Part of the DoW SBIR/STTR FY27 Release 2 topic list. Browse all 83 topics by industry or service.
Topic DAF27TZ02-DV006 from the DoW STTR 2027 BAA, Release 2. Pre-release now; proposals due January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET.
Quick answer
DAF27TZ02-DV006 is a Department of the Air Force Direct-to-Phase II STTR topic seeking an electrically small, wideband antenna module that fits standard RF-photonic transceiver packaging and radiates across a bandwidth beyond Chu's limit. No Phase I awards will be made. Proposals are due January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET.
Solicitation at a glance
- Topic number: DAF27TZ02-DV006
- Official title: Wideband Antenna for RF Photonics Modules
- Agency: Department of the Air Force
- Program: STTR (DoW STTR 2027 BAA, Release 2)
- Award type: Direct to Phase II (no Phase I awards)
- Award amount: Up to $2,000,000. Source: Department of the Air Force Release 2 instructions in DSIP.
- CMMC level: Level 2 (Self)
- ITAR: Yes. Export-controlled (ITAR/EAR); see topic text
- Technology areas: Electronics, Sensors
- Pre-release (direct TPOC contact allowed): November 4 to December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET
- Opens in DSIP: December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET
- Proposals due: January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET
- Official source: DSIP Topics app (search DAF27TZ02-DV006)
BW&CO's take
What the Department of the Air Force wants
RF photonics is inherently broadband, but systems in the RF and lower millimeter-wave range still depend on bulky antennas, which keeps them off small platforms. The Air Force wants a new antenna module that is fully compatible with standard RF-photonic packaging and delivers stable, efficient performance over a wide band despite its small electrical size. Approaches may use passive and/or nonlinear materials or elements to counter antenna dispersion. Phase II covers finishing the design, fabricating the antenna, integrating it with a selected RF-photonic module, and characterizing radiation pattern, return loss, efficiency, group delay, and isolation versus frequency, ending in experimental verification of the prototype.
Who is a good fit
- Antenna-in-package or integration-friendly antenna designs with measured broadband performance
- Experience with electrically small antennas and methods for exceeding Chu's limit, such as nonlinear or dispersion-compensating elements
- Access to an RF-photonic transceiver module and the packaging know-how to integrate an antenna with it
- Antenna fabrication and characterization facilities for pattern, return loss, efficiency, group delay, and isolation
Watch-outs
- This is Direct-to-Phase II: no Phase I awards will be made, so the feasibility study and preliminary antenna design with simulation-backed metrics described in the Phase I section should already be complete and documented in the proposal. Note the topic text is internally inconsistent: it states no Phase I awards will be made but still describes Phase I tasks and says 'By the end of Phase I' a design should be numerically analyzed. Consider asking the topic authors to clarify before direct contact ends December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET.
- The metadata lists this as an STTR topic. STTR awards involve a research-institution partner, so plan the team accordingly.
- The topic metadata marks it as ITAR-restricted, which generally limits foreign national participation.
- The topic metadata lists CMMC Level 2 (Self).
Think your company fits DAF27TZ02-DV006? Talk with BW&CO before the January 6 deadline.
Plan Your DAF27TZ02-DV006 Submission
Official topic text (verbatim from DSIP)
The text in this section is copied word for word from the official DSIP topic as published on November 4, 2026. DSIP is the official source and topics can be amended. Always confirm the current version at dodsbirsttr.mil before you submit. Our commentary above is BW&CO's interpretation, not Government guidance.
Title
Wideband Antenna for RF Photonics Modules
Objective
Design, fabricate, and experimentally test a wideband antenna solution ready to be integrated with standard RF-photonics transceiver modules. The antenna module must satisfy two key requirements. First, they should be fully compatible with standard packaging assemblies of RF-photonic modules. Second, they must deliver stable and efficient performance across a broad frequency bandwidth. However, integrating antennas with RF-photonic modules presents a significant challenge due to the electrically small size of the antennas and the bandwidth limitations imposed by Chu’s limit. To address this challenge, innovative antenna designs are required. These solutions may incorporate passive and/or nonlinear materials or elements to counteract the dispersive behavior of the antenna and enable broadband radiation while remaining suitable for integration with RF-photonic modules. The final design should ensure seamless integration of the RF-photonic and antenna modules, enabling them to work synergistically with minimized size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C).
Description
Given its inherent broadband capabilities, RF photonics is a promising technology for both civilian and military applications. It is employed in several platforms, including autonomous vehicles, UAVs, and mobile devices, to sense and navigate complex environments and detect and track mobile targets, among many other use-case scenarios. Current studies are establishing and advancing RF photonic technology for several applications. However, these advances, especially in the radio frequencies or lower millimeter-wave regime, are still based on bulky antenna solutions, preventing the realization of compact systems that can be easily accommodated in small platforms. Proposals are sought to provide innovative antenna solutions addressing the need for integration with commonly packaged RF photonic modules without impacting their operation bandwidth. The proposed efforts shall build upon the existing integration-friendly antenna solutions to develop a novel antenna technology amenable to integrating electrically small broadband RF-photonic modules. By the end of Phase I, a broadband antenna module compatible with RF-photonics should be numerically analyzed. Phase II should focus on a proof-of-concept experiment of the integrated broadband antenna module with a selected RF photonics system. Overall, this topic aims to advance RF photonics technology with integrated antennas to meet demanding requirements, such as large bandwidth, reduced size and weight, and low profile. Relevant metrics that the proposers should consider are an antenna solution fully compatible to be integrated with the standard packaging topologies of RF photonic modules, an antenna module with excellent performance in the high RF regime, and with a bandwidth beyond Chu's limit.
Phase I
As this is a Direct-to-Phase II (D2P2) topic, no Phase I awards will be made. In the Phase I effort, a feasibility study and initial development of the proposed antenna solution will be carried out. This endeavor should involve the design of the antenna module. Comparison between the proposed and the simulation-backed-up performance metrics, including the level of integration and isolation, the operational bandwidth, return loss, and radiation efficiency, should be carried out. At the completion of this phase, a preliminary design of the antenna module, meeting the indicated metrics for the proof-of-concept experiment, will be demonstrated and reported.
Phase II
The Phase II effort should begin by finalizing and completing the design for the proof-of-concept experiment started at the end of Phase I. The performer shall accomplish the fabrication and complete characterization of the designed antenna module, including integration with a selected RF photonic module. Characterization should include the frequency dependence of parameters such as radiation pattern, return loss, efficiency, group delay, and isolation. A comparison among the proposed, simulation-backed-up, and experimental metrics shall be reported, along with relevant analyses and discussion. This phase should conclude with the experimental verification of the prototype antenna.
Phase III Dual Use Applications
The Phase III effort should focus on additional research and refinement of the antenna module designed and experimentally tested in Phases I and II. The design of the final antenna module should incorporate the update in the design procedures guided by the experimental results conducted in Phase II. Manufacturability specific to the Air Force Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and end-user requirements will be examined. The study and development of low-profile broadband antenna solutions that can be integrated with RF photonic modules can benefit numerous programs within the DOD and several applications in commercial markets.
References
S. Shiet al., "Ultrawideband Modular RF Frontend Development for Photonically Enabled Imaging Receiver," inIEEE Microwave and Wireless Technology Letters, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 805-808, June 2024
C. Maet al., "High-Resolution Microwave Photonic Radar With Sparse Stepped Frequency Chirp Signals," inIEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 60, pp. 1-10, 2022
D. W. Pratheret al., "Fourier-Optics Based Opto-Electronic Architectures for Simultaneous Multi-Band, Multi-Beam, and Wideband Transmit and Receive Phased Arrays," inIEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 18082-18106, 2023
Keywords
Integrated antennas; RF photonics; antenna-in-package; imaging; Chu’s limit; sensors
Frequently asked questions
What is DAF27TZ02-DV006?
It is a Department of the Air Force STTR topic to design, fabricate, and test a wideband antenna module ready for integration with standard RF-photonics transceiver modules, with minimized size, weight, power, and cost.
When is DAF27TZ02-DV006 due?
Proposals are due January 6, 2027, 12:00 PM ET. DSIP pre-release began November 4, 2026, and direct contact with the topic authors is allowed only until the topic opens on December 2, 2026, 8:00 AM ET.
Is this a Phase I or Direct-to-Phase II topic?
It is Direct-to-Phase II. The topic states that no Phase I awards will be made. The Phase I section describes a feasibility study and preliminary antenna design, which applicants should be prepared to show as work already completed.
What metrics will the antenna be judged on?
The topic asks for an antenna compatible with standard RF-photonic packaging, strong performance in the high RF regime, and bandwidth beyond Chu's limit. Characterization covers radiation pattern, return loss, efficiency, group delay, and isolation versus frequency, with proposed, simulated, and measured results compared.