DON26BX05-NP003 — NAVSEA MBSE Acceleration via AI/ML
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Quick Answer
DON26BX05-NP003 is a Navy SBIR Open Topic under DoW 2026 SBIR CSO Release 5, sponsored by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). It funds development of an AI/ML capability that ingests disparate legacy technical documentation (paper records, PDFs, images, cable run sheets, hardware and software bills of material, and more) and automatically generates Systems Modeling Language (SysML) models compatible with the Cameo Magic Draw environment. The goal is to rapidly and affordably transition legacy Navy weapons systems, starting with the AEGIS Combat System, into Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) without diverting funding from ongoing capability development. Phase I awards up to $315,000 total. Proposals are due September 23, 2026.
Executive Summary
The Navy's AEGIS Combat System dates to the late 1970s, and much of its design documentation still exists only in paper form or in legacy digital formats that resist conversion into modern systems models. Rebuilding this documentation manually would pull funding away from capability development that the fleet needs now. NAVSEA is looking for a commercially available or near-commercial solution that solves this problem with AI and machine learning rather than manual labor.
The solution must ingest a wide range of technical documentation types, including digital files, scanned images, Adobe files, written documents, installation and interface configurations, hardware and software bills of material, cable run sheets, IP addresses, ports, protocols, and services. From that ingested data, it must auto-generate SysML models with minimal human input and a high degree of accuracy, and those models must convert directly into the CAMEO Magic Draw SysML modeling environment. NAVSEA states plainly that nothing commercially available does this today, which signals this is a genuine capability gap rather than an integration exercise.
Beyond model generation, the resulting models need to support system design, capability development, cyber assessment and authorization, interface design and verification, functional testing, configuration management, reliability calculation and tracking, problem tracking, and program certification. This is a broad mandate: the government is not just asking for a document parser, but for a pipeline that produces models useful across the full systems engineering lifecycle.
Companies should note two important constraints up front. First, this topic is ITAR-restricted, and proposers must disclose any planned use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, visa status, and the specific tasks they would perform. Second, work is expected to become classified as early as Phase II, and the selected contractor must be U.S.-owned and operated with no foreign influence, and must be able to obtain and maintain a secret-level facility clearance and personnel security clearances. Companies without an existing path to a facility clearance should weigh this carefully before proposing, since it becomes a hard requirement for advancing past Phase I.
Phase I work is limited to a feasibility and concept-development effort: demonstrating that the proposed AI/ML approach can meet the ingestion and model-generation requirements described above, and estimating initial performance against test and operational environments. If the Phase I Option is exercised, it adds initial design and interface specifications to prepare for a Phase II prototype build.
Phase III applications extend well beyond AEGIS. NAVSEA explicitly flags scaling the tool across PEO IWS, other combat systems, and C4I elements, and notes that almost any organization doing systems design or sustainment work with technical documentation, drawings, cable run sheets, hardware and software lists, DOORS records, or reliability reports could use a mature version of this technology. That gives the eventual solution real dual-use and commercial potential outside the Navy.
Funding
Phase I Base: up to $200,000
Phase I Option: up to $115,000
Maximum Phase I total (Base plus Option): $315,000
Award type: Prototype Other Transaction (OT)
Phase I period of performance: exactly 6 months for the Base, exactly 6 months for the Option
Phase II maximum: up to $2,000,000
Discretionary TABA available: up to $6,500 in Phase I, in addition to the award amount
Timeline
Proposal deadline: September 23, 2026
Submission portal: DoW SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP)
Proposal receipt confirmation: approximately one week after CSO close
Phase I award structure: two payments during the Base period, three payments if the Option is exercised
Key Requirements
Technical Volume limited to 10 pages
Minimum two-thirds of Phase I work must be performed by the proposing small business, in both Base and Option costs
No cost sharing accepted
CMMC Level 2 (Self) projected requirement
Foreign Risk Evaluation disclosures required in Volume 7
Must be able to obtain a secret facility clearance and personnel clearances for later phases
ITAR-restricted, with mandatory foreign national disclosures if applicable
Point of Contact
Jason Schroepfer, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
NSSC_SBIR.fct@navy.mil
Frequently Asked Questions
What problem is NAVSEA trying to solve with this topic?
NAVSEA wants to convert legacy technical documentation for systems like AEGIS, much of it in paper or outdated digital formats, into modern Model-Based Systems Engineering models using AI and machine learning, without diverting engineering funding from ongoing capability work.
Does a commercial solution already exist for this?
No. The topic description states directly that nothing commercially available performs this ingestion-to-SysML-model capability today.
What kind of documentation must the solution be able to process?
Digital files, images, Adobe files, written documents, installation and interface configurations, software and hardware bills of material, cable run sheets, IP addresses, and ports, protocols, and services data.
What modeling environment must the output be compatible with?
The CAMEO Magic Draw SysML modeling environment.
Will this work require a security clearance?
Yes, eventually. Phase II work is expected to become classified, and the contractor must be able to obtain and maintain a secret facility clearance and personnel security clearances.
Is this topic ITAR-restricted?
Yes. Proposers must disclose any planned use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, visa or work permit status, and the specific tasks they would perform.
How much funding is available in Phase I?
Up to $200,000 for the Base and up to $115,000 for the Option, for a combined maximum of $315,000.
What is the proposal deadline?
September 23, 2026, submitted through the DoW SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP).
Can this technology be used outside the AEGIS program?
Yes. NAVSEA identifies dual-use potential across other shipboard systems, PEO IWS, combat systems, and C4I elements, and broader applicability to any organization doing systems design or sustainment work with similar documentation types.
