Non-Radio Frequency, Covert Maritime Transceiver - SBIR Topic DON26BZ01-NV014

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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is planned to be released once the SBIR program is reauthorized; however, this topic may ultimately be modified or withdrawn.

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Funding Amount:

Est. $240,000

Deadline to Apply:

Est. April 29th, 2026.

Objective:

Develop a reliable and covert transceiver for use in contested areas where the use of traditional radio frequencies are not permitted in order to remain concealed. The Navy is looking for new technologies that can transmit and receive wireless communications from distances of at least 5km. The signal medium may be, but not limited to, acoustic, infrared, or ultraviolet. The communications link must be highly resistant to interference, detection, and exploitation.

Description:

Covert communications have continuously evolved during the history of warfare. Paradigm shifts in communication (in warfare) have enabled evolutionary tactical advantages that have lasted for finite periods of time until an adversary adjusts technology and tactics to detect, and in some cases monitor, seemingly covert communications. Various modalities are available to attempt to provide secure, covert communications including many Radio Frequency (RF) techniques, free-space optics (laser comm.) and others. Due to the United States’s reliance on RF for communications and sensing (e.g., radar), various peer-adversaries have engineered around many of these modalities putting secure communications at risk. For this reason, it is necessary to go “out-of-band” to provide a modality of communication not commonly used and enabled by technology that is wholly new and therefore restricted by rarity. Another limitation to this application is the need to avoid bulky, power-hungry systems that may require a high degree of attention in order to operate properly.

Therefore, the Navy is looking for a low power, small communications transceiver that offers low probability of intercept (LPI) and low probability of detection (LPD). The new technology must be able to acquire, track, and maintain a secure communications link between rapidly moving vehicles (manned and unmanned). Emerging applications include cognitive operations with other autonomous systems for armed combat, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), casualty extraction, and field communications. Each of these applications have different objectives but all require uninterrupted, high bandwidth, and secure communications.

Attributes:

- Must be able to communicate between two or more points at least 5km away

- Low Size, Weight, and Power/Cost (SWaP-C)

- Reliable, continuous communication link

- Field Programmable

- LPI/LPD

- Flexible data rate requirement (up to 10MB/s)

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.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

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