Low Power Seawater Converter for Aircrew Survival - STTR Topic DON26TZ01-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is planned to be released once the SBIR program is reauthorized; however, this topic may ultimately be modified or withdrawn.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 lightweight, compact, rugged, and reliable device that can convert seawater into safe, drinkable water. The device should minimize bulk and human energy expenditure, while maximizing output.

Description:

Survival in a life raft on the open ocean depends greatly on the availability of potable water. Naval aircrew currently carry prepackaged water in soft packets placed within the ejection seat survival kit and aircrew survival vest sufficient to sustain life for less than one day. Reverse osmosis desalinators and forward osmosis nutrient packs are commercially available to the recreational seafarer. However, neither of these approaches are designed to maximize the amount of drinkable water while minimizing the amount of human energy expended, while constrained by limited space within a survival kit. Manual Reverse Osmosis Desalinator (MROD) devices are labor intensive, requiring more than 2500 pumps to produce one liter of water in one hour. Such human powered devices may require more energy expenditure than the calories available to stranded aircrew. Forward osmosis products available for the recreational sailor can produce potable beverages with little manual effort, but the total output capacity for aircrew is limited by the storage volume of the ejection seat survival kit. Current options for supplying sufficient drinking water to sustain life throughout extended rescue durations are inadequate.

Innovative solutions will minimize or eliminate aircrew physical activity/exertion, while producing at least one gallon of drinkable water per day, with a minimum salt rejection of 95%. Concepts utilizing novel chemical processes or nanotechnology are preferred over simple refinements of current osmosis technology.

The device should:

a) fit within a Naval Aircraft Common Ejection Seat (NACES) survival kit (an envelope approximately 6½"x14½"x4½") along with an Emergency Oxygen System (EOS) and an LRU-38/P life raft, but not exceed 114 cubic inches.

b) operate in near freezing brine water/freshwater/saltwater.

c) operate in turbulent or calm water conditions.

d) operate reliably in cold and hot ambient air from -40° to +125°F (-40° to +51°C).

e) operate after exposure to temperature extremes from -65° to +160°F (-54° to +71°C).

f) operate after exposure to mold, mildew, flame, and salt fog.

g) not create hazards (i.e., burn, injury, Foreign Object Debris (FOD), snag/trip, and static discharge) in any mission or survival operations.

h) operate following a 600-knot seat ejection.

i) operate after repeated exposure to altitudes up to 70,000 ft (0.65 psi).

j) operate after exposure to typical fixed-wing ejection seat aircraft vibration levels, at frequencies from 5 Hz-2000 Hz).

k) provide resistance to environmental contaminants (i.e., sand, petroleum, oil, lubricants, and solar radiation).

l) not interfere with survival vest or mounted gear, armor/armor release, seat harnesses, helmets or head mounted gear.

m) be capable of operating after 15 months in a packed state (360-day inspection cycle plus 90 day shelf life) while exposed to temperature ranges of -65° to 160°F (-54° to +71°C).

n) weigh less than 2 lbs.

o) use Berry Amendment-compliant materials and manufacturing techniques.

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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