DARPA SBIR DPA26BZ05-DV021: Open Architecture Platform for Underwater Vehicles for Rapid Adaptation, Collaborative Sensing, Navigation, and Autonomy

Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).

Quick Answer

DPA26BZ05-DV021 is a DARPA Direct to Phase II SBIR topic seeking a modular, open-architecture autonomous underwater vehicle platform that supports rapid payload swaps, fleet-scale deployment, and multi-vehicle collaboration. The award is worth up to 1,800,000 dollars over a 24 month period of performance, with no option period. Proposals are due September 23. This topic carries a CMMC Level 1 requirement.

What This Topic Is Looking For

DARPA wants to move away from proprietary, single-purpose underwater vehicles and toward an open ecosystem where hardware and software can be reconfigured without specialized tooling. Open architecture here means both physical modularity for hardware reconfiguration and adherence to open software standards so sensors, communications, navigation, and autonomy stacks can plug in interchangeably.

The platform needs to be two-person portable and support operations for up to 24 hours, while maintaining strict control across the water column, including fixed-depth stationkeeping, since vehicle stability directly determines whether the data collected is usable. DARPA describes an end-to-end mission lifecycle approach built around several capability areas: a modular, flooded-hull architecture that allows upgrades or repairs in hours or days without specialized tooling, software hooks that support task allocation across heterogeneous vehicles without burdening the end user, a seamless multimodal mesh communications network linking acoustic, RF, cellular, and satellite channels, an integrated software ecosystem connecting mission planning, command and control, and centralized data analytics, scalable hardware integration with software-optimized, customizable propulsion tailored to specific hydrodynamic profiles, and signature management to minimize acoustic and hydrodynamic wake.

DP2 Feasibility and Phase II Structure

This is a Direct to Phase II topic, so no Phase I award will be made. To qualify, proposers need to demonstrate feasibility across three domains: vehicle dynamics and hydrodynamic modeling data covering propulsion performance and signature characteristics, acoustic characterization and localization data covering individual platforms or multi-vehicle formations, and analytical or algorithmic proof supporting stable formation control under degraded communications or platform performance.

Phase II runs 24 months and is aimed at developing and demonstrating a functional, in-water prototype. Performers validate rapid reconfiguration by swapping payload housings and integrating new sensor packages within a target timeframe and without specialized tools, conduct at-sea testing of the multimodal communications mesh, and demonstrate dynamic, multi-vehicle collaborative sensing and autonomous navigation in a simulated operational environment.

Fixed milestones run from a Month 2 delivery of hardware and software interface standards through a Month 22 demonstration of a heterogeneous AUV fleet performing dynamic retasking, deconfliction, collaborative sensing, and automated data offloading, and a Month 24 finalized Phase III transition plan.

Phase III Outlook

Phase III is oriented toward scaling the platform for fleet-wide deployment and integration into broader defense and commercial enterprise architectures. The goal is to transition the system into a commercially viable product capable of rapid payload integration for advanced undersea systems programs, accelerating both experimentation and operational transition for end users across defense, commercial, and scientific maritime missions.

Funding and Timeline

Award amount: up to 1,800,000 dollars for the base period of performance.

Period of performance: 24 months, with no option period.

TABA: up to 25,000 dollars per Phase II project, reviewed at time of award.

Proposal deadline: September 23. Technical questions must be submitted by September 16, since DARPA does not answer questions submitted within 7 calendar days of the closing date.

Proposal Format

This topic uses the white paper and slide deck Technical Volume format. The white paper cannot exceed 20 pages and needs to cover goals and impact, Phase I equivalent feasibility across the three required domains, a technical plan with milestones no more than a month apart, management and capabilities, and a transition and commercialization plan. The slide deck cannot exceed 15 slides and covers the same ground in pitch format, including cost, schedule, and DARPA's required quad chart templates.

All proposals go through DSIP and require the standard seven volumes: cover sheet, technical volume, cost volume, Company Commercialization Report, supporting documents, Fraud Waste and Abuse training, and the Disclosures of Foreign Affiliations webform, which must be completed as a webform and will not be accepted as a PDF upload.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for DPA26BZ05-DV021? September 23. Technical questions must be submitted by September 16.

Is this a Phase I or Phase II award? Phase II only. This topic is soliciting Direct to Phase II proposals exclusively. Proposers must document feasibility across vehicle dynamics, acoustic characterization, and formation stability through prior work.

What does two-person portable mean for this topic? The platform needs to be light and compact enough that two people can carry and deploy it without additional lifting equipment, while still supporting up to 24 hours of continuous operation.

How is fleet collaboration demonstrated in Phase II? Through at-sea testing of a multimodal mesh communications network and a simulated operational demonstration of dynamic retasking, deconfliction, and collaborative sensing across a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles.

Is this topic export controlled? The topic sheet does not include an ITAR or EAR restriction paragraph the way several other Release 5 DARPA topics do, and it carries a CMMC Level 1 requirement, but companies should still confirm export control status for their specific technical approach before proposing.

Can venture capital or private equity backed companies apply? Yes. DARPA topics under this BAA explicitly accept proposals from companies more than 50 percent owned by venture capital operating companies, hedge funds, or private equity firms, provided the company registers with the SBA Company Registry Database and submits the required VC certification.

What kind of company fits this topic best? Teams with underwater vehicle engineering experience, particularly in hydrodynamics, acoustic signature management, multi-vehicle autonomy, and mesh communications, who can show prior modeling or testing data rather than starting from a blank sheet.