DON26BX05-NP004 — NAVWAR Unified APNT Operational Awareness and Decision Support
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Quick Answer
DON26BX05-NP004 is a Navy SBIR Open Topic under DoW 2026 SBIR CSO Release 5, sponsored by Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR). It funds software that improves how Navy operators understand Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) status, confidence, threats, and recovery options across multiple existing systems. This topic does not seek new PNT sensors or navigation algorithms. It seeks data integration, human-machine interface design, visualization, and decision-support software that unifies fragmented information into one operational picture. Phase I awards up to $315,000 total, with multiple awards planned. Proposals are due September 23, 2026.
Executive Summary
The Navy depends on accurate positioning, navigation, and timing data to run maritime operations, coordinate distributed forces, and support mission planning. As the fleet adds more APNT-related systems and situational awareness tools, operators increasingly have to juggle multiple interfaces and data sources just to understand whether their PNT information is trustworthy, what is threatening it, and what to do if it degrades. That fragmentation increases cognitive workload, complicates training, and slows decisions in exactly the moments when speed matters most.
This topic sits under the Navy's GPS-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Service (GPNTS) program, which is expanding APNT resilience through a growing set of technologies, including open-source data types like All-Source Positioning and Navigation (ASPN) and the PNT operating system (pntOS). NAVWAR wants a software layer that ingests, integrates, processes, and presents information from GPNTS, alternate PNT sources, and related situational awareness systems through one unified operator experience, often described as a common operating picture or single pane of glass.
It is important for companies evaluating this topic to understand what NAVWAR is explicitly not asking for. This is not a call for new PNT sensors, navigation algorithms, timing hardware, or sensing technology. Instead, NAVWAR is looking for expertise in software architecture, data integration, information management, user experience and human-machine interface design, analytics, visualization, and decision-support technology. Companies with strong commercial track records in adjacent industries such as autonomous transportation, cloud operations, telecommunications, logistics, or industrial automation are specifically invited to apply their existing platforms to this problem, since NAVWAR states that solutions do not need to be purpose-built for APNT if they can be adapted to the operational objective.
The list of primary technology areas of interest is broad: data integration and orchestration platforms, HMI and UX design, common operating picture technologies, operational data visualization, decision-support systems, workflow automation, human-centered design methodologies, data analytics and correlation platforms, AI-enabled operator assistance, containerized software architectures, mission management software, and digital engineering environments. NAVWAR also notes solutions outside these areas may still qualify if they address the core objective, which gives proposers real latitude in how they frame their technical approach.
NAVWAR has stated it plans to make multiple Phase I awards under this topic, though it reserves the right to make none. Phase I work centers on establishing feasibility through relevant operational use cases, an integration approach, and expected improvements to operator effectiveness, along with a path to implementation in Navy environments. Phase I deliverables include a kickoff briefing, a progress report, a final report, and an initial Phase II proposal.
Phase II work matures the concept into a working prototype demonstrating measurable improvements in situational awareness, information accessibility, decision-making, workflow efficiency, or confidence assessment, validated within a representative operational environment and potentially integrated with real GPNTS or APNT data sources. The final report at that stage must include a transition strategy, deployment considerations, sustainment approach, and commercialization plan.
Phase III and dual-use potential are significant here. NAVWAR points to broad applicability in autonomous transportation, commercial shipping and logistics, aviation operations, industrial automation, telecommunications network operations, smart infrastructure management, cloud and data center operations, critical infrastructure monitoring, public safety, and enterprise operations centers. This is a strong fit for companies already building operational dashboards, data fusion platforms, or decision-support software for other industries who want to extend that capability into a defense context.
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
Not seeking new PNT hardware, sensors, or navigation algorithms
Multiple Phase I awards planned, though NAVWAR reserves the right to make none
Point of Contact
Shadi Azoum, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR)
info@navwarsbir.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NAVWAR trying to solve with this topic?
NAVWAR wants software that unifies fragmented APNT status, confidence, threat, and recovery information across multiple existing systems into one operator interface, reducing cognitive workload and speeding up decisions.
Is this topic asking for new PNT hardware or sensors?
No. The topic explicitly excludes new PNT sensing technology, navigation algorithms, timing sources, or hardware. It is focused entirely on software, data integration, and decision support.
Can a company from outside the defense sector apply?
Yes. NAVWAR specifically invites mature commercial technologies from industries like autonomous transportation, cloud operations, telecommunications, logistics, and industrial automation, as long as they can be adapted to the APNT decision-support objective.
What is GPNTS?
The Navy's GPS-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Service, a program expanding APNT resilience through a growing set of integrated technologies and data sources.
How many awards will NAVWAR make under this topic?
NAVWAR states it plans to issue multiple Phase I awards but reserves the right to issue none.
What are the Phase I deliverables?
A kickoff briefing, a progress report, a final report, and an initial Phase II proposal.
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).
Does this technology have commercial applications outside the Navy?
Yes. NAVWAR identifies applicability in autonomous transportation, shipping and logistics, aviation, industrial automation, telecommunications, smart infrastructure, cloud operations, critical infrastructure monitoring, public safety, and enterprise operations centers.
