hours.

PHASE I

Design a concept for a long-range listening device that can meet the performance and size constraints listed in the Description. Demonstrate and validate the feasibility of the concept. Prepare a Phase II development plan with performance goals, key technical milestones, and risk reduction approaches.

PHASE II

Produce prototype hardware for a long-range listening device based on the Phase I work and requirements in the Description. Demonstrate and validate prototype performance in a realistic operational environment.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Though the primary objective is to support the Marine Corps to transition to support CI/HUMINT and force protection operations for the MAGTF. The other military Services and federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Secret Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are likely to adopt this capability for similar long range surveillance operations. State and local law enforcement and private investigators could also employ the capability for surveillance.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Multi-Band Approach to Target Discovery - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV055

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop a dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) solution that enhances wide-area ocean surveillance, vessel tracking, and environmental monitoring. The U.S. Navy seeks advanced multi-band SAR technologies that improve maritime domain awareness, target detection, and search-and-rescue operations. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a target discovery multi-band approach tool for wide-area ocean surveillance, target tracking, and environmental monitoring, to improve operational effectiveness and national security posture.

ITAR:

Description:

Commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) providers prioritize high-resolution imagery for applications demanding detailed ground sampling, primarily done in the X-band. This focus caters to markets like agriculture, urban planning, and disaster response. The Navy has a unique need for wide-area maritime surveillance, particularly in the open ocean, for tasks like search and rescue, tracking surface vessels, and monitoring illegal activities. The Navy also has urgent operational requirements for improved maritime domain awareness and more efficient resource allocation. Currently other methods are being used to perform these tasks; however, utilizing SAR would increase capabilities at a lower cost while providing better services for accomplishing the desired tracking methods. The Navy seeks a solution to utilize advancements in commercial space technology by utilizing dual-band SAR. Currently there is not a way for the Navy to utilize these services.

Dual-band approaches offer substantial benefits across various sectors. Dual-band routers and mobile devices can operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, providing greater bandwidth and network capacity within telecommunications. This technology allows devices to switch to less congested frequencies, improving network performance and reliability in areas with high Wi-Fi density. Dual-band approaches can be used to monitor various environmental parameters, such as soil moisture, snow cover, and water quality, allowing for more accurate land cover classification and identification of specific features like vegetation types or mineral deposits. Within the medical field, dual-band imaging techniques can provide more detailed information about tissue composition and bone density, improving diagnostic capabilities for conditions like osteoporosis. Additionally, this approach can be used to enhance target detection and identification by combining data from different frequencies.

The solution sought will add to the current capabilities of searching, tracking, and monitoring to include dual-band SAR systems.

The system will incorporate a secondary band like S-band or C-band alongside the existing X-band capabilities. The system will increase area coverage and use lower frequency bands (S-band or C-band) that have wider beamwidths, enabling larger swaths of ocean to be imaged in a single pass. The increase in area coverage provided by a multi-band approach is not directly quantifiable with a single number as it is highly dependent on the specific bands used, the sensor technology, the platform, and the application. Rather than a percentage increase, it is more accurate to discuss the types of coverage improvements that multi-band approaches offer, such as wider swath width, increased temporal coverage, and coverage in different domains. The benefits will be realized through the synergistic combination of different bands, each contributing unique information and capabilities.

The system must also have improved target detection through utilizing multiple frequencies that will allow for comprehensive target characterization. Different bands interact differently with various materials and sea states, enabling better discrimination among vessels, ice, and ocean features.

The dual-band SAR will provide enhanced environmental monitoring by providing valuable data for oceanographic applications, such as wave height and direction estimation, current monitoring, oil spill detection, flood monitoring, land cover classification, and sea ice monitoring.

Dual-Band performance validation will be accomplished through:

Frequency Band Coverage: Verification of operation within the specified frequency bands. Data will include spectral analysis in each band.

Simultaneous Operation: Demonstration of concurrent and independent operation in both frequency bands. Data will include recordings of simultaneous signal reception and processing in each band. Interference Mitigation: Assessment of the system's ability to mitigate interference between the two bands and from external sources. Data will include measurements under various interference conditions in each band.

Area Coverage Enhancement will be shown through:

Field of View (FOV) Measurement: Quantification of the increased FOV achieved by the dual-band approach compared to a single-band baseline system. Data will include geometric measurements and visualizations of the detectable area.

Detection Range: Determination of the maximum detection range in each band and in dual-band mode. Data will include plots of detection probability versus range for various target types and environmental conditions.

Target Tracking Accuracy: Evaluation of the system's ability to accurately track targets within the expanded FOV. Data will include measurements of target position error and tracking stability.

Open Ocean Search and Tracking Performance will be shown through:

Simulated Search Scenarios: Testing of the prototype in simulated open ocean environments with representative targets and clutter. Data will include detection and tracking performance metrics for various scenarios.

Environmental Impact Assessment: Evaluation of the system's performance under varying environmental conditions. Data will include performance metrics under different environmental parameters.

Prototype Robustness and Reliability will be shown through:

System Stability: Assessment of the system's stability and reliability during extended operation. Data will include continuous operation logs and failure rate analysis.

Power Consumption: Measurement of the system's power consumption under various operating conditions.

Navy Requirements Compliance will be shown through:

Specific Performance Metrics: Testing against specific Navy-defined performance metrics. Data will include direct measurements and comparisons to the required values. Performance specifications will be provided during Phase I.

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 NAVSEA 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

Develop a concept for a dual-band SAR and demonstrate through modeling and analysis that it feasibly meets the parameters in the Description. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capability to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype dual-band SAR based on the results of Phase I. Demonstrate that the prototype meets parameters of the Description. Support Government testing at a Government-provided facility to determine the capability meets the performance goals of Navy. Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is possible that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use, which will include scaling up production and integrating with existing Navy systems.

Integrate the dual-band SAR system with Navy systems by collaborating with the Commercial Space Program Office (CSPO), integrating dual-band SAR data into workflows, creating software and algorithms that allow for effective processing and target detection, and provide personnel with training and support for interpreting data.

The objective is to secure long-term contracts with the Navy to provide ongoing access to dual-band SAR data/services with the benefit of marketing the technology to other government agencies in the future.

To obtain successful commercialization and production, the performer will refine and optimize the prototype based on the Navy’s testing and feedback from Phase II and set up manufacturing processes to produce the dual-band SAR system(s) at scale. This is valuable for applications like airport security, border surveillance, and traffic monitoring. The underlying principle is that using two or more frequency bands allows systems to leverage the unique characteristics of each band, enhancing performance, reliability, and overall capabilities.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Optimizing Satellite Imagery across Commercial Vendors - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV056

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop an intelligent satellite imagery scheduling platform that integrates multiple commercial providers to optimize collection speed, image quality, coverage, and cost. The U.S. Navy seeks advanced software solutions for maritime domain awareness, automated tasking, and resilient space-based intelligence collection. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a software application that uses a hub and spoke-style negotiating service for commercial satellite data providers (i.e., Imagery Synthetic Aperture Radar/ and Research and Development (SAR/RD)), utilizing their native Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to forecast collection opportunities while optimizing resolution, speed of collection, and cost across multiple providers.

ITAR:

Description:

Satellite imagery provides a critical foundation for maritime domain awareness (MDA), allowing the Navy to monitor vast ocean expanses, track vessel movements, and detect unusual activities while also supporting intelligence gathering by providing visual confirmation of suspected activities, revealing adversary capabilities and intentions, and informing strategic decision-making. The Navy primarily relies on its own dedicated reconnaissance assets and a limited number of Government contractors to receive imagery from satellites, which limits the speed of imagery reception and imposes reliance issues on accurate resources. A solution to the limiting factors would be to expand resources to multiple commercial satellite vendors, thus diversifying the sources of information and reducing reliance on single points of failure. The Navy seeks resilience in contested environments where access to a single vendor might be disrupted by weather or other conditions by development of an advanced hub and spoke-style scheduling optimization capability that will forecast opportunities and provide optimizing resolution, speed of collection, and costs across multiple commercial satellite providers. No known commercial capability can meet this need.

The solution application tool must provide a way to combine the following parameters.

It must achieve seamless multi-vendor integration that can be used for accessing a single, unified system and dynamically adapt to weather conditions by integrating real-time weather data and predictive models directly into the scheduling process.
It must also provide a prioritization capability for time-critical requirements such as tracking a high-value target or responding to a developing crisis.
It will optimize cost-efficiency for the scheduling process by selecting the most cost-effective vendor for a given task.
It will minimize redundant collections.
It will leverage opportunities for data sharing and collaboration among the commercial satellites.
It will enhance data fusion and analysis by combining imagery from different sources.
It must ensure data security and integrity by incorporating security measures.

The solution will be tested and must meet the following parameters:

System Functionality and Performance: includes integration testing, automated tasking and re-tasking, scalability and load testing, and user interface and functionality.
Imagery Quality and Usability: includes image resolution and clarity, cloud cover and obstruction analysis, and data fusion and processing.
Operational Effectiveness: includes simulated scenarios, field demonstrations, and user feedback/evaluation.
Security and Interoperability: includes security testing and interoperability testing.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: includes cost modeling and analysis.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for a software hub and spoke-style scheduling optimization capability that feasibly meets the requirements in the Description. Demonstrate feasibility through modeling and analysis. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype software hub and spoke-style scheduling optimization capability. Demonstrate that the prototype meets the parameters in the Description. Support testing of the prototype at a facility provided by the Government to determine it meets the required performance goals as stated in the Description. Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is possible that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use. Assist in testing the capability in the Government test facilities to ensure that the system meets the demanding requirements of the Maritime Targeting Cell-Afloat/Expeditionary (MTC-A/X) program and provides for future development and deployment decisions, ultimately contributing to a more effective and responsive imagery acquisition capability.

Outside of the military, this technology has the potential to revolutionize various sectors, such as law enforcement, marine wildlife protection, climate change research, vessel collision avoidance, supply chain management, coordination of rescue/relief efforts, and meteorology. The system could be deployed across multiple domains, improving safety, efficiency, and environmental protection in diverse environments.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Gun Weapon Systems Ammunition Handling and Controls Modernization - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV057

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop an advanced electro-mechanical ammunition loading system for the Navy’s MK 45 5-inch Gun System. Seeking innovative solutions that improve reliability, increase firing rates, reduce hydraulic system dependence, and modernize naval weapon handling for contested environments. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop an electro-mechanical capability for the sustained tactical loading and unloading of 5-inch/54 caliber naval ammunition.

ITAR:

Description:

A component of both terminal defense and land-attack missions, a MK 34 GWS with the increased reliability and firing rates are expected to increase capability and survivability during missions in contested areas with large (10+) threat swarms. In these scenarios, the effective firing of ammunition to engage targets is essential due to relatively low-cost and on-hand inventory of shipboard ammunition (versus missiles).

Major Caliber Naval Gun Weapon Systems currently cycles conventional ammunition from storage conditions up through firing by way of circa-1960s electro-hydraulic power technology. With a high power-to-weight ratio and simple control circuits, this technology (militarized from the chemical and food machinery industry of the day) transformed ammunition handling systems from a manual to a semi-automated process aboard Navy ships.

The technology is old and has limitations on guided ammunition handling that include high maintenance requirements, obsolescence, complex troubleshooting, exposure to petroleum products, high intensity noise, and sustained operation limited by operator “in-the-loop” actions. There is currently no commercial technology that could solve the need for gun weapon systems ammunition handling and controls modernization for the Navy.

The Navy seeks a solution to modify existing fielded MK 34 Major Caliber Gun Weapon System guns (utilizing the MK 45 MOD 2 & 4 5-Inch Gun System) with automated ammunition loading systems that provide higher reliability (i.e., operational availability of .9 or greater), increased sustained loading (i.e., firing) rate (i.e., greater than 12 rounds per minute), and/or reduced exposure to occupational exposure to petroleum-based hydraulic fluids.

Potential innovations may incorporate electric motor drive technology, industrial control systems or testing system technologies, human-assist technologies, or process optimization. The solution shall be restricted to the MK 45 Gun System Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) profile, requiring no modification to the platform (i.e., ship). All solutions shall utilize Model-Based Engineering (MBE) design principles.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for an ammunition loading system for the MK 45 Gun System that meets the parameters in the Description. Establish feasibility through modeling and analysis of the design. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype based on Phase I results. Demonstrate that the prototype will meet the requirements in the Description for each unique area of application within the Gun System. Install the prototype in a Government land-based test Gun System for testing and evaluation. Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is possible that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in successfully transitioning the technology to Navy use directly to both in-service and new production MK 45 5-inch Gun Mounts, the main component within the MK 34 Gun Weapon System aboard U.S. Navy Destroyers.

Upon successful transition of this R&D effort to the MK 34 GWS, other military applications of this technology include smaller caliber Gun Weapon Systems (20mm to 57mm). Non-military applications of this technology include industrial operations that require complex material handling and storage, including but not limited to, the automotive industry.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

High-Throughput Embarked Data Transfer - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV058

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop a compact, high-bandwidth communications solution capable of transmitting 4 terabytes of data in 60 seconds across distances exceeding 5,000 nautical miles. The U.S. Navy seeks innovative technologies for rapid data transfer, tactical communications, and combat system intelligence distribution. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a small form factor device (total stowed volume of one cubic foot, including transceiver) and any required software to enable high-throughput data package transmission off embarked Navy platforms.

ITAR:

Description:

U.S. Naval platforms defended by the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) combat management system (CMS) routinely traverse hostile regions of the world threatened by modern anti-ship weapons. SSDS CMS data recorded at sea are transmitted from embarked platforms back to various ashore support organizations for system performance analysis. Results are used in a variety of ways, which include but are not limited to improving CMS functionality, updating tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and ensuring warfighters are trained to defend platforms against modern threats in difficult scenarios. However, providing timely system improvements and guidance depends on timely receipt of large volumes of data for analysis. Existing methods of transmitting these data can be slow and bandwidth constrained, potentially reducing the cadence of this process and delaying the provision of important information.

The Navy seeks a small form factor device (total stowed volume of one cubic foot, including transceiver) and any required software to enable high-throughput data package transmission from embarked Navy platforms. The solution must transmit at least four terabytes of data in 60 seconds (i.e., at a sustained bandwidth of about 67GB/s) over more than 5,000 nautical miles. Currently no Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) solutions are available for use in this manner.

Three SSDS Top Level Requirements (TLRs) are necessary.

(U) The SSDS Combat System (CS) shall enable extraction of selected data for analysis and playback. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1041]
(U) The SSDS CS shall provide extracted and recorded data for external processing. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1039]
(U) The SSDS CS shall provide a method of updating its reference databases on a periodic basis, or on demand. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1207]

While modern techniques in radio, microwave, free space optical (FSO), or other data transmission modalities capable of satisfying these requirements are welcome, proposed solutions must be resilient to highly dynamic and challenging atmospheric or environmental effects on selected modalities and/or waveforms. Additionally, solutions must be capable of deployment on Navy surface combatants in fewer than ten minutes from stowed to transmission ready. Solutions should plan to accept data from COTS data storage devices, including removable disk drives, removable Flash-based storage, and written optical media. Solutions must also be able to integrate with Department of War (DoW) Program of Record (PoR) communications architecture(s). The solution should provide technical details and clearly map those details to desired capability needs. The architecture should also provide high-level details regarding integration with DoW PoR communications architecture(s) or system(s), and should be designed and implemented in accordance with relevant DoW cybersecurity and information assurance (IA) standards.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for a small form factor device to enable high-throughput data package transmission and demonstrate feasibly that it meets all the requirements of the Description. Demonstrate feasibility of this concept to meet the conditions outlined in the Description through modeling, analysis, event-driven simulation of software capabilities, or other methods. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype small form factor device to enable high-throughput data package transmission and any required software capabilities that enable integration with the DOW PoR communications architecture(s) based on the results of Phase I. Demonstrate that the prototype meets the required parameters in the Description. Support testing by the Government in a relevant environment provided by the Government. Deliver a prototype to the Navy.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use through system integration and qualification testing. Deliver the technology to support an IWS 80 critical test conducted jointly by the performer and the combat system engineering agent (CSEA), which is expected to take place on a surface combatant equipped with SSDS CMS software, demonstrating the full end-to-end data transmission process between the surface combatant and a Government ashore analysis and support activity.

Dual-use applications to consider include extension of these technologies and capabilities to expeditionary or remote use cases where exceptionally high throughput data package transmissions are required, including but are not limited to disaster recovery and relief, remote research and scientific operations such as polar science missions, and time-critical marine monitoring and regulatory oversight efforts.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Real-time Zero Trust Data and Access Control for Combat Systems - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV059

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop a real-time Zero Trust security platform that protects critical Navy combat system data through advanced authentication, micro-segmentation, AI-driven threat detection, and secure access controls. Seeking innovative cybersecurity solutions that reduce access latency, improve resilience, and strengthen data security. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a real-time Zero Trust data access control system for combat systems.

ITAR:

Description:

The Navy relies on combat system data for critical decision-making in wartime. This data must be secure to prevent unauthorized access and ensure its integrity. Current security measures are struggling to keep up with evolving threats, making it difficult to guarantee data is only seen by authorized personnel. This vulnerability compromises tactical advantages and risks operational effectiveness. Traditional security approaches are often too slow and inflexible for the dynamic nature of modern naval operations. An answer to this need is not commercially available.

The Navy seeks an adaptive "Zero Trust" data control system. Zero Trust is a security strategy for modern multi-cloud networks. Instead of focusing on the network perimeter, a Zero Trust security model enforces security policies for each individual connection between users, devices, applications and data.

Zero Trust operates on the principle of “never trust, always verify” rather than granting implicit trust to all users inside a network. This granular security approach helps address the cybersecurity risks posed by remote workers, hybrid cloud services, personally-owned devices, and other elements of today’s networks. This goes beyond simply having usernames and passwords. The Navy needs to verify every data access request in near real time, regardless of the user's location or device.

The sought solution requires leveraging both Government and commercial technologies: Advanced Authentication - moving beyond passwords to biometrics, multi-factor authentication, and behavioral analysis; Micro-segmentation - dividing data into smaller highly-controlled compartments to limit the impact of any potential breach (think of it like having separate locked filing cabinets for different types of sensitive information); Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) - detecting anomalous behavior and automatically adapting security measures, which could involve analyzing user access patterns to identify potential threats in real-time; and Blockchain Technology - exploring its potential for secure data logging and access control, ensuring an immutable record of all data transactions.

This Zero Trust system must ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data, regardless of location or device type, which is crucial for maintaining a tactical advantage in future conflicts where information superiority will be paramount. Existing, new, and emerging technologies will be crucial in building this system.

While promising technologies exist, they are not currently integrated or robust enough to meet the Navy's stringent security requirements. The new system must address real-time performance and must ensure access verification suitable for fast-paced combat scenarios. The Navy requires near-instantaneous system access to effectively respond to dynamic and evolving threats.

Furthermore, scalability and integration with complex Navy networks and systems must be ensured, along with system resilience to cyberattacks and the ability to function in degraded environments (i.e., situations where critical infrastructure or communication links may be compromised due to enemy action, natural disasters, or other disruptive events). The solution must develop faster (reduce average authentication time from 15 seconds to 5 seconds) and more efficient authentication methods; implement micro-segmentation techniques to reduce the attack surface by dividing a network into smaller isolated security segments; integrate AI/ML for real-time threat detection and response; and explore and adapt blockchain technology for secure data management. The Navy aims to achieve significant improvements compared to existing systems, including reducing access latency by at least 50%, reducing the risk of unauthorized data access by at least 90%, and streamlining data management processes to reduce administrative overhead by at least 25%.

The developed technology will be evaluated against National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards for compartmented data control, cybersecurity and data integrity (e.g., NIST SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture).

The Navy requires the development and integration of an adaptive "Zero Trust" data control system to secure critical combat data. This system must leverage advanced authentication, micro-segmentation, and AI/ML to provide near real-time, verified access for authorized personnel across any device or location. Key performance requirements include reducing authentication time to under five seconds, decreasing the risk of unauthorized data access by at least 90%, and ensuring the system is scalable, resilient in degraded environments, and compliant with NIST standards.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for a real-time Zero Trust data access control system for combat systems, specifically addressing the NIST standards associated with compartmented data control. Demonstrate the feasibility of this concept by providing detailed system architecture, including key technologies, algorithms, and data flow diagrams, which must include modeling and simulation to show the system's potential to meet Navy performance goals in the Description. (Note: If modeling and simulation alone cannot sufficiently demonstrate feasibility for specific aspects of the concept, propose and justify the use of subscale prototypes or surrogate systems, outlining their required characteristics and how they will contribute to a comprehensive feasibility assessment. For example, a subscale prototype might demonstrate the performance of a novel authentication mechanism under simulated network conditions, while a surrogate system could represent a simplified version of a combat system component for integration testing.)

The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype of the Zero Trust data access control system for combat systems based on the results of Phase I. Demonstrate the core functionalities of the proposed system, including authentication, authorization, micro-segmentation, and real-time threat detection. Support testing of the prototype in a representative environment mirroring the complexity and data flow of a combat system network and including simulated cyberattacks and operational scenarios to assess the system's resilience and performance under stress. Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use. Transition the prototype Zero Trust data access control system into a fully operational capability for Navy use within the Maritime Targeting Cell - Afloat/Expeditionary (MTC-A/X) platform. The final product will be a robust, scalable, and secure system capable of managing and controlling access to sensitive combat system data in real-time, adhering to NIST standards and achieving the performance improvements outlined in previous phases.

The core technology developed under this effort has significant potential for dual-use applications in various commercial sectors. The need to protect sensitive data is not unique to the military. Businesses across numerous industries, including finance, healthcare, and energy, face similar challenges in safeguarding proprietary information and customer data from cyber threats and unauthorized access. The Zero Trust security model developed for the Navy can be adapted to protect sensitive corporate data, such as financial records, intellectual property, and personal health information.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Intra-Satellite Communications - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV060

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop advanced inter-satellite communication technology that enables real-time data sharing across commercial satellite constellations. The U.S. Navy seeks innovative hardware solutions to improve maritime target tracking, reduce latency, and enhance situational awareness for open-ocean operations. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a hardware capability that communicates rapidly between any commercial satellites to reduce latency of data transmission to track open ocean targets.

ITAR:

Description:

The current model for commercial satellite communication involves each satellite independently communicating directly with ground stations or geostationary relay satellites. This architecture presents a significant challenge for tracking mobile targets, especially across wide areas. Because satellites do not communicate directly with each other, a target moving out of the field of view (FOV) of one satellite requires a time-consuming handoff process involving ground stations. This process introduces latency and inefficiencies, especially when trying to coordinate tracking across multiple satellites, whether from the same constellation or different vendors.

The use of existing commercial satellite infrastructure could provide the capability to mitigate these latencies and inefficiencies without the substantial cost of developing and deploying a dedicated military satellite network.

The Navy seeks a hardware solution to be installed on Government satellites that enables inter-satellite communication (ISC) within commercial satellite constellations. No existing commercial capability can accomplish this requirement. This proposed capability will allow satellites to directly share tracking data and other information and significantly improve the tracking of open ocean targets.

The solution must meet the following parameters:

Use Seamless Target Handoff to enable real-time communication between satellites, allowing for seamless tracking of objects as they move across the coverage areas of different satellites, eliminating the need for ground station intervention.
Use enhanced Tracking Accuracy and Persistence to direct communication between satellites.
Enable faster and more accurate correlation of target data from multiple viewpoints compared to the current time it takes to establish these same parameters.
Improve tracking accuracy, particularly for maneuvering targets.
Ensure persistent tracking even in challenging environments.
Establish an inter-satellite linked network that creates a dynamic and responsive network that adapts to changing operational needs.
Enable satellites to quickly share information about new targets or changes in target behavior, enhancing overall situational awareness.
Allow direct communication between satellites to reduce the time currently required to transmit critical tracking data to decision-makers.
Measure the data transfer latency between satellites under various network load and orbital configurations, as compared to latency experienced with traditional ground-relay communication systems.
Evaluate the data throughput capacity of the inter-satellite links and provide a determination of the maximum data rate that can be reliably sustained between satellites.
Assess the stability and reliability of the inter-satellite links under operational conditions for distances between satellites and atmospheric interference.
Test the effectiveness of routing data efficiently between satellites and route the data according to the most efficient routing protocol to achieve the most efficient routing between satellites, thus managing network congestion.
Improve target tracking accuracy achieved by using ISC compared to the accuracy using traditional methods with improved accuracy over the traditional methods. (Note: A baseline of traditional methods will be established to measure against an improvement provided by the solution, which must include the ability to measure the latency and message fidelity efficiency and seamlessness of target handoff between satellites including any associated loss of tracking data.)
Provide for assessing the coverage area of interest (AOI) footprint within the satellite pass and provide a determination of the ability of the network to maintain continuous tracking of targets moving across large areas.
Capable of simultaneously tracking multiple targets in accordance with the Commander’s intent, including targets with varying speeds and trajectories.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for an intra-satellite communication hardware capability. Demonstrate feasibility through modeling and simulation showing the parameters in the Description can be achieved. Compare the cost of implementing and operating the intra-satellite communication system to the cost of alternative solutions, such as reliance solely on ground-based tracking systems. Assess the return on investment (ROI) achieved by leveraging commercial satellite infrastructure and implementing intra-satellite communication. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype intra-satellite communication hardware capability based on the results of Phase I. Demonstrate that the prototype meets the parameters in the Description and the performance goals of Navy requirements. Support the Navy’s comprehensive testing to validate the effectiveness of the system using evaluation metrics to quantify the system’s performance. Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology for use in a wartime environment to track objects of interest. Assist the Navy in testing the technology’s performance in actual conditions, which must be validated by demonstrating that the system meets the demanding requirements of modern naval operations via system integration and interoperability via operational testing in simulated scenarios and field testing.

Once operations of the system have provided feedback on its usability, effectiveness, and suitability for operational needs, the system will be used to inform future development and deployment decisions, ultimately providing concrete evidence of the system's capabilities and its potential to transform naval operations.

Outside the military, this technology has the potential to revolutionize various sectors, such as law enforcement, marine wildlife protection, vessel collision avoidance, supply chain management, coordination of rescue/relief efforts, and meteorology and space. The system could be deployed across multiple domains, improving safety, efficiency, and environmental protection in diverse environments.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Predictive Movement for Object Oriented Tracking - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV061

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop an AI-driven maritime intelligence platform that automates object tracking, Pattern of Life analysis, future-state forecasting, and threat prioritization for the U.S. Navy. Seeking advanced machine learning solutions for maritime domain awareness, change detection, and decision support. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a capability using Artificial Intelligence (AI) that investigates, tracks, and assigns priority for future state forecasting such as Geospatial-temporal Pattern of Life Analysis and change detection for the Maritime Targeting Cell (MTC).

ITAR:

Description:

Maritime Targeting Cell is a high-tech “fusion” node, which receives massive amounts of data from diverse sources (e.g., satellites, sensors), making it difficult to process and interpret effectively. Current tracking relies heavily on manual methods, which can overwhelm staff and lead to inefficient resource allocation. They are essentially trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Without an automated system, it is difficult to prioritize which objects require immediate attention, which can lead to critical threats being overlooked.

The Maritime Targeting Cell has a need to increase readiness for potential conflicts with adversaries. There are currently a large number of objects that need to be tracked, both above and below the surface of the ocean, across the globe. These objects include U.S. Navy Ships, other U.S. Government vessels, allied and partner Naval vessels, commercial vessels, adversary vessels, U.S. and other nations’ submarines, underwater drones and sensors, and aircraft. The Navy needs to utilize efficient tracking methods for large numbers of objects so future state forecasting, pattern of life, and change detection can enable analysts to investigate targets, maintain track custody, and assign priority to objects detected.

As more sensors come online, the data volume will only increase, exacerbating existing problems. The current manual processes simply cannot scale and as the Navy’s specific requirements are unique and complex, off-the-shelf tracking software is insufficient. Currently no existing commercial technology can meet this need.

The Navy envisions an AI-driven solution that aims to address these challenges by automating key aspects of the tracking process.

The solution must meet the following parameters:

It must use AI-powered tracking algorithms to process sensor data, identify and track objects, and predict their future movements.
It must use Automated Prioritization in which AI is used for activity prediction and Pattern of Life (POL) analysis to assign a priority level to each tracked object, allowing analysts to focus on the most important targets first.
It must use Predictive Forecasting and Change Detection to analyze historical data and current behavior and predict future object states and quickly identify deviations from expected patterns, enhancing situational awareness.
It must contain Hierarchical Target Management to allow the system to maintain track custody of all objects, but present them to analysts in a prioritized hierarchy, allowing for efficient resource allocation.
It will need to have Enhanced Scalability so as new sensors are added, the AI can seamlessly integrate the additional data without requiring a proportional increase in manpower.
It will need to have Improved Response Time through automating analysis and prioritization to accelerate the decision-making process, enabling faster responses to developing situations.

In essence, the proposed AI solution aims to transform the Navy from a reactive overwhelmed center to a proactive highly efficient hub for maritime domain awareness, which will empower the Navy to better manage the vast amount of data it collects and make more informed decisions, ultimately enhancing national security.

Evaluation metrics will be used to quantify the system’s performance, including accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score (a balanced measure of precision and recall), processing time, false positive rate, and false negative rate. These metrics will measure how often the system correctly identifies and tracks objects, the proportion of correctly identified objects out of all identified and all actual objects, a balance of precision and recall, the data processing time, and the rates of incorrect object identification and missed object identification.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for an AI-driven maritime tracking system that automates data processing, object identification and tracking, and threat prioritization. Demonstrate the feasibility of this concept through modeling and simulation, showing how the proposed algorithms can achieve the required levels of accuracy in object identification, tracking, and prioritization using simulated sensor data representing realistic maritime scenarios. Ensure that this simulation demonstrates (1) the concept's ability to handle increasing data loads that reflect the Navy's future needs, (2) improved response times compared to current manual methods, and (3) the feasibility of hierarchical target management to prioritize objects based on predicted threat level. (Note: While full prototypes are not expected in Phase I, performers might need to develop subscale prototypes or surrogates of specific AI modules, such as predictive forecasting or POL analysis components.)

The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype AI-driven maritime tracking tool based on the results of Phase I. Demonstrate the core functionalities of the prototype, including AI-driven tracking, prioritization, predictive forecasting and change detection, hierarchical target management, enhanced scalability, and improved response time. Support rigorous prototype testing using simulated and/or real-world maritime sensor data and evaluation on the performance against metrics defined in the Description, including accuracy, prioritization effectiveness, and response time improvement. (Note: If a full prototype is cost-prohibitive, advanced modeling and simulation using representative data can be used to demonstrate the technology's potential.) Ensure that the prototype meets key requirements including specified accuracy levels, prioritization thresholds, and demonstrable improvements in response time and scalability.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use. Support testing to ensure that the system meets the demanding requirements of modern naval operations via operational testing in simulated scenarios and field testing to assess its performance in actual conditions.

Once operators of the system have provided feedback on its usability, effectiveness, and suitability for operational needs, the system will be used to inform future development and deployment decisions, ultimately contributing to an enhanced scalability and improved response time.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Secure Tasking of Commercial Assets - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV062

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop a secure satellite tasking platform that enables classified communication between the U.S. Navy and commercial satellite providers. Seeking cybersecurity, encryption, and secure communications solutions that support CUI and Secret-level operations while reducing tasking timelines by up to 90%. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a capability for intercommunication between Government and commercial satellites.

ITAR:

Description:

Maritime Targeting Cell-Afloat/Expeditionary (MTC-A/X)’s purpose is to provide weapons-quality tracks to support over-the-horizon targeting by using multi-intelligence capabilities across all domains and deliver direct sensor data downlink capability. To maintain a tactical advantage, the Navy requires the ability to task commercial satellites at Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)/Information Level-5 (IL-5) and Secret Level (IL-6) to ensure tasking is not discoverable by adversaries.

The Navy could task commercial satellites for missions requiring secure handling of sensitive information, like targeting; however, commercial satellite providers typically do not offer the security levels required for classified Government operations [CUI impact levels (IL)-5 or Secret IL-6]. They could modify existing military systems for commercial use but that is prohibitively expensive and impractical for commercial vendors. Nothing that is commercially available can fulfill this communications need.

The Navy needs a capability to securely task commercial satellites at the required classification levels. This requires a solution leveraging both Government and commercial technologies, such as implementing end-to-end encryption within existing commercial tasking interfaces, secure data transfer protocols, and blockchain-based solutions for verifying the authenticity and integrity of tasking requests. The performer must evaluate the feasibility of integrating commercial security technologies like secure cloud platforms and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and explore emerging technologies such as quantum-resistant cryptography for enhanced long-term security.

The solution must establish a baseline for data security with an initial focus on establishing secure methods for tasking commercial satellites at the required CUI levels. Subsequent efforts will focus on solutions that demonstrate measurable reductions in tasking latency - measuring the speed and efficiency of the tasking process, verifying a targeted 90% reduction in tasking time compared to current methods, for which standard tasking can take up to 14 days from order to delivery. Seamless integration across different cybersecurity requirements will further contribute to more timely tasking, increased tasking opportunities, and a stronger overall cybersecurity posture.

The developed technology will be evaluated in a simulated environment against National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards for secure communications and data handling at the specified classification levels. This performer will also leverage existing Navy contracts, such as those managed by the Commercial Space Program Office (CSPO), to ensure rapid transition and widespread adoption across the DoW.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for a secure satellite tasking system that meets the parameters in the Description. Demonstrate the feasibility of this concept by providing a detailed concept design, including system architecture, security protocols, integration plans with existing commercial tasking interfaces, and modeling and simulation to show the system's potential to meet Navy performance goals in the Description. (Note: If modeling and simulation alone cannot sufficiently demonstrate feasibility for specific aspects of the concept, propose and justify the use of simulations or subscale demonstrations to illustrate key aspects of the concept, particularly related to security and integration. For example, a simulation demonstrating the secure transfer of encrypted tasking data between a mock commercial interface and a simulated secure government network would be beneficial.)

Specify the number and delivery schedule of any prototype articles provided to the Government for testing in the Phase II SOW based on the specific approach proposed by the performer.

The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype secure satellite tasking system based on the results of Phase I. Demonstrate the core functionality of the secure tasking system, including secure communication channels, data encryption/decryption, authentication and authorization mechanisms, and integration with representative commercial tasking interfaces.

(Note: If full prototype development is deemed too costly within the Phase II budget, the contractor may propose alternative evaluation methods, such as detailed simulations or analytical modeling, to demonstrate the prototype meets Navy performance goals. These alternative methods must be clearly justified and provide sufficient evidence to support the claims.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see Description section for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the secure satellite tasking system to operational use within the Navy. The prototype will be developed and integrated within the Maritime Targeting Cell program and seamlessly integrated with commercial satellite providers.

Support the transition process by refining and hardening the system: addressing any remaining bugs or vulnerabilities identified during Phase II testing and optimizing performance for operational use; developing comprehensive documentation and training materials to provide Navy personnel with the necessary resources to operate and maintain the system effectively; providing ongoing technical support; and assisting the Navy with system integration, deployment, and troubleshooting.

While developed for military applications, this secure satellite tasking technology has significant potential for dual use in the commercial sector. Many industries rely on satellite imagery but face challenges protecting sensitive or proprietary information. This technology could be adapted to provide secure tasking and data transfer for secure commercial applications and safeguard proprietary information from unauthorized access. Other potential applications include precision agriculture to protect sensitive crop data from competitors; environmental monitoring to secure data related to pollution or resource exploration; and urban planning to protect sensitive infrastructure information.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Anomalous Behavior Detection and Alerting for Congested Maritime Environments - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV063

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop advanced Pattern of Life (PoL) analytics for the U.S. Navy to identify anomalous maritime and airborne activity in congested environments. Seeking AI-driven solutions that fuse AIS, ADS-B, radar, and sensor data to improve threat detection, situational awareness, and ship self-defense. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a capability for automated Pattern of Life (PoL) analysis in congested maritime environments.

ITAR:

Description:

U.S. Navy platforms defended by the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) combat system frequently transit maritime regions of the world that are congested with oceangoing vessels and aircraft traffic, which may include fishing vessels, tankers and cargo container ships, commercial airliners, or hostile entities such as enemy surface combatants or anti-air warfare (AAW) threats. In those congested maritime environments, enemies may attempt to hide within the noise of maritime congestion in an effort to gain initiative and surprise against U.S. Navy forces. There are some information sources at the disposal of Ship’s Force to detect adversaries. For example, both surface vessels (using Automatic Identification System (AIS) or aircraft (using Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B)) publicly broadcast certain types of information about themselves, including but not limited to Global Positioning System (GPS) location, speed, altitude, destination, and other identifying information as appropriate. However, not all regions have requirements that all traffic must broadcast this information, and actors conducting nefarious or illegal activity have been known to disable AIS and ADS-B systems on their craft. Non-cooperative methods to determine the intent of these craft have been developed in response to the risks posed by uncompliant vessels or aircraft, including PoL analysis. Here, longitudinal records of typical traffic patterns are established over time, then compared against real-time observations to identify anomalous – and therefore potentially nefarious or threatening – activity that is out of family from those records, such as deviation from established vessel traffic separation schemes (TSS), frequently-traveled flight paths or air corridors, or fishing activity in unexpected areas, among others. Anomalous contacts can then be flagged for increased scrutiny by human operators or other actions. However, detailed monitoring and analysis can be difficult for human operators and watchstanders to do for an entire transit duration or extended stay within a congested environment. For example, it requires close attention to detail over long periods of time, which can induce attentional fatigue and missed indicators by operators. Additionally, in the absence of digital historical records and/or when traversing new areas, Ship’s Force may have no historical collective knowledge of maritime traffic patterns against which to compare observations. The safety-critical nature of this task, coupled with the challenge it poses for humans, suggests a unique and important target for automation. Currently no commercial answer to the problem exists.

The Navy seeks the capability to analyze PoL behaviors exhibited by nearby maritime traffic for various regions of the world. Solutions must comprehensively explore all traffic (surface and air) within a 360-degree coverage area around a notional ship, using one or more PoL methods to identify targets that are anomalous and potentially threatening to the ship. Solutions must leverage common sources of maritime traffic data and include at a minimum AIS, ADS-B, and notional air or surface contacts detected by notional radars; other data sources can be specified, but must be realistic for Navy ships to collect, then identify and describe. Tracks or conditions of interest identified by the system must generate alerts for operators via decision support systems or other capabilities that are developed alongside automated analysis and detection logic. Selected alerting content and methods are flexible, but at a minimum must include system track numbers, select descriptive details of the track, provide an explanation of the machine reasoning for the alert that was generated, and compile a machine confidence assessment of the conclusion.

Proposed solutions must (1) function without large volumes of historical traffic patterns and trends stored within the combat system’s computers or databases, (2) include a notional plan for future integration with the SSDS combat system and its operator displays, and (3) be accompanied by an architecture that specifies at a minimum: sources of input data required for analysis; communications and/or data exchange pathways to support analysis needs; specific points of integration between algorithm(s) or method(s) used to perform PoL analysis and selected data sources; and operator alerting and information dissemination capabilities that could integrate with SSDS displays.

Proposals should address data volume concerns associated with storing large PoL databases and describe methods to execute the proposal without requiring significant additional data storage devices and without limiting PoL data to temporary “region-specific” data holdings that must be expunged as ship Operating Areas (OPAREAs) change.

Improved methods of automated PoL analysis that can identify potentially threatening sea or air contacts and communicate findings to watchstanders would significantly improve safety conditions for SSDS vessels transiting these regions.

Three SSDS Top Level Requirements (TLRs) would be supported by this investigation.

The SSDS CS shall generate and display the [Common Tactical Picture] to support command situation awareness and combat coordination. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1222]
The SSDS CS shall provide a means by which operators are notified and are able to participate in the resolution of identification conflicts. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1492]
The SSDS CS shall determine ID and classification with whatever data is available. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1486]

Work should include contacts and composite track data that are produced organically by SSDS combat system sensors, as well as architectural updates that specify the methods or approaches by which PoL analysis will be performed using a fusion of maritime tracks and organic SSDS composite tracks.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for an automated PoL analysis method in congested maritime environments meeting the requirements in the Description. Assess feasibility through modeling, simulation, or other means. Ensure that selected methods are explainable. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype automated PoL analysis method in congested maritime environments. Demonstrate functionality and performance of a full 360-degree coverage capable of meeting realistic operational SSDS use cases and needs for specific regions, as well as a detailed plan for integrating this solution with SSDS. (Note: To support successful Phase II efforts, the Acquisition Office will provide information regarding the SSDS architecture, U.S. Navy consoles and display environment capabilities, and world regions of interest.) Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see the Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use through system integration and qualification testing for the prototype hardware capability developed in Phase II. Deliver the prototype to support an IWS 80 critical experiment conducted jointly by the performer and the combat system engineering agent (CSEA), to take place in a live environment with tactical SSDS combat system software. (Note: The transition will require integration of the prototype into SSDS.)

Dual-use applications to consider include but are not limited to sea- or land-based private or third-party transportation, shipping, and logistics applications; personnel security; event security; and environmental and resource extraction regulatory monitoring.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Terminal Defense Weapon System Coordinator - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV064

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop an AI-enabled Terminal Defense System Weapon System Coordinator (TDSWC) that streamlines Navy ship self-defense operations and accelerates weapon system upgrades. Seeking MBSE-based software solutions for real-time engagement coordination across CIWS, RAM, directed energy, and counter-UAS systems. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop a Terminal Defense System Weapon System Coordinator (TDSWC) for terminal defense system weapon system engagements.

ITAR:

Description:

PEO IWS 11 is responsible for providing terminal defense weapon systems for ship self-defense against Anti-Ship Missile (ASM), Helicopter, Aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and Surface Threats. The program’s portfolio includes Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), Close-in Weapon System (CIWS), Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS), Directed Energy, and Guns.

Ship combat systems direct and manage terminal defense weapon system engagements so terminal defense weapon system upgrades require an update to the ship combat system. In addition, ship combat system weapon direction and management require complex algorithms in the ship combat system plus a detailed understanding of weapon systems’ performance.

Ship combat system weapon system updates are part of the combat system’s major releases. This takes years of development, followed by years of fielding.

The Navy seeks a capability that decouples weapon system upgrades from ship combat system updates and allows terminal defense systems to develop and field updates within two months. Currently no existing commercial technology can meet this need. The solution will move the ship combat system terminal defense weapon system responsibilities for managing upgrades and weapon system coordinating engagements from the combat system to the weapon system coordinator in real-time without latency.

Development of the weapon system coordinator solution must use model-based system engineering (MBSE) for documenting requirements, developing the architecture, and testing the behavior. The coordinator shall use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for engagement coordination by implementing AI heuristics and machine learning. The MBSE model shall include a code generator that will translate the model to an executable program that can be run on a RED HAT LINUX platform. The coordinator will include a combat system interface for managing combat system commands as well as cyber secure interfaces to each terminal defense weapon system.

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 NASEA 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

Develop a concept for a TDSWC concept using MBSE. Demonstrate feasibility in meeting the weapon system coordinator requirements using modelling, simulation, and analysis. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and a capabilities description to build a prototype in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a TDSWC prototype based on results of the Phase I. Demonstrate the prototype meets the Description parameters by integrating the executable software into a Navy-provided simulation testbed that complies with the combat system and terminal defense systems interface requirements. Verify the prototype meets the defined requirements and architectures. Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the prototype TDSWC model and executable to a Navy appointed warfare center for future development and maintenance. Provide oversight during the transition of the TDSWC. Assist the Navy in product field testing, implementing upgrades, and porting the executable to different computing platforms.

Successful use of MBSE to document requirements, architecture and executable is desirable for products that can be used on a variety of computing platforms. The design and behavior of the product remains the same while the implementation of the product changes based on the computing platform’s characteristics (physical configuration, manufacturer, instruct set architecture, etc.). As such, this technology is useful for all computing architectures in corporations.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Adaptive Sensor Management - SBIR Topic DON26BZ03-NV065

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $315,000

Description: Develop advanced software for dynamic sensor resource allocation in Navy Ship Self-Defense Systems (SSDS). Seeking real-time algorithms that optimize radar and electronic warfare sensor tasking to improve threat tracking, situational awareness, and combat system performance. Funding up to $315,000.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $315,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop an algorithmic capability for dynamic resource allocation that characterizes existing Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) sensor tasking allocations, the relative magnitude of each sensor’s fire control data contributions to composite tracks, identify sensor resources that could be released for other more impactful tasking without sacrificing current track quality metrics of relevance, and specify existing or potentially new sensor tasking that would benefit most from re-allocation of those resources.

ITAR:

Description:

Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare (L-class) ships are defended by the SSDS, a combat system comprised of weapons, sensors, communications systems, computers, and other elements working together to detect, track, and engage inbound anti-ship missiles and other threats. SSDS platforms sense their environments and identify tracks of interest by integrating inputs from a variety of sensors, which include rotating, fixed face and fire control or target illumination radars that cover a variety of radar bands, as well as electronic support (ES) sensors that process received Radio Frequency (RF) waveforms. Each of these sensors provides its update to the combat system at different rates. For example, while phased array radars can provide rapid target measurements and schedule beams or dwells across a wide field of view, rotating radars may have much narrower fields of view (FOVs) and provide full rotations only once every several seconds. However, because each sensor strives to maximize performance and provide the information necessary for SSDS to build and maintain fire control quality tracks on targets of interest, there are conditions in which further aggregation of sensor data may provide diminishing returns related to fire control track quality (e.g., continuing to provide updates on certain well-characterized tracks may not offer significant track state covariance reductions or additional fire control quality improvements over its current state). It may be advantageous in these cases to shift some of those sensor tasks to other combat system needs, specifically where those additional tasks could substantially improve track quality on other targets or help improve situation awareness via other means. Nothing available commercially can provide this capability.

The Navy seeks an algorithm-based software solution that automatically detects which sensors are contributing to fire control quality tracks on particular targets, assesses the relative magnitudes of their contributions, identifies conditions in which particular sensor resources could be released for other sensor tasking, and specifies which current or potentially novel sensor tasking would benefit most from allocation of those released resources. Proposed solutions should be dynamic, adaptive, responsive to rapid changes in track hostility characterization (i.e., solvable in real-time or better, minimizing algorithmic worst-case time complexity), and work with heterogeneous combinations of sensor tasking and resource utilization feedback parameters. Solutions must identify each sensor’s capability that is controllable by SSDS (e.g., search sectors, search modes, track-based controls, and cueing capabilities, among others) and leverage those realistic features in a solution for SSDS.

Examples of alternative sensor tasking include but are not limited to: executing surface-, volume-, or sector-specific search patterns; modifying or updating search modes; applying track-based controls; cueing other sensors on a specific target; or other actions. Example algorithmic techniques and fields from which approaches could be derived include stochastic and Bayesian optimization, metaheuristics, model predictive control theory, or others. Proposals using artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches will also be considered, but proposers should note that candidate solutions must be capable of generating resource re-allocation recommendations in scenarios that may be completely novel to the combat system and for which little to no prior exposure has been provided. Finally, proposed solutions should correspond to and be compatible with the existing SSDS Program of Record sensors. The initial solution will focus on mathematical and algorithmic development needed to address interactions between four radars that either are or will be installed on most SSDS platforms: SPS-48, SPQ-9B, MK-9 Tracker/Illuminator, and SPY-6(V)3. Solutions should be demonstrable under low to medium-fidelity modeling and simulation approaches, and the algorithmic solutions included in the proposed solution must be explainable.

Five SSDS Top Level Requirements (TLRs) would be supported by this investigation (note that, in the requirements language below, EW signifies Electronic Warfare, and ES signifies Electronic Support):

The SSDS Combat System (CS) shall provide a sensor cueing capability that automatically selects and assigns air tracks to specified own ship sensors for the purpose of achieving requisite track confidence and track data quality to support automatic engagement recommendations at maximum range allowed by engagement doctrine. [SSDS_CS_TLR-289]
The SSDS CS shall perform cued radar search for high-priority ES tracks that meet specified criteria but are not correlated or associated with existing SSDS CS active radar tracks. [SSDS_CS_TLR-291]
The SSDS CS shall detect resource utilization conflicts between sensors and resolve them based on the sensor resource priorities established. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1300]
The SSDS CS shall have automated and manual capabilities to request additional target EW data by ES sensor(s) for a specified track to support updates to EW classification. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1607]
The SSDS CS shall coordinate above water radar activities based on radar capabilities, availability, and tactical and operational conditions. [SSDS_CS_TLR-1631]

Solutions explored during a potential Phase II award must include an expanded set of sensors, the last of which is an ES sensor. The full sensor suite will therefore include SPS-48, SPS-49, SPQ-9B, SPY-6(V)2, SPY-6(V)3, MK-9 Tracker/Illuminator, and SLQ-32(V)6.

PHASE I

Develop a concept for a dynamic resource allocation software capability that characterizes existing SSDS sensor task allocations and provides a solution that meets all requirements identified in the Description. Show feasibility of the concept using modeling, simulation, analysis, or other methods that are explainable, as well as references from sensor tracking and resource management open literature for resource management inputs. (Note: To support realistic demonstration and candidate solution development, the performer will be provided with a reference combat system architecture example and additional sensor tasking information.) Phase I solutions will be advisory in nature, where recommendations will be provided to sensor and/or combat system operators for evaluation and action. If the Phase I Option is exercised, include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II

Develop a prototype dynamic resource allocation algorithm-based software capability that characterizes existing SSDS sensor tasking allocations based on the results of Phase I, expanding to include the Phase II sensors identified in the Description as well as SSDS-specific fire control quality tracking and sensor resource management details. Phase II will also include a trade study to explore overall system performance where resource allocation actions are automatically taken by the system vice made to human operators for consideration and possible action. (Note: Phase II will require a notional plan for integrating the product into the SSDS combat system.) Deliver the prototype to the Navy.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use through system integration and qualification testing for the prototype hardware capability developed in Phase II. Deliver the prototype to support an IWS 80 critical experiment conducted jointly by the proposer and the combat system engineering agent (CSEA), expected to take place in a live environment with tactical SSDS combat management system (CMS) software. (Note: The transition will require integration of the prototype into the SSDS CMS.)

Dual-use applications to consider are self-driving cars, vehicles, and other platforms equipped with multiple sensors; manufacturing and production quality control systems; and other applications where systems must dynamically prioritize and allocate sensor coverage to maintain maximum system efficiency.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Manufacturing Technologies for Ryberg-based Atomic Sensors (MANTRAS)-SBIR XL - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ03-DV011

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $5,000,000

Description: DARPA seeks low-SWaP, ruggedized Rydberg atomic RF receiver technologies for real-time wideband signal detection, processing, and spectrum awareness. Funding up to $5M available for quantum sensing and advanced RF systems. Apply by July 22, 2026.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $5,000,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Demonstrate a low-SWaP, ruggedized, and manufacturable platform for real-time measurement, data acquisition, and analysis of wideband RF signals using Rydberg-based atomic sensors.

Description:

Rydberg-based RF receivers are a class of emerging quantum technologies that are potentially capable of reception over an immensely broad carrier band (from HF/UHF to the millimeter-wave regime), high sensitivity, and passive operability within a single compact package.[1] Each of these attributes can, in turn, lend themselves to disruptive applications beyond the capabilities of conventional electro-optic, antenna-based, or plasmonic receivers. While the potential capabilities of Rydberg-based receivers have been validated to an extent within laboratory-scale proof-of-concept demonstrations, there are several technical challenges that need to be addressed en route to a viable DoW-relevant technology. Each of the particular attributes of Rydberg-based sensors that allow for beyond-SoA performance, i.e. all-optical tunability across orders of magnitude in reception frequency, quantum-limited sensitivity, coherent detection within compact vapor cells etc, also require the development of low-SWaP photonic and optolectronic systems for quantum state preparation and measurement; integrated optical frequency combs for wide tunability; and low-latency systems for control, measurement, and spectral analysis. At present, such quantum-enabling technologies have yet to demonstrate the stringent performance requirements needed to supplant larger, laboratory-scale infrastructure. This void has stymied the transition of such quantum devices to widely deployable, low-SWaP technologies as well as the future scalability of such systems to address a growing landscape of applications in atom-based sensing and PNT. In this context, ongoing programs at DARPA[2] are developing integrated photonic architectures ranging from on-chip narrow-linewidth laser sources and amplifiers at wavelengths of relevance to workhorse atomic species; microcomb-driven photonic integrated circuits for the stabilization and distribution of light; low-loss optical modulators and filters that could be harnessed for quantum state preparation, control and interrogation of atoms; and high-speed optical routing and processing architectures. Although the current performance of these enabling technologies is still some distance away from matching the performance of state-of-the-art laboratory-scale components, it is anticipated that continued progress in chip-scale photonics will lead to the maturation of these enabling technologies at a level that can match, and eventually surpass the performance of large-scale laboratory setups. It is also anticipated that the development of such chip-scale or integrated sub-systems can lead to advances and novel capabilities in deployable Rydberg-based quantum technologies that are not currently accessible with conventional antenna-based, electro-optic, or plasmonic techniques. The unique attributes of Rydberg-based RF receivers also pose challenges to the design and performance of control and signal processing architectures that are required to operationalize these systems. To achieve requisite levels of low-latency control, wideband signal processing, and autonomy of Rydberg-based devices, the aforementioned efforts on photonics will need to be complemented by innovative designs of low-latency system-on-chip (SoC) control and signal processing systems.[3] Further, in anticipation of the large landscape of applications for such receivers, it is preferable that such control and signal processing systems are co-designed in an application-oriented fashion, and compatible with an open-system architecture that enables seamless inter-operability of multiple application-specific control and signal processing architectures with the same photonic and optoelectronic system. This solicitation seeks to co-integrate Rydberg photonic systems with flexible low-latency control architectures for real-time measurement and processing of wideband RF signals for a low-SWaP and manufacturable platform for Rydberg atomic receivers.

PHASE I

Proposers wishing to proceed directly to Phase II may do so upon providing documentation of the following proof-of-concept capabilities:1. Laboratory scale performance of Rydberg-based atomic receivers for the proposed application showing performance comparable to, or exceeding, that of conventional antenna-based, plasmonic, or electro-optic receivers. 2. Proof-of-concept signal acquisition and processing algorithms implemented on Rydberg-based receivers. This proof-of-concept implementation does not need to be in a fully integrated ASIC or low-SWaP system, but should be compatible with an eventual real-time implementation in a compact platform that meets the SWaP metrics indicated in the solicitation.

PHASE II

Phase II base will produce a system-level design and laboratory prototype demonstration of a full integrated photonic/electronic control and signal processing system for a Rydberg atomic receiver. To enable appropriate comparisons with the performance of conventional RF systems, proposers may choose a specific application (e.g. wideband spectrum awareness, communications, signal identification and classification etc.) for the demonstration of their fully integrated Rydberg atomic receiver. Proposers should provide appropriate justifications that their proposed integrated Rydberg atomic receiver is amenable to other potential applications through nominal changes to the electronic control/signal processing system with minimal alterations to the photonic/optoelectronic architecture. The full system should target a form factor of <10L and a total power consumption of <50W. The design should be capable of meeting the following metrics for environmental ruggedness and deployability: • Operational temperatures: -10 to 55 ?C• Vibration noise (up to 1 kHz): 0.01 g2/Hz• Radiative emissions as per MIL-STD-461 for the proposer-defined application/platformThe Phase II base period of performance is 12 months and should conform to the schedule indicated below. (i) Schedule/Milestones/Deliverables for Phase II basePhase II base fixed milestones for this program should include:• Month 1: Preliminary report on Phase II base design for the integrated system, and report on acquisition and fabrication schedule for the end-of-Phase II base laboratory demonstration• Month 6: Interim report describing component fabrication, assembly, and testing. The report should include a discussion of any differences between realized component/system performance and the design requirements. • Month 12: Report describing the results of laboratory demonstrations of performance of integrated system for the proposed application, and a comparison to the SoA performance of conventional receivers for the same application. Report should also include preliminary testing and evaluation of the laboratory prototype for environmental resilience as per the metrics enumerated above. Phase II option will build upon the successful Phase II base efforts to demonstrate field testing and performance of a ruggedized and deployable Rydberg receiver system in a realistic operational environment. The Phase II option period of performance is 12 months and should conform to the schedule indicated below. (i) Schedule/Milestones/Deliverables for Phase II optionPhase II option fixed milestones for this program should include:• Month 1: Preliminary report on system-level integration, ruggedization, and real-time signal processing sub-systems of the deployable Rydberg receiver; and a testing schedule for the Rydberg receiver system in an operational environment.• Month 6: Interim report describing system assembly, testing, and performance of the deployable unit with comparisons relative to specifications of Phase II base design. The report should also include test results and evaluation of the deployable unit as per the environmental resilience metrics enumerated above. • Month 12: Final report describing the results of field tests of the integrated Rydberg atomic receiver and performance comparisons against the conventional SoA.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

The development of integrated, low-SWaP quantum systems for applications to sensing and PNT are each of critical relevance to several DoD applications. In addition, these technologies are crucial for various commercial markets including communications, spectrum awareness, design and testing of telecommunications infrastructure, and automation. It is anticipated that the development of scalable, robust and compact platforms for wideband Rydberg-based signal acquisition and processing will inform and enable these, and other, applications.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Engineering Sleep for Cognitive Performance - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ03-DV012

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $2,000,000

Description: Develop a wearable, non-invasive closed-loop sleep enhancement system that improves physiological recovery and cognitive performance under operational stress. Funding available for neurotechnology solutions using real-time monitoring, auditory stimulation, and photic stimulation. Estimated award: $2M.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $2,000,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate a wearable, non-invasive, closed-loop system that enhances the restorative functions of sleep. The system must monitor neurophysiological signals in real-time to deliver non-pharmacological stimuli that measurably improve physiological recovery and sustain cognitive performance under conditions of operational stress, such as sleep restriction.

Description:

The ability to sustain cognitive performance and accelerate physiological recovery is critical in demanding operational environments. Severe sleep restriction is known to degrade essential functions by disrupting the brain's natural restorative processes [1], including glymphatic waste clearance [2,3] and synaptic plasticity, which are tightly coupled to specific neurophysiological events during sleep [4].

PHASE I

This topic seeks the development of a wearable, closed-loop system that directly enhances the efficiency and restorative quality of sleep through precisely-timed, non-pharmacological intervention. Proposals should describe a system that integrates sensors to monitor neurophysiological signals in real-time, with the specific goal of identifying slow-wave sleep (SWS) and other key features of the sleep architecture. Upon detection of these opportune moments, the system should deliver precisely-timed, non-invasive stimuli to augment the brain's intrinsic restorative mechanisms. The primary modalities of interest for this intra-sleep intervention are auditory stimulation and/or photic stimulation. The proposed system should be able to demonstrate that the intervention measurably enhances the underlying biological processes, such as by increasing slow-wave activity or improving biomarkers associated with glymphatic clearance. Proposals that also incorporate a synergistic, pre-sleep conditioning modality (e.g., non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation) to prime the neuro-immune state are encouraged. The ultimate goal is a fieldable prototype that improves sleep efficiency and sustains cognitive function. Proposals not focused on a closed-loop, wearable system using targeted sensory stimulation to modulate sleep architecture will not be considered. Phase I fixed payable milestones for this program should include:• Month 2: A report detailing the initial system architecture, selection of hardware/software components, and the proposed biological mechanisms of action. The report must define the preliminary evaluation metrics (cognitive and physiological) and their expected relationship to cognitive resilience and operational readiness.• Month 4: A report on system integration and closed-loop algorithm performance (using simulated or pilot data). • Month 6: An interim demonstration of the working integrated proof-of-concept prototype. Must include a complete human subjects research (HSR) protocol for the Phase II study, demonstrating a study design and statistical power analysis sufficient to detect a 15% improvement in cognitive performance metrics under sleep restriction/stress compared to a sham/control group. Submission of this clinical study protocol to the local Institutional Review Board (IRB).• Month 9: Final report summarizing the Phase I approach and benchtop/usability testing results, including a detailed description of the prototype. The report must detail any additional engineering that needs to be completed (if any) in Phase II to achieve fully functional closed-loop control. Must include a detailed technical Statement of Work (SOW) for the Phase II effort.

PHASE II

This topic is soliciting both Phase I and Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals. DP2 Feasibility Criteria: Proposers should demonstrate that the scientific and technical feasibility, equivalent to the completion of a Phase I effort, has already been established. This feasibility documentation is a prerequisite for evaluation. To be considered, proposers should provide detailed evidence of a functional, closed-loop neuromodulation prototype. This documentation should substantiate that the existing system is capable of: (1) Real-Time Monitoring: Monitoring and processing relevant physiological signals (e.g., EEG) to identify specific features of sleep architecture in real-time. (2) Closed-Loop Stimulation: Delivering targeted, non-invasive stimuli (e.g., acoustic, photic) in a closed-loop manner, triggered by the detection of specific neurophysiological events. (3) Measurable Biological Effect: Producing a quantifiable, statistically significant modulation of a desired biological process. Evidence should be provided showing that the stimulus successfully engages the target mechanism (e.g., demonstrates enhancement of slow-wave activity, alters a relevant biomarker, etc.) compared to a control condition. This evidence may include peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, patent applications, or other detailed data packages from prior work. The documentation should be sufficient for a thorough technical review and confirm that the core scientific principles have been successfully demonstrated. Phase II: Building upon the demonstrated feasibility, the objectiveof Phase II is to mature the existing prototype into an advanced, integrated system (TRL 6) suitable for rigorous testing and validation in a human study. Performers will focus on optimizing the system's design for robustness, reliability, and user comfort for multi-night use, while advancing the on-board algorithms for sleep stage classification and precise stimulus delivery. The central effort of Phase II will be to conduct a formal validation study under a relevant stressor, such as a multi-day sleep restriction protocol. This study should be designed to demonstrate a statistically significant and operationally relevant benefit compared to a sham or control condition. Primary outcome measures should include both: Cognitive Performance: Quantifiable improvement (>15%) on validated tasks measuring vigilance, processing speed, and/or executive function (e.g., Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)). Physiological Mechanisms: Evidence of successful target engagement, such as measurable enhancements in sleep architecture (e.g., increased slow-wave activity), or changes in physiological or blood-based biomarkers associated with glymphatic clearance and/or neuroinflammation. By the end of Phase II, performers will deliver the advanced prototype(s), all associated control software/source code, user manuals, and the complete, documented results from the validation study. The final report should include a comprehensive plan for transition, addressing manufacturing readiness, production cost estimates, and reliability data. Phase II fixed milestones for this program should include: • Month 11 (Month 2 of Base): Report detailing machine learning model pre-training and hardware integration of sensors and stimulation arrays. Must provide an initial cost estimate for manufacturing scale-up. Submission of the local IRB-approved protocol to the Office of Human and Animal Research Oversight (OHARO) for secondary review.• Month 14 (Month 5 of Base): Report on validation recordings and model artifact-robustness testing against expert scoring (Cohen’s ? = 0.75 vs. expert scoring). • Month 18 (Month 9 of Base): Report detailing initial data from pilot or human-factors testing to provide an early indication that sleep is being improved. The report must explicitly address the established physiological and cognitive metrics (e.g., initial data indicating a trajectory toward the 15% enhancement in physiological recovery or restorative biomarkers compared to baseline/sham).• Month 21 (Month 12 of Base): Comprehensive Phase II Base report documenting the completed in-lab study. This report must detail the system's efficacy, specifically demonstrating whether the system successfully achieved the targeted cognitive improvement metrics (15% improvement) as measured by the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and Task Switching assessments compared to the sham/control group.Phase II Option fixed milestones for this program should include: • Month 22 (Month 1 of Option): Interim report detailing the progress of the operational environment study. Must include a data quality review from the field, assessing device robustness, protocol compliance in a real-world setting, and preliminary analysis of the primary cognitive and physiological endpoints.• Month 27 (Month 6 of Option): Interim report detailing the progress of the operational environment study. Must include a data quality review from the field, assessing device robustness, protocol compliance in a real-world setting, and preliminary analysis of the primary cognitive and physiological endpoints.• Month 33 (Month 12 of Option): A comprehensive fielding guide, commercialization documentation, and a revised cost estimate for manufacturing scale-up. The Final Report must synthesize both the in-lab and operational environment data, providing definitive proof of the technology’s efficacy in real-world, high-stress conditions by demonstrating whether the system achieved improvement in the cognitive assessments compared to the sham/control group.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

The successful development of this technology is expected to create a transformative, non-pharmacological tool for cognitive sustainment and physiological recovery. Phase III efforts will focus on transitioning the mature technology by securing non-SBIR funding from government partners and/or private sector investors to scale manufacturing, obtain any necessary regulatory clearances, and enter military and commercial markets. Military/DoD Applications: The system could be transitioned to programs focused on warfighter performance and resilience. Potential applications include use in pre-deployment conditioning to build resilience, during operational periods to sustain cognitive function when sleep is limited, and in post-deployment settings to accelerate recovery and support long-term brain health, potentially mitigating risks associated with TBI and neurodegenerative disease. Commercial Applications: This technology has broad commercial potential in clinical and consumer health sectors. Applications include therapeutic devices for sleep disorders, tools for mitigating the effects of shift-work in aviation and commercial transport, performance optimization tools for elite athletes, and consumer wellness devices for individuals seeking to improve their daily sleep quality and cognitive function.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Expeditionary Closed and Air-Independent Power and Energy (ExCAIPE) - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ03-DV013

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $2,000,000

Description: DARPA seeks breakthrough air-independent rechargeable battery technologies with energy densities exceeding 1.5 kWh/kg. Funding available for advanced battery systems supporting defense, undersea, space, and long-endurance power applications. Apply by July 22, 2026.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $2,000,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

The goal of ExCAIPE is to develop closed, electrically rechargeable, high-energy-density and high-power-density batteries that can operate independently of an external air source. Performers are expected to produce prototypes for integration and evaluation in real devices and work closely with end users to ensure that their solutions are compatible with user requirements.

Description:

Electrically rechargeable batteries are of central importance for powering a wide range of military applications, including vehicles, computational assets, and sensing and communication devices. However, endurance is currently limited by the low-energy-density of state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries (~400 Wh/kg). Recent advances in air-breathing battery and fuel cell chemistry have made it feasible to envision electrically rechargeable systems with specific energy many times that of lithium-ion chemistry, potentially dramatically extending range and endurance for electrically powered assets.[1,2] The drawback with these systems is that their reliance on air renders them impractical or impossible to use in applications where free oxygen is depleted or absent, such as underwater, at very high altitudes, or in space.ExCAIPE aims to extend high-energy-density battery advancements to air-independent devices. The chemistry of air-independent batteries is more constrained than that of air-breathing devices, but several options exist in principle for reaching high energy densities.[3,4] DARPA seeks proposals to develop air-independent power sources that can meet or exceed the following metrics:End of Base Phase:• Specific energy of >1 kWh/kg at the cell level, given C/4 rate of discharge• Electrical rechargeability over 500 cycles with total capacity fade limited to <20%End of Option Phase:• Specific energy of >1.5 kWh/kg at the cell level, given C/4 rate of discharge• Loss of no more than 20% of the specific energy at pack level, including casing, battery management system (BMS), and thermal management• Electrical rechargeability over 5000 cycles with total capacity fade limited to <20%• Power density in excess of 1 kW/kg is highly desired but not mandatory.

This SBIR topic is a Direct to Phase 2 (DP2) effort with an 18-month Base Phase and an 18-month Option Phase. The Base Phase will prepare devices for potential testing by stakeholders and end users, and the Option Phase. Exceptional performers may be invited to present their technology to end user stakeholders at DARPA’s ExPEDitions Showcase, to occur roughly coincident with the end of the Base Phase. If performance at this event leads to strong interest from commercial or DoW entities, performers may be selected to continue their work in the Option Phase. The Option Phase will focus on integrating, testing, and evaluating devices in end user applications and refining their performance and design based on this activity. The Option Phase will culminate in a high-visibility Expo, “Powered By DARPA”, which will include demonstrations and technical talks from performers and end users who participated in the Showcase.DARPA will entertain proposals that are completely closed as well as proposals that use water as an oxidizer. However, in the latter case, proposals must outline how the variable composition and impurities in water will be managed (across a range of salinities, temperatures, and pressures, and in the presence of organic and other particulate matter) and how buoyancy changes in the device will be minimized. All devices must show the ability to recharge solely from electrical input.Proposals must show quantitative support for the proposers’ ability to meet the energy, power, and recharge metrics. This can include, but is not limited to, preliminary unpublished or published data, relevant literature claims, or theoretical calculations and estimations. Proposals must also clearly demonstrate that the proposed solution will reach a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5-6 by month 18 of the effort. Proposals must also include information about expected form factor and operational conditions (temperature, pressure, etc.) of their device as well as benchmark ‘starting points’ for the performance of their proposed technology in comparison to the solicitation metrics. These starting points can be taken from current commercial offerings or derived from current component or lab-scale performance measurements.

PHASE I

This topic is soliciting Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals only. Proposals will be considered for DP2 funding based on documented ability of the proposing team to build air-independent high-energy-density power sources at the lab or benchtop scale. Proposals must clearly demonstrate that the proposed technology can satisfy the following feasibility criteria:• Data showing experimental energy density (based on current lab-scale prototype) and an extrapolation how the system will achieve >1 kWh/kg at the cell level• Data from tests conducted in a controlled environment with zero ambient air to show closed-system capability• Data should be substantiated by mass balance calculations showing that all reactants and oxidizers are contained within the battery’s initial mass• Data showing initial cyclability tests showing capacity retention of >98% for 20 cycles

PHASE II

Phase II fixed milestones for this program should include:Base PeriodPerformers are expected to produce a closed, electrically rechargeable, high-energy-density and high-power-density battery prototype that can operate independently of an external air source. Milestones should include:• Month 3: Report that documents the current battery prototype design and any modification or optimizations to the design that occurred since the beginning of Phase 1 and their rationale. Include the pathway towards delivering the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). • Month 6: PDR that includes a simulation or technical validation of design for battery prototype delivered in Month 9. This will consist of a review meeting to go over a PDR document. The document should contain:o Preliminary designs for the performer’s device.o Market analysis based on specific, identified use cases.o Manufacturability and critical materials analysis.• Month 9: Report that benchmarks current prototype performance against the following program metrics: o Specific energy of >1 kWh/kg at the cell level, given C/4 rate of dischargeo Electrical rechargeability over 500 cycles with total capacity fade limited to <20%• Month 12: Report that includes a detailed task list outlining the optimizations required to achieve performance improvement prior to the benchmark report in Month 15.• Month 15: Report that benchmarks current prototype performance against the following program metrics: o Specific energy of >1 kWh/kg at the cell level, given C/4 rate of dischargeo Electrical rechargeability over 500 cycles with total capacity fade limited to <20%• Month 16: Present a preliminary showcase pitch to assist with preparing for the Showcase. The Government will provide feedback to assist with finalizing the pitch for end users. • Month 18: Showcase participation to highlight the advanced capabilities of the battery prototype and secure a partnership with an end-user. A final report documenting the metrics achieved by the battery prototype in the Base phase and an optimization plan for the Option phase. In addition to the reports described above, performers should have monthly telecons with DARPA.Option PeriodPerformers are expected to integrate their prototype system into an end-user platform. Milestones should include:• Month 3: Report the current battery prototype design and any modification or optimizations to the design that occurred since the end of Phase 1 and their rationale. Include the pathway towards delivering the Critical Design Review (CDR).• Month 6: CDR. Design review for battery prototype to be delivered at month 9. This will consist of a review meeting to go over a CDR document. The document should contain:o Designs for the performer’s device based on feedback from the user-partner during and after the showcase period.o Concrete plan for manufacturing and scale-up, including analysis of materials and manufacturing costs at different scales, and clear statement of the targeted scale post-program.o Preliminary Intellectual Property (IP) landscape analysis and a strategy for IP protection and licensing.• Month 9: Report that benchmarks current prototype performance against the following program metrics: o Specific energy of >1.5 kWh/kg at the cell level, given C/4 rate of dischargeo Loss of no more than 20% of the specific energy at pack level, including casing, battery management system (BMS), and thermal managemento Electrical rechargeability over 5000 cycles with total capacity fade limited to <20%o Power density in excess of 1 kW/kg is highly desired but not mandatory• Month 12: Report that includes a detailed task list outlining the optimizations required to achieve performance improvement prior to the benchmark report in month 15.• Month 15: Report that benchmarks current prototype performance against the following program metrics: o Specific energy of >1.5 kWh/kg at the cell level, given C/4 rate of dischargeo Loss of no more than 20% of the specific energy at pack level, including casing, battery management system (BMS), and thermal managemento Electrical rechargeability over 5000 cycles with total capacity fade limited to <20%o Power density in excess of 1 kW/kg is highly desired but not mandatory• Month 16: Present a preliminary Expo pitch to assist with preparing for the DARPA Expo. The Government will provide feedback to assist with finalizing the presentation for stakeholders. • Month 18: Expo participation to demonstrate the battery prototype integrated into the end-user’s platform. This will include a presentation to Government and commercial stakeholders to facilitate additional transition of the technology developed. A final report documenting the metrics achieved by the battery prototype in the Option phase and transition plan for the device. In addition to reports described above, performers should have monthly telecons with DARPA.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

The end goal of this effort is to demonstrate electrically rechargeable, air-independent power sources at high TRL and with a specific energy in excess of 1.5 kWh/kg. Phase III will be oriented toward transition within DoW/military and further commercialization of the technology. Funding for Phase III is obtained from the private sector or a non-SBIR/STTR Government source. This is to develop the prototype technology into a viable product or service for sale (e.g., a deployable, ruggedized, user-friendly device) in military or private sector markets. The following are the potential commercial and DoW/military applications and use cases:

High-endurance, long-range power sources for undersea or space-based military assets, including unmanned undersea vehicles and satellites.
Long-lived power sources for ocean or freshwater exploration, surveying, and underwater resource prospecting.
Onboard power for civil space exploration, particularly when recharge events are precluded for long periods, such as lunar night.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Real-Time Pathogen-Host Interactome Prediction - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ03-DV014

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $1,750,000

Description: Apply for DARPA SBIR funding to develop AI-driven host–pathogen interaction prediction capabilities. Seeking solutions that characterize emerging biological threats from protein sequence data alone, enabling rapid medical countermeasure prioritization and force health protection. Funding up to $1.75M.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $1,750,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate a capability to rapidly characterize host–pathogen interactions from pathogen protein sequence alone, enabling timely medical countermeasure prioritization and force health protection against novel or emerging biological threats.

Description:

When novel or emerging pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites) are encountered, characterization of their interactions with human hosts currently requires weeks to months of experimental work, often yielding incomplete understanding. This capability gap limits rapid therapeutic response and countermeasure development. Recent advances in protein language models and large-scale protein-protein interaction (PPI) prediction make computational threat characterization feasible. This topic seeks to develop and validate an operationally deployable capability that can characterize any pathogen—naturally emerging, accidentally released, or engineered—from protein sequence data alone. The system must: (1) predict host-pathogen protein interactions with high accuracy across viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogen classes; (2) demonstrate zero-shot prediction capability on previously unseen pathogens; (3) provide comprehensive functional annotation of both pathogen and host proteins; (4) generate ranked mechanistic hypotheses about infection pathways through automated analysis; and (5) complete core predictions within 15 minutes and full characterization reports within one hour on standard computing hardware. Proposers must demonstrate rigorous evaluation methods to ensure the system generalizes to unseen pathogens rather than memorizing training data. Performance must be benchmarked against established protein interaction databases and validated experimentally using standard binding assay techniques. The end-state capability enables rapid biological threat characterization to support medical countermeasure prioritization and force health protection.

PHASE I

This topic is soliciting Direct to Phase II proposals only. Feasibility Requirements: Proposers must demonstrate that Phase I feasibility has been achieved through prior work. Required documentation includes: • Benchmark Performance Data: Quantified PPI prediction results on at least one pathogen class with rigorous data separation methods • Zero-Shot Validation: Demonstrated recovery of known host-pathogen interactions without training on that specific pathogen system • Pipeline Demonstration: At least one complete end-to-end run from pathogen sequence input to mechanistic characterization report meeting timing requirements • Functional Annotation Capability: Operational tools for protein functional prediction including gene ontology terms, subcellular localization, and pathway enrichment analysis

PHASE II

DP2 Program Structure DP2 Base Period (9 months): Scale and validate the computational pipeline across expanded pathogen coverage including higher-consequence agents. Deliver comprehensive experimental validation of novel predicted interactions. DP2 Option Period (9 months): Complete transition-ready software delivery with full documentation, demonstrate drug repurposing capability, and provide final performance characterization across the full threat spectrum. Phase II represents a major research and development effort that scales the validated Phase I pipeline into a deployable threat-characterization capability, with comprehensive experimental validation, druggability and drug-repurposing demonstration, and extension to higher-consequence pathogens. The Phase II effort culminates in a well-defined deliverable prototype — an end-to-end software pipeline and accompanying validation dataset — that can be transitioned to an operational user. Phase II fixed payable milestones for this program should include: DP2 Base Period • Month 2: Updated system architecture report and expanded pathogen coverage plan • Month 4: Evaluation dataset acquisition report covering higher-consequence pathogens and biological toxins • Month 6: Interim performance report with comprehensive benchmarking results • Month 9: Base period final report with experimental validation of =25 novel interactions (=30% hit rate) and drug repurposing demonstration DP2 Option Period• Month 12: Live demonstration to DARPA with prospective characterization run on Government-selected pathogen • Month 15: Final software delivery with source code and documentation • Month 18: Final report with transition plan and performance characterization

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Military Applications: Biosurveillance and rapid threat characterization, medical countermeasure prioritization, force health protection for deployed personnel, and intelligence analysis support. Commercial Applications: Drug discovery and repurposing, vaccine target identification, diagnostic biomarker development, veterinary and agricultural biosecurity, and integration with existing bioinformatics platforms.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 6/3/26 Josiah Wegner 6/3/26

Biomanufacturing of Hierarchical Biocomposites for High-Performance Thermal Interface Materials - SBIR Topic DPA26TZ03-DV002

Deadline: July 22nd, 2026

Funding Award Size: $1,800,000

Description: Develop scalable biocomposite thermal interface materials (TIMs with >23 W/m-K conductivity) for advanced electronics, drones, EV batteries, and power systems. Direct-to-Phase II DoD STTR opportunity focused on sustainable, high-performance thermal management solutions.

Complimentary Assessment

Funding Amount:

Est. $1,800,000

Deadline to Apply:

July 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate a flexible, polymer-matrix thermal interface material with tunable thermal and mechanical properties, leveraging hierarchical, biocomposite-based microstructures for scalable, sustainable, low-cost thermal management of high-performance electronics and power applications.

Description:

This topic addresses the thermal management challenge of dissipating the large amount of heat generated by today’s high-density microelectronics and power storage systems to ensure and maintain performance, reliability, and safety [3, 4, 6].

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are a critical component in thermal management. TIMs are designed to fill microgaps and surface irregularities between otherwise bare surfaces of a device and its cooling system. Without a TIM, if two nominally flat and smooth solid surfaces are joined to form a bare contact, surface microroughness can limit the actual area of contact between the two solids to about 1–2% of the apparent contact area [11].

The solid-to-solid conduction through the contact points, along with conduction through the air trapped in noncontact regions, are poor thermal conductors and limit heat transfer from one surface to another. This thermal contact resistance must be reduced by inserting a TIM at the interface to eliminate air voids and fill the gap between the device and cooling system.

The general requirements for a good TIM include:

Low interfacial thermal resistance
High thermal conductivity
Low elastic modulus
Good adhesion
Good conformability
Long-term stability
Appropriate thermal expansion

This is particularly challenging for mechanically flexible applications because the soft, polymeric materials commonly used as TIM matrices generally have low thermal conductivity (TC) [7, 1], making it difficult to meet thermal management demands.

Drones and electric vehicles present another classic thermal management challenge due to high C-rate battery pack discharge and charge cycles during operation. The drone case may be especially difficult because payload and flight-time constraints often dictate passive thermal management approaches such as heat sinks and air cooling [5], with TIMs serving as a critical component for thermal coupling between the heat sink and battery packaging.

In addition to thermal conductivity demands, power and high-frequency systems often require TIMs that combine high heat conduction with:

Electrical insulation
Breakdown resistance
Low leakage
Geometric conformity

While traditional thermal pastes and greases perform well under certain conditions, they still face challenges such as insufficient thermal conductivity, aging, and poor reliability when applied in high-frequency, high-power-density applications.

In recent years, significant progress has been made in the design and synthesis of high-performance TIMs. However, balancing interfacial thermal resistance, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties continues to pose a significant challenge.

Biomanufactured and biocomposite filler-type TIMs with simultaneous high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation [8, 9] may be ideal materials to address these requirements while offering a lower-cost, more sustainable supply-chain solution compared to advanced fillers such as boron-based semiconductors and carbon nanotubes.

PHASE I

This topic is soliciting Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals only.

The Government expects that the small business has already completed a Phase I-type feasibility effort and developed a prototype TIM that addresses, at a minimum, the basic requirements outlined in the objective above.

For this DP2 STTR, a technical report containing Phase I Feasibility Documentation is required to demonstrate that Phase I feasibility has been met. The documentation must contain a detailed description of the technical plan, milestones, and supporting data demonstrating that the proposed technology satisfies the Phase I deliverables and is at an appropriate maturity level for Direct to Phase II funding.

The proposer must substantiate that Phase I-equivalent feasibility has been achieved outside of the SBIR/STTR program.

PHASE II

The Direct to Phase II effort will focus on developing, integrating, and demonstrating a scalable biocomposite thermal interface material capable of balancing high thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and mechanical flexibility.

Candidate TIMs must demonstrate scalable (bio)manufacturing and structural control of biocomposite filler architectures. The proposed materials must achieve thermal conductivity exceeding current state-of-the-art boron nitride-based soft polymer composite TIMs, specifically greater than 23 W/m-K through-plane thermal conductivity.

The effort should include modeling of processing-structure-property relationships to enable optimization of thermal conductivity while maintaining flexibility. Mechanical properties must be tunable while preserving thermal performance and electrical insulation.

Candidate biocomposite TIMs must demonstrate:

Tailorable thermal conductivity across an achievable performance range
Tunable flexibility versus thermal conductivity
Stable thermal conductivity after 1,000 bending cycles at 100% maximum strain
Sufficient adhesion, such as performance measured through a 90° peel test
Modulus and flexibility comparable to common elastomers

Demonstration testing must be conducted using a prototype system operating in a realistic environment. Suitable demonstration platforms include passively cooled lithium-ion battery packs used in FPV drones or electric vehicles operating under high C-rates, as well as state-of-the-art CPUs and GPUs operating at maximum thermal design power (TDP).

Thermal performance will be compared against conventional TIM solutions, including thermal pastes containing metal or metal oxide fillers, phase-change materials, and alumina-based thermal pads.

The objective is to demonstrate that the biocomposite TIM successfully manages thermal loads in conditions where conventional TIMs fail. Examples include maintaining battery pack temperatures at or below 35°C regardless of discharge rate and ambient conditions, or maintaining CPUs and GPUs below maximum junction temperature during peak operation. The biocomposite TIM must provide a statistically significant reduction in device temperature compared to standard TIM technologies.

In addition to technical development, the project must include commercialization and transition planning. Throughout the effort, proposers are expected to engage both commercial and military stakeholders to refine operational requirements and deployment scenarios. Manufacturing scale-up plans and a technoeconomic analysis (TEA) must also be developed.

The final report must include technology transfer documentation identifying pathways for both commercial and military adoption.

Base Milestones

Month 1: Identify candidate TIM compositions, biocomposite designs, processing methods, and a design-of-experiments approach for optimization. Establish target performance metrics.

Month 3: Complete initial processing-structure-property modeling, provide preliminary TEA results, and downselect to final TIM candidates.

Month 6: Conduct initial thermal management testing in real-world systems and validate modeling results.

Month 9: Quantify thermal and mechanical performance, compare results against state-of-the-art alternatives, and provide initial long-term stability data.

Month 12: Demonstrate prototype TIM performance in an operational environment.

Base Deliverables

Month 1: TIM candidate selection and design-of-experiments report.

Month 3: Modeling results and technoeconomic analysis report.

Month 6: Thermal management performance report and model validation results.

Month 9: Laboratory prototype demonstration and report documenting thermal, mechanical, and stability performance.

Month 12: Final Phase II report documenting the prototype TIM composition, microstructural design, materials processing and scale-up approach, thermal and stability performance, operational testing results, validated models, TEA findings, and commercialization and transition plans.

Option Milestones

Month 15: Scale manufacturing to pilot plant quantities.

Month 18: Integrate the high-thermal-conductivity TIM into a battery thermal management system.

Option Deliverables

Month 15: Delivery of 20 grams of high-TC biocomposite TIM and a report documenting pilot plant design, operations, and batch-to-batch consistency in thermal and mechanical performance.

Month 18: Report detailing battery thermal management system integration and resulting performance improvements.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS

Successful development of a biomanufactured, high-thermal-conductivity biocomposite TIM could support a broad range of military and commercial applications.

Potential Department of Defense applications include military FPV drones, soldier-worn power systems, ground vehicle power electronics, and directed-energy thermal management systems.

Potential commercial applications include delivery drones, electric vehicle battery packs, data center CPUs and GPUs, and LED lighting systems.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 3/5/26 Josiah Wegner 3/5/26

Establishing Ad-Hoc Distributed Network Across Heterogeneous RF Systems - SBIR Topic OSW26BZ01-DV001

Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)

Funding Award Size: $1.5 Million (Estimated)

Description: Develop software and firmware enhancements for software-defined radios to enable ad-hoc networking and synchronization across heterogeneous RF systems. The solution will improve interoperability among communication, C2, EW, and SAR platforms while maintaining primary mission functions.

Disclaimer:
This topic was temporarily posted by the Department of War SBIR Program on March 2nd 2026 and removed the following day.
We believe this topic is planned to be released once the SBIR program is reauthorized; however, this topic may ultimately be modified or withdrawn.

Sign up below to be notified as soon as this topic is released again. In the meantime, we’d recommend you start planning to respond if within your capabilities.

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Funding Amount:

Est. $1.5 Million

Deadline to Apply:

Est. April 29th, 2026.

Objective:

Successful Joint Operations executed by the U.S. Department of War (DoW) rely on tight coordination, synchronization, and tactical communication across multiple service components and platforms. The Joint Force faces real-time communication and coordination challenges between modern, more flexible systems and the much larger inventory of older legacy platforms that were independently acquired by each service. Virtually all platforms have one or more types of Radio Frequency (RF) apertures and backend electronics that could be used to coordinate effects, but they lack the appropriate firmware (FW) or software (SW) to enable cross platform synchronization of those effects due to compatibility or proprietary software interface constraints. Multiple land, sea, air, and space assets would benefit from software and firmware enhancements to increase communication and synchronization effectiveness across the Joint Force.

Description:

The objective of this effort is to assess and implement advanced SW/FW enhancements onto existing platform(s) to enable heterogeneous multifunction RF systems to communicate and synchronize activities to increase effectiveness of Joint Force operations. A large defense contractor that produces high volume, (hundreds or thousands of production units) may be hesitant to change their baseline SW/FW to incorporate new capabilities. The Government is interested in an experienced agile, small business software developer to study and implement communication applications onto a large defense contractor’s target software defined radio (SDR) to enable greater Joint interoperability. Key aspects of the study are to assess SW/FW compatibility with the target SDR; identify hardware and software constraints; assess cyber vulnerabilities; and culminate in a proof-of-concept lab demonstration to establish an ad-hoc network between heterogeneous RF systems. Additionally, the study seeks to generate a roadmap and identify risk reduction activities that should be performed in order to fully integrate these new capabilities into operational systems. The proposed solution should support integration with DoW’s existing RF systems, payloads, and operations to improve mission agility, reduce mission risk, and enhance Joint Operations.

Competitive proposals must originate from performers that have previously demonstrated SW/FW integration of multi-function operations, in a laboratory environment or in open-air testing, between heterogeneous DoW RF systems. The Government is particularly interested in enabling diverse ad-hoc data network node establishment between dissimilar RF mission systems. These DoW payloads or platforms of interest for this application are Communication, Command and Control (C2), Electronic Warfare (EW), or Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems. This use of diverse RF mission platforms, payloads, and leveraging multiplexed signals to establish non-traditional data distribution nodes while still performing the primary mission would greatly increase Joint interoperability.

The proposer will need to work closely with a DoW-DIRECTED defense contractor to implement SW/FW modifications to the target SDR to enable heterogeneous multifunction RF systems to communicate and synchronize activities. The specific defense contractor will be identified to the proposer upon notification of selection for the D2P2 award. FEASIBILITY DOCUMENTATION:

Documentation should include all relevant information including, but not limited to: technical reports, test data, prototype designs/models, and performance goals/results.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Josiah Wegner 3/4/26 Josiah Wegner 3/4/26

Low-Cost Multi-Mission Dip Sonar for Mine Warfare and Anti-submarine Warfare (Inner/Middle Zone) - SBIR Topic DON26BZ01-NV005

Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)

Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)

Description: Funding to design a reduced-cost, multi-frequency helicopter dipping sonar that expands ASW inner/middle-zone coverage and adds aviation mine countermeasures (AMCM) capability in a single, retrofit-compatible transducer system.

Sign up below to be notified as soon as this topic is released again. In the meantime, we’d recommend you start planning to respond if within your capabilities.

Notify Me When This is Released

Funding Amount:

Est. $240,000

Deadline to Apply:

Est. April 29th, 2026.

Objective:

Develop initial designs for a reduced cost, next generation helicopter dip sonar system utilizing multi-frequency band capabilities for traditional and enhanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities for both inner and middle zone coverage (broadening to wide area search) as well as introducing aviation (naval) mine countermeasure (AMCM) capabilities.

Description:

The United States Navy has long utilized dipping sonar systems on aircraft for Air ASW. The most recent sonar systems continue to show dominance in the Air ASW role with the ability to cover larger and larger areas of ocean. Simultaneously, various configurations of acoustic, electro-optic and electromagnetic sensor systems have been used in AMCM operations, with the newest remaining fielded systems offering limited mission coverage. As the Navy looks to new maritime strike future vertical lift capabilities, there will be an increased effort to combine capabilities into fewer unique aircraft platforms. To facilitate the merger of missions into fewer aircraft, it will become crucial to also combine more mission capabilities into individual mission systems. The resultant design from this effort is expected to provide increased capabilities across more aircraft of a singular configuration with the combination of improved Air ASW capability and added AMCM capability into a singular mission system, which in turn also will reduce the expected training and logistics costs with fewer variants of equipment to cover. Additionally, with continued retirements of existing mine-countermeasures systems, the Fleet will have an urgent need for other air-based AMCM capabilities/coverage and may want to consider implementing capabilities on other naval helicopters using existing, modified, or new sensors of acoustic, electro-optic, magnetic, and radio-frequency types.

Traditionally, the Navy developed and fielded acoustic ASW and AMCM systems independently while the physics of the underwater acoustic environment is a shared problem with differing targets and typical frequency bands of interest as a result. Additionally, acoustic ASW systems (i.e., sonobuoys and helicopter dip sonars) are of compact size and can be utilized on a medium lift helicopter or smaller, while acoustic AMCM systems have typically targeted installation on heavy-lift helicopters. Incorporation of a secondary frequency band capability into a helicopter dip sonar transducer assembly would quickly bring AMCM capability to a typically large number of traditionally ASW helicopters and bring air-based AMCM capability to the Navy’s air-capable ships, simultaneously with ASW capability. The multi-mission capability of such a sonar transducer assembly would also allow one aircraft, without reconfiguring, cover both ASW and AMCM mission sets for reduced maintenance and reducing the equipment needed to be stored while afloat in space-constrained ships.

The objective is to develop initial designs for a reduced cost, next generation helicopter dip sonar system utilizing multi-frequency band capabilities for traditional and enhanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities for both inner and middle zone coverage (broadening to wide area search) as well as introducing aviation (naval) mine countermeasure (AMCM) capabilities.

The system would also be utilized either in its full capability configuration or at a reduced capability configuration as a retrofit into the multi-mission helicopter as a replacement for the existing dipping sonar system transducer, while at a decreased unit and sustainment cost (below Class A mishap thresholds if lost in flight, with a goal of below a Class C threshold).

Minimally funded Science and Technology efforts have previously been performed to assess USN dipping sonar capability to detect naval mines using the system, acoustic pulses/frequencies, and processing in its existing ASW configuration and have shown success in detecting nearly every naval mine based on post-flight data analysis. Enhancing that capability with a secondary frequency band and associated beam steering, as well as uniquely developed pulses and processing across both frequency bands, is expected to provide a significant AMCM capability while retaining both traditional ASW superiority and enhanced ASW detection and classification capabilities for certain scenarios.

In addition to introducing AMCM capabilities into a traditional ASW sensor system, no significant improvements in the traditional ASW sonar transducer assemblies available from industry have been introduced since the last dipping sonar system competitive source selection conducted in the late 1980s. Increasing costs of the existing USN sonar systems continue to drive concerns regarding the long term affordability of the existing fielded systems and any future variants thereof, and continue to pose a risk of generating an equipment cost loss equivalent to a Class A mishap record if the transducer is lost from the aircraft. As such, decreasing the recurring production costs of a future transducer assembly are of significant concern and ensuring improved supportability. Noting that sonobuoys are similar advanced acoustic sensor systems made in large quantities for production unit costs of less than $15k/each indicates that a highly capable sonar transducer design would be capable of being generated with a much more reasonable forecast production cost well below $500k/each.

Additionally, the ability for the new sonar transducer to be retrofit in place of existing USN fielded sonar transducers (form/fit/function compatible) used on the existing USN aircraft while utilizing existing sonar processing (~3-5 kHz frequency band) and bringing AMCM capability and new added ASW capabilities to the traditionally ASW-focused helicopters is of interest utilizing a higher frequency band in the same unit.

Lastly, it would be a significant advancement in helicopter-based ASW capabilities if a tertiary frequency band below 2 kHz was also added to expand mission capabilities to broach wide area search and explore advantages of convergence zone type capabilities, while retaining the inherent existing direct path detection coverage of the mid-frequency 3-5kHz band, for full spectrum coverage of the surrounding areas.

The new multi-frequency band sonar transducer would be desired to have at least the following characteristics:

- Primary transmit array would be omnidirectional for ASW in the horizontal plane

- Primary acoustic transmit band for ASW: 3-5 kHz.

- Primary receive array would be capable of supporting 24 beams for primary ASW capabilities

- Consider using Single Crystal transducer technology or other new technology to reduce the weight and improve bandwidth.

- Overall weight must be less than 180 lbs.

- Primary electronics power and transmission signal power for the unit must be provided from an external transmitter/amplifier.

- Primary acoustic processing must occur offboard (not within unit)

- Secondary higher frequency band must be selected for AMCM mission optimization

- Secondary transmit and receive array functionality could reuse the primary arrays, utilizing electronic or physical manipulation as needed/possible to optimize AMCM. Alternatively, integrating other transmit and/or receive arrays within the same assembly may be acceptable.

- The secondary array capabilities would consider abilities to steer beams both horizontally and vertically depending on both mine and submarine targets of interest.

- As allowable, a tertiary capability of covering lower frequencies for longer range area searches and overlap with current other low frequency system operational frequencies (below 2 kHz) is preferred, broaching wide area search capabilities, with a system not requiring logistical complexities of storing large quantities of sonobuoys while associated to an aircraft deployed on a ship, and taking advantage of long range convergence zone detections

- Mechanically extended and retracted arrays are acceptable, as these are traditionally used in the most recent ASW sonar transducers.

- Will be capable of storage within an aircraft body for forward flight, ideally with an overall stowed diameter of no greater than 210 mm for the primary body and an overall length no greater than 1275 mm (some extensions for stabilizing features may be permissible).

- The CG of the sonar transducer assembly body will be designed to be as low as possible for stability in lowering operations, with an upper limit of no greater than 35% of the length of the overall unit as measured from the bottom.

- The final fielded unit would incorporate a water thermocouple for measuring the water column temperature during lowering operations, a method for bottom proximity detection, a capability to protect itself during electrostatic discharge when lowered from a helicopter into the sea water, redundant depth sensing capabilities, angular orientation reporting relative to vertical, and a method for determining bearing orientation of the array (e.g., magnetic compass, field sensors, other).

- Acoustic elements would be physically or electronically steerable in the vertical plane, providing enhanced sea bottom scanning for bottomed targets, and ideally, ability to determine target depth for setting of weapon depth deployments for improved success in target engagement

- The unit design would be able to withstand operating depths to at least 2500 ft.

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 NAVAIR 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.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

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Josiah Wegner 3/4/26 Josiah Wegner 3/4/26

Modular Payloads for UAS - SBIR Topic ARM26BX01-NV002

Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)

Funding Award Size: $250,000 (Estimated)

Description: Develop modular payload technologies for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) compatible with the Picatinny Common Lethality Interface Kit (CLIK) standard. Solutions may include EO/IR sensing, communications relay, electronic warfare, signals intelligence, or cargo delivery payloads integrated across multiple UAS platforms.

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Funding Amount:

Est. $250,000

Deadline to Apply:

Est. April 29th, 2026.

Objective:

The objectives for this effort are to enhance and refine various payload types and integrate them using a modular specification for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Experimentation, testing, and evaluation for this effort will use a Soldier-centered iterative design process.

Description:

Current UAS and payloads are often proprietary and designed to be mission-specific. Some systems offer swappable payloads; however, these payloads aren’t interchangeable across UAS manufacturers, and additional capabilities depend on the same manufacturer developing new payloads. To maximize battlefield usability, the Army needs the ability to swap payloads using common connections.

This solicitation supports a directed requirement for brigade-level UAS by developing payload technologies that will inform future UAS requirements and unit-level tactics, techniques, and procedures. The intent is to explore, test, refine, and advance modular payload technologies as an industry-government team, experimenting iteratively through Soldier touchpoints.

The selected vendor will deliver a modular payload and integrate the payload with one or more government-provided UAS platforms. Desired types of modular payloads include the following:

Electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) laser rangefinder and designator

Communications relay (voice and data)

Electronic warfare (EW)

Signals intelligence

Cargo resupply up to 20 lb

Other novel payloads that can provide Soldiers an offensive or defensive advantage

In this effort, awardees are asked to adapt their payload technology for compatibility with the Picatinny Common Lethality Interface Kit (CLIK) specification developed by DEVCOM Armaments Center. The Picatinny CLIK specification defines a physical interface, electrical connection, and signals to enable the integration of lethal and nonlethal payloads with small UAS. The references section of this solicitation contains a link to the Army Applications Laboratory topic page that links to the Picatinny CLIK specification. Vendors will also have the option to collaborate with DEVCOM Armaments Center to continue to refine the Picatinny CLIK specification.

Awardees will collaborate with UAS vendors to integrate their payloads with one or more government-provided UAS and demonstrate interoperability. The UAS platform provided by the government will have capabilities of upper Group 2 or lower Group 3 UAS, with payload capacity of at least 20 lb. Once awardees have integrated their payloads using Picatinny CLIK, they will provide their payloads for unit field experimentation and further refine their payload technology. The vendor should specify in their proposal how they intend to enhance their technology throughout the period of performance using the feedback provided through the Soldier-centered iterative design process.

Examples of desirable technology improvements include, but are not limited to:

Reducing size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) of the payload

Working toward compliance with relevant standards, airworthiness, and packaging requirements

Improving user interface and autonomous behaviors

Compatibility with a broader variety of UAS and controllers, including common controllers such as UVC (Uncrewed Vehicle Control)

PHASE I: This topic is for Phase I submission only. The Department of the Army will accept Phase I proposals for a cost of up to $150,000 for a 3-month period of performance. In Phase I, awardees will collaborate with government stakeholders and UAS vendors to plan for the integration of their payloads using Picatinny CLIK, along with developing plans for technology improvements to their payloads.

Phase I deliverables will include:

Technical designs for integration of the awardee’s payload with one or more government-provided UAS and for technology improvements to the payload

Initial Safety Assessment Report (SAR), technical documentation, test plans, and other information required to obtain approval for hands-on Soldier touchpoints and experimentation

Participation in a virtual kickoff and in-person final presentation, along with virtual touchpoints

Monthly reports that document technical progress

A Phase II proposal, if desired by the vendor

PHASE II: Phase II is anticipated to have a 12-month period of performance. In Phase II, awardees will deliver prototypes of their modular payloads adapted to use the Picatinny CLIK specification, and will support hands-on experimentation to make iterative improvements to their technology.

Phase II deliverables will include:

A quantity of at least 2 of the modular payload, to be left behind with units at the conclusion of the period of performance

Integration of the modular payload with one or more government-provided UAS using the Picatinny CLIK specification

Support for Soldier experimentation touchpoints at unit locations to perform Soldier-centered iterative design. Proposers should budget for a total of 5 trips with a duration of 1 week per trip to unit locations or experiment sites within the continental U.S. Proposals should include all anticipated personnel, travel costs, and support equipment

Integration of experimentation results into technology improvements to the payload

Monthly reports that document lessons learned from experimentation and their application to technology development

Proposal for a sequential award, if desired by the vendor, to continue technology development based on lessons learned from experimentation

The following timeline illustrates the concept of execution during the Phase II period of performance. Awardees should anticipate timeline changes during execution due to technology development risk, unit availability for experimentation, and scheduled experimentation events. Applicants may propose timelines that follow the general model below.

Month 1-2: Adapt the payload to use the Picatinny CLIK specification based on plans developed during Phase I. Collaborate with UAS vendors to integrate the payload with government-provided UAS. Continue touchpoints with Soldiers and Army organizations. Deliver an updated Safety Assessment Report (SAR) and other documentation to support safety releases for Soldier testing.

Month 3-10: Deliver quantity 2 of the modular payload adapted to use the Picatinny CLIK specification. Train Soldiers to use the modular connection and payload. Support experimentation touchpoints and use Soldier-centered iterative design to improve the payload technology.

Month 11-12: Deliver the final payload prototypes to the unit. Attend a culminating training event or experiment with the unit to further experiment with and develop the payload technology. Demonstrate interoperability of the payload with government-provided UAS using the Picatinny CLIK specification. Finalize and document payload technology improvements and lessons learned.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

For-profit company
U.S.-owned and controlled.
500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below: