Commercial-Derived Insights for Novel Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) Capabilities - SBIR Topic DAF26BX04-NV506

Funding Amount:

$175,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

The objective of this Phase I effort is to identify, assess, and demonstrate the feasibility of novel, non–missile-warning space and/or ground enabled sensing and analytic capabilities that can deliver rapid, commercially derived insights with meaningful operational utility. The effort seeks concepts that enhance geospatial tactical awareness, reduce operational risk, and provide operators with timely, relevant, and resilient information in contested environments. Phase I will evaluate scientific and technical feasibility, characterize expected performance, and define the minimum viable capability that can be matured into a rapidly fieldable prototype in Phase II.

Description:

This topic seeks to rapidly field non–missile-warning, space and/or ground enabled sensing and analytic capabilities that enhance warfighter decision speed.

Space Force Components and Combatant Commands increasingly depend on commercially derived, space and/or ground enabled insights, but existing systems lack the responsiveness, automation, and sensing diversity needed for real-time tactical awareness.

Adversary advancements and dynamic operational environments have outpaced traditional acquisition approaches, creating critical gaps that Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) is working to solve.

Aligned with the Space Force Commercial Space Strategy, this topic solicits innovative, unclassified concepts across the sensing-to-analysis continuum—including data collection, phenomenology exploitation, analytic fusion, and information delivery—that can deliver meaningful operational utility within one year.

Proposed solutions may introduce new sensing or analytic methods or significantly advance existing commercial approaches.

An initial operational capability (IOC) is defined as a functional prototype that provides testable outputs directly to operators.

Solutions may include hardware, software, analytic tools, sensing concepts, data-processing architectures, or integrated workflows.

Stand-alone capabilities and service-based models are acceptable, and performers may leverage commercial space-as-a-service or existing commercial space infrastructure.

Approaches must deliver timely, operationally relevant insights without requiring government development of new space hardware.

Representative in-scope areas include:

• Novel phenomenology sensing.

• Automated exploitation pipelines.

• Multi-sensor fusion.

• Change detection.

• Activity characterization.

• Material or environmental signature analysis.

• Deep maritime or littoral monitoring.

• Rapid-revisit analytics.

• Unconventional sensing approaches.

• Space-to-air or space-to-ground tipping and cueing.

• High-cadence environmental insight.

• Incorporation of AI/ML.

• Fusion of structured or unstructured data.

Out-of-scope areas include:

• Missile warning/tracking.

• Kinetic interceptors.

• Satellite buses.

• Launch vehicles.

The overarching intent is to operationalize commercial capabilities rapidly and ensure warfighters receive meaningful, unique insights at the speed of need.

The intent of this effort is not focused on Operational Planning Product (OPP) generation through the Global Data Marketplace but targets a new innovative solution (view Reference 1 for additional context).

PHASE I:

Phase I will determine the technical merit, scientific feasibility, and operational applicability of proposed non–missile-warning space-enabled sensing or analytic capabilities.

Over a three-month Period of Performance (PoP), performers will identify the core technical approach, characterize expected performance, and validate feasibility through targeted analysis, modeling, simulation, or initial prototype demonstrations.

Activities may include:

• Characterizing sensing or analytic methods and defining the minimum viable capability.

• Conducting trade studies, modeling, data analysis, or small-scale experiments.

• Assessing performance in relevant operational scenarios aligned to SRT-supported Components.

• Evaluating pathways for integration into existing commercial-derived workflows or architectures.

• Identifying technical risks, operational constraints, data dependencies, and mitigation strategies.

• Outlining expected capability maturity achievable within a 12-month timeframe, from Phase I contract award through Phase II.

Phase I must culminate in:

1. A clear feasibility assessment supported by technical evidence.

2. A Phase II plan aligned to the schedule, including delivery of an initial operational capability and full prototype within the Phase II PoP.

3. Defined operating parameters and anticipated performance metrics.

4. An integration and transition concept demonstrating how the capability can support SRT mission needs.

Performers must demonstrate that Phase II development can begin immediately to ensure continuity and minimizing administrative latency.

PHASE II:

Phase II will mature the feasible concepts identified in Phase I into a deployable, testable prototype.

As the principal R&D effort, Phase II will include design refinement, system development, integration activities, and operationally relevant testing focused on delivering a measurable improvement in tactical insight or decision advantage.

Activities may include:

• Developing and demonstrating a prototype that produces actionable outputs.

• Conducting system integration, to include data pipelines, processing architectures, or delivery mechanisms.

• Evaluating performance across key operating parameters such as latency, persistence, coverage, accuracy, resilience, and usability.

• Testing in relevant or operationally representative environments, including SRT-supported workflows.

• Iterating capability in collaboration with Space Force Components and end users.

• Documenting performance, reliability, and scalability for transition planning.

Success criteria for Phase II include:

• Demonstrated prototype capability that materially improves the sensing or analytic options available to the warfighter.

• Ability to integrate outputs into operational workflows with minimal burden on users.

• Evidence that commercial markets can support long-term sustainment or scaling.

• Achievable path to Phase III transition, including identification of customers, funding mechanisms, and required approvals.

For Phase II proposals, the target should be to develop a working prototype for immediate operational demonstration and transition as soon as possible and adhere to the expected capability maturity timeframe developed in Phase I.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Phase III will pursue full transition of the capability to operational use through non-SBIR/STTR funding streams.

This phase may include final integration, expanded testing, scaling to larger user bases, or adaptation for additional mission partners.

Capabilities entering Phase III should target a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6-7, demonstrating functionality in relevant environments and readiness for operational deployment.

Activities may include:

• Full integration into SRT operational workflows or related architectures.

• Transition planning with acquiring organizations, including SYD 810/ETT, and their stakeholders.

• Compliance with security, accreditation, data, and interoperability requirements.

• Engagement with Combatant Commands and Partner Nations for expanded adoption.

• Identifying dual-use opportunities across defense, civil, and commercial markets to strengthen long-term sustainability.

Phase III success is achieved when the capability is fielded at scale, provides recurring operational value, and reduces warfighter risk by delivering timely, commercial-derived insights that expand sensing diversity and strengthen decision advantage.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

High Precision Specialized Waveguides for Extreme Temperatures - SBIR Topic DON26BZ04-NV067

Funding Amount:

$315,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Provide specialized waveguides capable of high temperature, high power, low loss, robust, and agile transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals within a hypersonic vehicle.

Description:

The use of RF cables has difficulty meeting environmental conditions while maintaining signal integrity and power requirements.

Hypersonic surface temperatures can exceed over 1,000-degree C.

Waveguides provide high power transmission and might be easier to manage under extreme hypersonic conditions.

The Navy seeks RF transmission that focuses on high frequency, is consistent performance across a vast range of extreme thermal temperatures, and provides long durations of high thermal loads.

The ability to produce complex and unique shapes while maintaining signal performance is required.

The development of these waveguides should address extreme hypersonic conditions.

The RF frequencies are across a large spectrum for different antennas/capabilities, but waveguides become too large at lower frequencies.

To be successful, the waveguides should target frequency bands of X, Ku, K, and Ka.

Any dielectric medium may be used within the waveguide.

A successful dielectric material would have a permittivity near that of a vacuum, such as air, to ensure low-loss transmission, specifically at extreme temperatures.

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 at least 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 SSP 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.

PHASE I:

Provide feasibility of producing X through Ka band waveguides out of a material robust enough to withstand the extreme environmental conditions of a hypersonic vehicle.

During this stage of the development, a prototype of any band is desired to demonstrate operation, but not required to transition to Phase II.

Tolerances, bends, and refined connections/adapters will be implemented in Phase II.

Describe how this manufacturing capability can make custom waveguides that will meet all hypersonic conditions.

Define:

• The limitations.

• Improvements over other materials.

• Improvements over other manufacturing methods.

• Description on high volume production (including any limitations or areas of future investment opportunities).

The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II:

Develop a custom part that meets extreme environmental condition tests that must assess the transmission of X, Ku, K, or Ka band RF signals.

Do extensive machining and testing to provide tolerances, bending limits, and custom connections/adapters concepts that could be adopted and implemented quickly.

(Note: The design may be an iterative process to improve performance of the waveguide and to specific requirements.)

Demonstrate the prototype’s ability to meet the requirements presented at the beginning of Phase II.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Support the Government in transitioning the technology for Government use.

The transitioned product is expected to support current and future hypersonic and space systems, as well as a wide range of other air, land, and sea-based systems.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Domestic Production of Plant-based Carbon Fiber Precursors in Support of Hypersonic Applications - SBIR Topic DON26BZ04-NV066

Funding Amount:

$315,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop an environmentally friendly processing method to produce a plant-based carbon fiber precursor for high-temperature applications.

Description:

Rayon-based carbon fibers remain the choice of material as reinforcement in carbon phenolic composites used as thermal protection systems for hypersonics.

Currently, rayon fiber precursors used to make rayon-based carbon fibers are not produced in the United States and are subject to the volatile global market for rayon fibers.

Moreover, rayon fibers are vital to other Department of Defense programs, NASA, and commercial space companies due to their proven superior thermal performance over polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and pitch-based carbon fibers [Ref 1].

The production of rayon fibers ceased in the United States in 1997 due to the increased cost associated with environmental concerns from the traditional viscose process to produce rayon fibers.

Since then, rayon fiber precursors have been sourced from European textile companies that primarily produce rayon for applications other than as a precursor for carbon fiber.

Among the 6.5 million metric tons of rayon fibers produced per year, approximately 1.6-3.2 metric kilotons are rayon fiber precursors used to make carbon fiber [Ref 2].

The global market for rayon is shifting toward a non-toxic process to produce rayon fibers; however, new rayon fibers and other plant-based (cellulose or lignin) fibers have yet to be proven as adequate precursors to produce carbon fibers for thermal protection systems.

Therefore, research on environmentally friendly processes to produce a rayon fiber precursor or another plant-based fiber is needed to establish a domestic source of carbon fiber precursor suitable for thermal protection systems.

The fiber precursor must be able to be carbonized into a carbon fiber and characterized for structure and properties.

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 NAVSEA 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.

PHASE I:

Develop a proof of concept for the processing of cellulose or lignin to produce a fiber precursor for the production of carbon fibers.

(Note: The fiber precursor is expected to be carbonized into a carbon fiber. The subsequent carbon fiber is expected to be characterized for break strength and carbon content.)

Ensure that the process meets Environmental Protection Agency standards for effluent from fiber processing in accordance with pertinent environmental regulations for the production of fibers.

The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

PHASE II:

Build upon the process identified during Phase I by weaving and carbonizing the fiber precursor to create a carbon fabric prototype.

(Note: For applicability into thermal protection systems, the fiber precursor can be woven into fabric prior to or after carbonization.)

Provide, at a minimum, the following characterization analysis of the prototype:

1. Electrical conductivity.

2. Density.

3. Char yield.

4. Break strength.

5. Alkali metal impurities content of the carbonized fabric.

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see Description for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Scale the process in order to produce fiber precursors that can be woven, carbonized, and integrated into applicable polymer matrices to deliver a polymer matrix composite component for a thermal protection system.

Transition the composite to the Navy based on its thermal and ablative performance in an arc jet test.

Provide additional characterization such as the composite’s density, thermal conductivity, char yield, spectral emissivity, tensile strength, and shear strength.

Support the government in transitioning the technology for government use.

The transitioned product is expected to be able to support current and future weapon and space systems, as well as a wide range of other air-, land-, and sea-based systems.

The development of a domestic course of rayon-based carbon fibers would be of interest to the Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA, and commercial space programs for rocket nozzles and thermal protection systems.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Non-Volatile Memory for Extreme Environments - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ04-DV017

Funding Amount:

$1,200,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate a co-packaged temperature-hard (-269°C to +600°C) and radiation-tolerant NOR Flash memory system for extreme environment applications.

Description:

DARPA seeks to enable high performance computing for DoW systems that must function in extreme environments.

Nonvolatile memory is a bottleneck, even in commercial High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence systems. This phenomenon is referred to as the ‘Memory Wall’, where processing speeds become limited by memory access time.

While there has been extensive research in emerging technologies to overcome this barrier, no commercial technology has shown the ability to reliably function in both high temperature and high radiation environments.

Today's charge-trap based NVMs, magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and resistive RAM (RRAM), each have significant deficiencies that limit their use in extreme conditions.

MRAM, which stores data using magnetic states rather than electrical charges, offers some inherent advantages in radiation-heavy environments. However, current MRAM technology is typically limited to an operating temperature of around 105°C, falling short of the requirement for some of the most demanding applications.

RRAM is a promising technology that relies on the formation and rupture of conductive filaments. While it has shown some radiation hardness, RRAM can suffer from filament instability and variable resistance when exposed to radiation, leading to unreliable performance.

The ideal NVM for extreme environments would possess several key characteristics:

• Inherent radiation hardness: the fundamental storage mechanism should be resistant to the effects of ionizing radiation, minimizing the need for heavy and power-consuming shielding.

• Wide temperature range: the memory must be able to operate reliably across a vast temperature range, from the cold of deep space to the heat of a nuclear reactor.

• High endurance and retention: the memory must be able to withstand a high number of read and write cycles and retain data for long periods without power.

• Low power consumption: power is a precious resource in space and other remote applications, so the memory must be highly energy efficient.

This SBIR program seeks demonstration of a non-volatile memory device that is resistant to extreme temperatures and radiation as a critical enabler for future advancements in space exploration, nuclear energy, and strategic defense.

The radiation hardened memory should have an operating temperature range of -269°C to 600°C with a density of at least 1Mb, and operating frequency of 10MHz.

Due to the broad and dual-use nature of Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technologies, security classification and export control requirements vary significantly based on the specific node, fabrication process and intended end-use.

Proposers are solely responsible for determining the appropriate security classification of their proposed effort.

If the memory system makes use of CMOS (i.e. for peripheral control logic), proposers must consider and describe the impacts of relevant DoW Security Classification guides to the proposed work.

PHASE I:

This topic solicits Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals only.

Proposers must provide data demonstrating that the following has been achieved outside of the SBIR program:

1. Initial hardware demonstration of proposed memory technology.

2. Simulated and/or experimental data that support the feasibility of temperature-hard radiation tolerant memory system capable of meeting SBIR program metrics.

PHASE II:

Phase II will cover the fabrication of temperature-hard and radiation-tolerant non-volatile memory system capable of operating in extreme environments.

Realized designs should incorporate both the non-volatile memory array and necessary peripheral control logic, demonstrating the ability to function reliably across the full -250°C to +600°C temperature envelope.

In addition to meeting the extreme environmental survivability requirements specified, the prototype system should achieve a density of at least 32Mb and maintain an operating frequency of >1MHz.

A packaging and integration report should be included to outline the methods and constraints for co-packaging the extreme-environment memory cells with CMOS or alternative control logic while mitigating thermal and radiation degradation.

As Phase II is focused on fabrication and testing, milestones include interim reports on individual memory cell performance, test plans and initial radiation exposure results as the project proceeds toward final system assembly.

By the end of Phase II, the performers must deliver ten packaged 32Mb memory prototype units meeting the program metrics and a final program report detailing the fabrication process, radiation survivability, and characterization data for delivered prototypes.

All prototypes should be provided with adequate instructions and interface boards to support government testing and evaluation using standard environmental and radiation laboratory equipment.

Fixed payable milestones for this 24-month program should include:

• Month 1: Report detailing program plan and detailed technical design.

• Month 3: Quarterly report describing progress of technical work.

• Month 6: First test chip released to fabrication. The initial test chip can feature test structures or functional device.

• Month 9: Report detailing baseline performance of initial test chip.

• Month 12: Interim report describing progress of technical work, including results of radiation and/or temperature testing of first test chip.

• Month 15: Test plan outlining temperature, radiation and performance characterization of integrated device.

• Month 18: Integrated device released to fabrication.

• Month 21: Report detailing results of radiation, temperature and performance characterization of device addressing program metrics in Table 1.

• Month 24: Final report summarizing design, work undertaken, results, and comparison with alternative state-of-the-art systems; 10 prototype units with interface boards; Test instructions.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Phase III work is typically oriented towards commercialization of SBIR/STTR research or technology with funding obtained from either the private sector, a non-SBIR/STTR Government source, or both, to develop the technology into a viable product for sale in military or private sector markets.

Given the needs for resilient non-volatile memory technology in space, nuclear and strategic defense technologies, this SBIR has potential dual-use applicability across DoD and commercial entities.

These systems require advanced capabilities with high degrees of reliability given the cost of failure.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Fusion of Abstract Learning and Context-Optimized Neural-methods (FALCON) - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ04-DV016

Funding Amount:

$1,500,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

Objective:

The goal of this effort is to combine advanced machine learning (ML) methods that can be computationally efficient in structured data with large language models (LLM) that are general and can extract context from data. The aim is to derive powerful and efficient technology for interactive statistical analysis of large-scale data seen such as in enterprise or battlefield.

Description:

By integrating the contextualization power of LLMs with the statistical power of ML, the program aims to leverage the benefits of both to provide domain-specific statistical contextualization of structured data.

This effort must:

• Survey and research the emerging ML methods suitable for large scale data containing both structured and unstructured data.

• Develop an architecture to combine select ML methods with LLM models.

• Determine a set of metrics that encompass accuracy, new insights, computational efficiency, and ability to generalize across datasets.

• Evaluate the combined architecture and methods in datasets drawn from multiple applications. This may focus on tabular data in enterprise or engineering applications.

• Develop and demonstrate methods to mitigate possible hallucination in the workflow and demonstrate verifiable and reproducible analytic traces.

• Demonstrate interactive analysis by incorporating new insights as they develop during the course of analysis.

PHASE I:

This topic is soliciting Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals only.

Phase I feasibility should be demonstrated by documenting in the technical proposal the research team’s prior comprehensive research experience on emerging ML methods for structured data.

Proposals must demonstrate the research team understands their functionality, ability to scale, and advantages relative to SOTA ML methods.

Prior research should have been conducted in the last three years.

Reports which provide data, clearly present the analysis done, and provide evidence of scholarly impact will be strongly preferred.

PHASE II:

Identify one or more promising ML methods and develop the software for combining it with one or more available LLMs, preferably open source.

The implementation plan should incorporate an initial demonstration of the analysis functionality (in the first six months), and a plan to scale up to enterprise level data and interactive analysis (at the end of the first year).

The final demonstrations are to be done with at least two datasets from different areas.

The evaluation of the combined method should demonstrate accuracy relative to ground truth as well document the improvement over SOTA methods (ML only, and LLM only).

This Phase should have a parallel effort on the commercialization strategy implementation and a go-to-market plan.

Phase II fixed payable milestones for this program should include:

Base

• Month 1: Kick off and technical report on the ML methods to be implemented.

• Month 3: Quarterly meeting presentation material, including demonstration of progress to date and plans.

• Month 6: Quarterly meeting presentation material, including demonstration of progress to date, plans overall, and an initial demonstration of the analysis functionality.

• Month 11: Phase deliverable to demonstrate ability to scale up to enterprise level data and interactive analysis with at least two datasets from different areas.

• Month 12: Quarterly/Phase meeting presentation material on progress over base year. Phase II Final report and software delivery, with suitable documentation.

Option

• Month 15: Quarterly meeting presentation material, including demonstration of technical and commercialization progress to date and plans.

• Month 18: Quarterly/Phase meeting presentation material on progress over Option. Option Final report and software delivery, with suitable documentation.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

The effort should deliver technology that is quantitatively superior to SOTA methods in both civilian and military sectors.

Modern commercial and scientific applications from business enterprises to biology labs which have structured data along with unstructured text are potential applications.

Military strategic and tactical applications also have to deal with structured tabular data in design and manufacturing as well as in analyzing economic, social, and geographic data.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Art of Novel Signals: Predicting and Forecasting with High Confidence - SBIR Topic DPA26BZ04-DV015

Funding Amount:

$2,000,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

Objective:

To develop and demonstrate a predictive/forecasting model that leverages Temporal Knowledge Graph Forecasting using In-Context Learning from novel, multilingual, and multimodal data. The goal is to develop and test a capability that increases the forecasting timeline from days to weeks in advance of an event, while increasing forecasting precision to at least 90%.

Description:

The frontier of predictive AI is running into a data wall: the high-quality open text that has powered recent models is largely exhausted, and the two ways around it both have ceilings. Reusing existing data yields little after a few passes, and synthetic data degrades models once it grows past a curated minority of the mix. Neither route creates a genuinely new signal.

This SBIR idea seeks to break the wall with signal that was never in the training distribution to begin with: multilingual radio, local news, and community reporting from data-sparse regions. This is a large, almost entirely untapped reservoir of high-value, time-sensitive information that the open web never captured and that synthetic generation cannot manufacture. The central bet of this effort is that conflict and instability signal surfaced from this audio, fed into a temporal-knowledge-graph forecasting model, materially improves geopolitical forecasting precision and warning time in exactly the environments where conventional collection is sparse or denied.

The approach has four interlocking parts:

• A radio data engine.

• Per-language automatic speech recognition (ASR) for predominantly oral languages.

• A synthetic-data strategy that could make broad language coverage affordable.

• The forecasting integration that turns transcribed audio into an early warning.

Data

Published scaling work on low-resource ASR (Akera et al., 2025) shows that fine-tuning Whisper Large-v3 (state-of-the-art automatic speech recognition model trained on over 5 million hours of labeled data) reaches usable accuracy at roughly 50 hours of transcribed audio per language and crosses the 10% word-error-rate threshold near 200 hours, with gains flattening beyond that.

For this effort, two adjustments are core areas of importance.

First, those results that were obtained on clean, single-speaker audio; radio is noisy and multi-speaker, so one should expect higher error rates on raw signal and budget for data curation, not just volume.

Second, the 200-hour figure is per language, and the commitment is to be operationally relevant, predominantly oral languages, which are precisely the hardest cases.

The collection uses two complementary methods.

Where stations stream online, the performer will ingest them directly, which extends the reach far beyond the range of any single receiver.

In the low-connectivity environments this program targets, however, many stations never reach the internet at all, and in-region software-defined radio receivers are the only way to capture them.

This is precisely why the physical radio listeners matter.

The audience is not a fallback, but rather a sole means of reaching signal that no online source can carry.

When combined, these two methods make coverage independent of both connectivity and device placement.

The performer will further supplement this audio with local news feeds and community audio from social-media channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.) in the target countries.

Speech is gated to the roughly 15% of transmissions that contain it, draft transcripts are bootstrapped with Whisper Large-v3, and native-speaker annotators (correcting function).

Annotators could be sourced at reasonable costs (around $5/hour) through the performer’s existing in-region network and from diaspora communities; where channels carry human captions, found data further lowers the associated cost.

Proposed benchmark

A two-dimensional benchmark that pairs word-error-rate with hours of training data, reported per language and tagged by acoustic condition, plus a third axis comparing all-real data against real-plus-synthetic mixes.

The headline metric becomes the real transcription hours saved to reach a fixed error rate, which is simultaneously a clean scientific result and a direct cost argument.

Metrics

Across the regions of interest (Central and Southeast Asia, East and Northeast Africa, and South America), the current SOA forecasting precision is approximately 80%, and the novel-signal approach is expected to raise this toward 90%.

Precision alone is an incomplete measure; a model could score high on precision while still missing many true events, so a strong precision figure could overstate the coverage.

As the volume of radio-derived signal grows, the system would gain a more complete picture of the event space, which makes accuracy measurable.

The program therefore begins accuracy measurement once sufficient data has been accumulated and improves against that baseline.

PHASE I:

This topic is soliciting Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals only.

Performers can bypass Phase I by providing documentation that they have developed a theory for identifying critical knowledge and a framework for testing the theory by determining knowledge requirements and assessing technologies that facilitate multi-modal data ingestion and analyses in complex, real-world settings.

Performers should plan to operationalize and evaluate their frameworks during Phase II.

Proposals will be considered for DP2 funding based on the ability of the proposing team to build a theoretical framework-based forecasting system that leverages novel multilingual, multimodal open-source signal with in-context learning over temporal knowledge graphs to anticipate events in data-sparse environments.

Proposals must clearly demonstrate that the proposed theoretical framework and technology can satisfy the following feasibility criteria:

1. A working in-context-learning forecasting pipeline that operates over temporal knowledge graphs without retraining graph embeddings.

2. Forecast precision at the baseline (days-long) horizon at or above 80% fidelity (metrics validated by an independent team/organization) event-type data such as Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) style political and conflict events.

3. Demonstrate ingestion and normalization of multilingual, multimodal open-source signal, including radio and other audio from data-sparse environments.

4. Demonstrate that the approach generalizes to events and regions not explicitly represented in training.

5. Deployment and evaluation in following strategic regions of interest:

   • Central and Southeast Asia

   • East and Northeast Africa

   • South America

PHASE II:

Phase II fixed milestones for this program should include a Base Period where the performers are expected to produce precision across target regions with a precision of approximately 80%, and the novel-signal approach that would raise this precision level up to 90%, while reducing within-country false-positive rates by roughly half.

Precision alone is an incomplete measure.

However, the model should be able to score high on precision while still missing a large share of true events, so a strong precision figure could overstate real-world coverage.

What this effort really wants to measure is accuracy, but this requires a complete picture of the landscape of the conflict in a region.

As the volume of signal drawn from novel community sources grows, the system gains a more complete picture of the event space, making it possible to measure accuracy and not precision alone.

The base period therefore begins accuracy measurement once sufficient data has accumulated, establishing a baseline that later milestones improve against.

The milestones should include:

Month 3

Milestone:

Stand up radio collection and ingestion for the first languages; begin bootstrap-and-correct annotation; produce initial fine-tuned ASR models and the first word-error-rate-versus-hours curve; establish the forecasting baseline at the current across-region precision.

Month 6

Milestone:

Expand language coverage; begin the real-to-synthetic ratio sweep; demonstrate a 10-day forecasting horizon; reduce within-country false-positive rates by half; begin accuracy measurement to establish a baseline; report ASR ablations isolating the contribution of the radio signal.

Month 9

Milestone:

Demonstrate the two-week horizon; advance across-region precision toward the 90% target; deliver the real-versus-synthetic benchmark; quantify robustness to noise, missing data, and language-coverage gaps.

Month 12

Milestone:

End-to-end demonstration on a live or recent real-world scenario; run the with-versus-without-radio forecasting ablation; show a 30% improvement in accuracy over the Month 6 baseline while holding precision at the 90% target; deliver a mid-program report.

Month 15

Milestone:

Extend the audio model beyond transcription to paralinguistic signal.

Extract prosodic and affective features from broadcast audio, including pitch, energy, speaking rate, and indicators of emotional arousal, valence, and agitation; stand up this feature pipeline across the target languages; and establish a forecasting baseline that combines these features with the textual event stream.

Month 18

Milestone:

Test, by ablation, whether paralinguistic features add early-warning signal beyond the textual events, that is, whether rising fear, anger, or agitation on the air anticipates events the words alone do not; deliver the final base-period report and benchmark suite covering ASR, synthetic stretch, textual-event forecasting, and the paralinguistic contribution.

Option Period (6 Months, $500k)

The primary objective of the option period is to convert the demonstrated capability into operational and contingency value.

Potential directions include:

Operational pilot and transition

Run a sustained, live forecasting feed for a single theater alongside an operational user, measuring real-world warning value over the six months and produce a transition package.

Rapid language onboarding

Demonstrate standing up a new crisis language in weeks rather than the full collection cycle, using cross-lingual transfer and synthetic augmentation, to prove a surge capability for contingencies.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

The end goal of the Phase II effort is to demonstrate a commercially deployable, validated early-warning forecasting capability built on multilingual signal sourced from data-sparse environments, extending reliable prediction from five days to a two-week horizon at higher precision.

Phase III will be oriented towards transition within DoW/Military ecosystem and further commercialization of the technology.

Funding for Phase III is obtained from the private sector or a non-SBIR/STTR Government source.

This is to develop the prototype technology into a viable product or service for sale (e.g., a deployable, ruggedized, user-friendly device) in military and intelligence community or private sector markets.

The following are the potential commercial and DoW/Military applications and use cases:

• DoW/Military and IC: Indications and warning at the Combatant Command level providing and/or assisting in:

  • Force protection for forward-deployed forces.

  • Embassy and diplomatic personnel.

  • Operational continuity in austere or denied environments.

  • Support to information-environment assessment.

  • Humanitarian assistance and disaster-response planning.

• Commercial:

  • Country and political-risk monitoring for multi-national operators in frontier markets (mining, energy, infrastructure).

  • Operational-continuity and supply-chain risk for banks and insurers.

  • Early warning for Non-Governmental Organizations and humanitarian operations.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Universal Automated Control Assessment, Validation & Risk Correlation Platform for Hybrid DoW Environments - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV007

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

Objective:

Develop a universal assessment framework capable of automating Control Validation Tests (CVT) across diverse operating environments (Cloud, On-Premise, and Air-Gapped/Tactical). The solution must ingest data from existing vulnerability scanners and automatically correlate technical findings to NIST SP 800-53 controls, reducing manual administrative overhead and allowing assessment teams to focus on mission-critical risk analysis.

Description:

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) requires a standardized, environment-agnostic capability to validate cybersecurity controls across its complex architecture.

Current assessment methodologies rely heavily on manual data correlation—assessors spend valuable time mapping vulnerability scan results (CVEs) and STIG checklists to RMF controls (NIST 800-53). This manual process is slow, prone to inconsistency, and diverts high-value human capital from analyzing actual mission risk.

The Agency seeks an "Assessment Orchestration" solution that can:

• Operate Anywhere: Function identically in cloud-native, enterprise on-premise, and disconnected/austere environments, providing a unified data structure regardless of the target's location.

• Automate the "Grind": Ingest raw outputs from standard tools (e.g., Nessus/ACAS, SCAP) and automatically map findings to the relevant security controls (NIST 800-53, with extensibility for NIST 800-171/CMMC).

• DCO Alignment: Bridge the gap between Assessment (SCA) and Operations (DCO) by validating the implementation status of directed actions (e.g., Cyber Tasking Orders) on the target system.

• Data Portability: Ensure assessment data can be securely synchronized from tactical edge environments to strategic governance hubs for aggregation and trend analysis.

PHASE I:

1. Universal Data Ingestion: Demonstrate the feasibility of parsing and normalizing outputs from standard DoD tools (ACAS, SCAP) into a unified assessment database.

2. Automated Control Mapping: Develop algorithms to correlate technical vulnerabilities (CVEs) and configuration settings (STIGs) to specific NIST SP 800-53 controls with high accuracy.

3. Hybrid Architecture Design: Define a modular architecture that allows the core assessment engine to run effectively on a cloud instance, a local server, or a standalone laptop without code refactoring.

4. Assessor Workflow Optimization: Research and design a user experience (UX) that integrates the automated assessment results into a streamlined workflow for human validation and risk adjudication.

PHASE II:

Develop, demonstrate, and pilot a functional "Assessment Orchestration" prototype based on the architecture defined in Phase I.

The Phase II effort shall result in a deployable Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that demonstrates:

1. End-to-End Assessment Workflow: Demonstrate a complete, automated cyber assessment lifecycle, from initial data ingestion and automated control mapping to the final generation of valid compliance artifacts (e.g., POA&M, Security Assessment Report).

2. Longitudinal Trend Analysis: Demonstrate a centralized capability to aggregate assessment data over time, visualizing risk trends, maturity improvements, and configuration drift between assessment periods.

3. Operational Alignment: A demonstrated interface or methodology for validating that specific Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) mandates (e.g., CTOs, IAVMs) have been successfully applied to the target environment.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Scale the verified prototype into a mature, enterprise-ready capability for broad deployment across the MDA Enterprise and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).

• DoD Transition: Integration into the standard Cyber Vulnerability Team (CVT) workflow to support Continuous ATO (cATO). The solution should enable an "assess once, report many" capability, feeding valid data to enterprise GRC and DCO stakeholders.

• Commercial / DIB Transition (CMMC): Adaptation of the platform to support Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance for the Defense Industrial Base assessments.

• Critical Infrastructure & Private Sector: Commercialization for highly regulated private sectors (Finance, Healthcare, Energy/OT) that require rigorous compliance validation (e.g., HIPAA, ARC-AMPE) in distributed or segmented network environments.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Neuromorphic Hardware - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV006

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Realize next-generation neuromorphic technology to enable continuous adaptation and self-optimization to maintain overmatch in Electronic Warfare (EW) and cyber-contested domains.

Description:

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) seeks to leverage neuromorphic technology to maximize performance and efficiency for terrestrial and space applications.

Neuromorphic processing supports multiple applications that advance the Missile Defense System, including distributed sensing and real-time learning for arbitrary waveform generation.

In highly contested environments, autonomously adaptive arbitrary waveform generation supports superiority in the radio frequency domain.

The communication throughput and edge processing required for distributed sensing would be realized with the low latency and high throughput inherent to neuromorphic technology.

PHASE I:

Demonstrate a pathway to a product that provides solutions to the challenges of neuromorphic hardware.

Phase I proposals would be evaluated to the degree to which they are applicable to the Missile Defense System, its sensing needs, and the ability to perform real-time learning.

Phase I Deliverables should include:

• Assessment of the challenges to performance, packaging, and survivability.

• A roadmap to develop a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 product.

• Identify hardware, software, and material required in Phase II.

• Development, Test, and Evaluation Plan of a TRL 6 Prototype.

PHASE II:

Demonstrate autonomously adaptive arbitrary waveform generation using neuromorphic processing.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the degree to which they demonstrate:

• Incorporation of Neuromorphic technology.

• Operation in a radio frequency-contested environment.

• Operation in a space environment.

• High throughput.

• Efficient processing.

• Real-time latency.

Performance categories of interest:

• Latency.

• Plasticity.

• Complexity of mathematical computations.

• Computations per second per watt.

• Throughput.

• Power utilization.

• Machine speed (action/reaction).

Proposals applying neuromorphic semi-conductor chips (with bio-inspired learning and parallel processing) to address these problem sets will be prioritized.

Solutions could range from individual systems-on-a-chip (SoC) to complete circuit card assemblies (CCAs).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Production, test, and evaluation in a realistic environment with a system level testbed.

Technology shall be ready for demonstration in relevant operational environment.

This environment could include placement on airborne or space low size, weight, and power (SWaP) platforms.

All technical parameters for the technology given will be verified.

Autonomously adaptive arbitrary waveform generation using neuromorphic processing shall be demonstrated.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Miniaturization, Modulation, and Chip Scaling of Photonic Technologies - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV005

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

To advance and adopt chip-scale photonic and quantum technologies for operation in the Missile Defense System.

Description:

The Missile Defense Agency seeks advancing and incorporating quantum and photonic technologies that can augment current state-of-the-art radar and communication systems into fielded hardware.

Photonic technologies coupled with measurable quantum effects could dramatically increase the resilience and effectiveness of the sensors and radios in the Missile Defense System.

Selected proposals shall provide a pathway to common building block technologies to direct sample and/or heterodyne structure software defined radios (SDRs).

Low size, weight, and power (SWaP) photonic and quantum transceivers that are compatible with modern sensor requirements will be prioritized.

PHASE I:

Phase I work should address the challenges and inhibiting factors for large-scale adaptation of photonic and quantum technologies.

Operation in real-world environments, scalability to larger arrays, transmit capabilities, laser SWaP issues, compatible back-end interfaces, chip scale (miniaturization) and manufacturability should be evaluated.

Optional and selectable components for a possible Phase II effort should be included.

Phase I Deliverables should include:

• Assessment of the challenges to performance, capability, scalability, and packaging.

• A roadmap to develop a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 product.

• Identify hardware, software, and material required in Phase II.

• Development, Test, and Evaluation Plan of a TRL 6 Prototype.

PHASE II:

Successful performance shall culminate with operation in real-world environments in such a way that it addresses the scalability, transmit, and SWaP challenges evaluated in Phase I.

Proposals should have a clear transition path forward with partners capable of chip-scaling novel quantum and photonic sensing architectures and integrating those technologies into the Missile Defense System.

Conduct engineering and manufacturing development, test, evaluation in a realistic environment with a system level testbed.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Production, test, and evaluation in a realistic environment with a system level testbed.

Technology shall be ready for demonstration in relevant operational environment.

This environment could include placement on airborne or space low SWaP platforms.

All technical parameters for the technology given will be verified.

Production and manufacturing should be scalable with a miniaturized package.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Potential Application of Very Large Array (VLA) over Transmission Infrastructure - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV004

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

The application of Very Large Array (VLA) techniques to the utilization of existing transmission infrastructure.

Description:

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) seeks to add multiple resilient layers to the Missile Defense System.

The proposed system uses current power infrastructure to detect potential anomalies generated by unknown sources.

PHASE I:

While solutions may incorporate any combination of hardware, software, and infrastructure upgrades, proposals would be evaluated to the extent that they leverage existing infrastructure with minimal changes required.

The solution’s feasibility should include innovative techniques to optimize the anticipated results.

Phase I Deliverables should include:

• Assessment of the challenges to performance and optimization techniques.

• A roadmap to develop a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 product.

• Identify new infrastructure required to achieve TRL 6, if any.

• Development, Test, and Evaluation Plan of a TRL 6 Prototype.

PHASE II:

The overall mission demonstrates the ability to coherently receive and transmit from multiple geographically distributed infrastructures.

Proposals will be evaluated to the degree that they deliver enabling technologies to the detection and tracking of unknown sources.

Evaluation will also consider to what degree the suggested technology utilizes existing infrastructure and enables the realization of VLA measurements.

Demonstrate real-time electric and magnetic field mapping from ground to endo-atmosphere with potential relativistic effects.

MDA seeks leveraging existing infrastructure and biology inspired neuromorphic data processing along with advanced techniques to turn grids into sensing arrays.

The vendor solution should culminate in a demonstration, subject to conditions to verify function and performance.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Conduct engineering and manufacturing development, test, and evaluation in a realistic environment with a system level test-bed.

All technical parameters for the given technology should be verified, along with a revolutionary leap forward in sensing capabilities.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Software Defined Antenna for Interceptor-to-Interceptor Communications - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV003

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop low-cost software defined circular-band (ring shape) antenna for near-omnidirectional missile to missile communication in high-speed endo-atmospheric and exo-atmospheric environments.

Description:

This topic seeks development of a flight antenna capable of multiple node, simultaneous, high-speed, secure communication in meshed High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptors (HAIPE) "Zero Trust" platforms and networks.

System shall provide wideband, omnidirectional-like (quasi-isotropic) coverage with beam steering and shaping flexibility with multiple beam transmit and receive capability.

Antenna shall address frequency hopping, band switching, and modulation manipulation capabilities.

Antenna shall have the capabilities of multiple antenna reception and transmission polarization associated with flight.

Antenna shall have the ability to maintain secure communication while in contested spectrums.

Antenna shall be able to operate in S+ to Ka frequency bands, and transmit 250 km in exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric hypersonic environments.

For purposes of this topic, assume missile diameter of 10”.

Solutions shall minimize the size, weight, power, and cost.

PHASE I:

Design and develop innovative solutions, methods, and concepts for advanced software defined antenna capable of harsh flight survivability and operations.

Present data supporting initial design through modeling, experimentation, and/or testing.

PHASE II:

• Refine and document detailed requirements in collaboration with the interceptor system integrator.

• Develop a functional antenna prototype utilizing existing Software Defined Radio (SDR) assets.

• Conduct comprehensive testing of the antenna prototype in representative operational environments.

• Demonstrate successful antenna operation and data acquisition within the target system.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

• Define clear communication requirements and interface specifications in collaboration with the system integrator.

• Establish a functional communication link between two representative missile platforms.

• Demonstrate successful data exchange between the interceptor, validating interoperability.

• Assess communication range, latency, and data throughput.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Radiation Hardening of Non-Hardened Commercial Microelectronics - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV002

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop a process to radiation harden commercial microelectronics that were not originally designed to operate in radiation environments.

Description:

The performance and survivability of Department of War (DoW) and space systems, especially those operating in space environments, are critically affected by radiation.

Radiation testing of parts is a major cost and schedule driver for DoW and space systems.

The market for microelectronics that meet government radiation requirements is small.

Commercial microelectronics could meet the government’s performance requirements while failing to meet its natural space requirements.

Some state-of-the-art processes like Gate All Around (GAA) technologies meet the DoW’s performance and Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP) requirements yet might not meet all of the DoW’s survivability requirements.

MDA seeks a process which utilizes advanced packaging techniques and chiplets to pair fast ‘non-hardened’ components with slower hardened packages together, thereby increasing the rad-hard (radiation hardened) tolerance while maintaining the high performance of non-hardened commercial technologies.

The goal is to target a minimum Single Event Latch-up (SEL) immunity of 75 Linear Energy Transfer (LET) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) survival of 300 kRad(Si).

This topic will seek to take existing Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts/chiplets fabricated using state-of-the-art processes such as sub-16nm FinFETs (Fin Field Effect Transistor) or GAA, modify them or provide a package-on-package-like solution such that their radiation tolerance meets natural space requirements.

This includes solutions based on heterogeneous packaging, where a rad-hard "watchdog" chiplet is integrated to monitor and compensate for radiation-induced errors in the high-performance COTS component.

At a minimum, the final product should meet an SEL immunity requirement of at least 75 LET and must be able to survive at least a 300 kRad TID.

Solutions relying on shielding the part or requiring access at the state-of-the-art foundry to add or change masks are not of interest.

All solutions should start with already fabricated parts either in bare die form or packaged parts.

PHASE I:

Feasibility Study and Proof of Concept:

Develop the proposed approach to a sufficient level to demonstrate its viability and identify requirements for full development.

This should include detailed simulation and modeling of the proposed heterogeneous packaging architecture, showing predicted radiation tolerance improvements and potential performance impacts.

Explore different integration schemes for the hardened and non-hardened chiplets.

Component Selection and Characterization:

Identify suitable COTS components (e.g., FinFETs, Gate All Around (GAA), Fully Depleted Silicon on Insulator (FD-SOI) devices) and chiplets for the heterogeneous packaging approach.

Perform baseline radiation testing on the selected COTS components to quantify their initial radiation tolerance.

Design and Simulation:

Design the initial heterogeneous package, including interconnects, thermal management, and power distribution.

Simulate the radiation response of the packaged system, considering both TID and Single-Event Upset (SEU) effects.

Deliverables:

• Detailed feasibility study report outlining the proposed approach, simulation results, and component selection rationale.

• A preliminary design of the heterogeneous package.

• A test plan for Phase II radiation testing.

PHASE II:

Prototype Development and Fabrication:

Fabricate a prototype heterogeneous package based on the Phase I design.

This may involve collaboration with a packaging vendor or trusted foundry.

Radiation Testing and Optimization:

Conduct comprehensive radiation testing (TID, SEU, SEL, and dose rate) of the fabricated prototype to characterize its radiation tolerance.

Optimize the design and fabrication process based on the test results.

Performance Evaluation:

Evaluate the performance of the heterogeneous package in terms of speed, power consumption, and signal integrity.

Compare the performance to that of the original COTS component.

Integration and Validation:

Integrate the hardened component into a representative space avionic subsystem/system application.

Test in realistic space radiation environments.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Deliverables:

• Fabricated and tested prototype heterogeneous package.

• Detailed radiation test report.

• Performance evaluation report.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Next-Gen Thermal Batteries for Missile Defense Application - SBIR Topic MDA26BZ04-NV001

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate advanced thermal battery technology that significantly reduces size and weight while extending operational life, enabling enhanced performance and mission capabilities for missile defense systems.

Description:

Current thermal battery technologies, while highly reliable for critical power applications in missile defense, present limitations that directly impact the performance and capabilities of advanced interceptor systems.

Key constraints include their specific energy density, power density, size, weight, and operational lifespan. These factors limit the overall effectiveness and maneuverability of these crucial defense assets.

For example, the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) currently utilizes multiple discrete Lithium thermal batteries to power its various subsystems, each with specific voltage, current, and duration requirements. The size, weight, and performance of these batteries are dictated by the manufacturer (Enersys, EaglePicher, and GYT) and the demands of the design, but there is a clear need for improved performance.

A single, more efficient battery solution could greatly simplify the power architecture, reduce weight, and enhance system responsiveness.

This SBIR topic seeks innovative research and development to create next-generation thermal batteries that overcome these limitations.

We are looking for proposals focused on achieving significant improvements in specific energy density, power density, operational lifespan, and miniaturization.

Ideally, solutions would be lightweight, exceptionally safe, and designed to operate reliably in the harsh environments typical of missile defense deployments.

Innovations may include, but are not limited to:

• Novel electrolyte chemistries

• Advanced electrode materials

• Improved thermal management techniques

• Alternative activation methods

The ultimate goal is a new generation of thermal batteries that enable enhanced missile defense capabilities through improved performance, reduced system footprint, and extended operational readiness.

PHASE I:

Phase I would focus on conducting a trade study to identify the most promising candidate materials and designs for smaller dimension, lightweight, and extended-duration thermal batteries.

This would include a feasibility analysis, a cost estimate, and the identification of candidate solution sets that use measurable metrics (e.g., specific energy, specific power, volume, weight, lifespan) to provide equivalent or better solutions than existing technologies.

Proposed Deliverable:

• Trade study report

• Modeling and simulation results

• Prototype cell test data

• Thermal management model

• Manufacturing feasibility assessment

• Detailed Phase II plan

PHASE II:

Phase II plan is to construct a prototype of the best candidate thermal battery design from Phase I and test it to qualify it as a potential replacement for current thermal batteries used in missile defense systems.

This would involve optimizing the battery design, improving manufacturing processes, and conducting comprehensive performance and safety testing.

The prototype would be tested under simulated operational conditions to validate its performance and reliability.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

The technologies developed during this SBIR, such as novel electrolytes, advanced electrode materials, and improved thermal management, could be translated to several civilian and other defense applications, creating a substantial dual-use market.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Software Defined Radio for Link Diversity - STTR Topic MDA26TZ04-NV004

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Design and develop an agile software defined radio (SDR) system capable of supporting multi-band communications with advanced frequency management for interceptor platforms.

Description:

This topic seeks to design and develop an SDR featuring multi-band operation, advanced frequency management, and enhanced processing capabilities.

The program desires to create drop-in, or near drop-in replacements of existing radio systems to enhance communication capabilities of interceptors across S, X, and Ka bands.

The radio must feature independent RF chains capable of rapid frequency hopping, adaptive frequency selection based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and make-before-break handover mechanisms.

The system shall incorporate temperature-controlled crystal oscillation for precise timing and demonstrate the ability to continuously sense, rank order, and schedule frequencies within specified bands.

The radio must be survivable against the austere environments of interceptor flight while maintaining simultaneous communications with ground and space assets.

Specific communication bands and performance metrics will be provided after award.

PHASE I:

Phase I aims to establish and validate a Software Defined Radio (SDR) architecture that fulfills the operational requirements outlined in this description, with demonstrations conducted in a controlled laboratory environment (Technology Readiness Level 4).

The proposed solution must demonstrate technical feasibility while laying the groundwork for miniaturization and commercialization.

Through rigorous testing and systematic evaluation, the Phase I effort will focus on proving core functionalities and critical performance parameters of the SDR system.

To achieve these objectives, the SDR demonstration must successfully address the following key technical elements:

• Multiple independent RF chains capable of simultaneous operation through functional hardware implementation, including practical demonstration of chain isolation and interference mitigation.

• Measurements of link quality after frequency hopping e.g., bit error rate, signal quality, and recovery time.

• Quantification of in-band retune times and band-to-band hopping times with demonstrated make-before-break capabilities.

• Demonstrated frequency management and handover mechanism.

• Validated temperature-controlled oscillator performance.

• Demonstrated paths to a MIL-STD-1553 or similar bus interface.

PHASE II:

Phase II efforts will focus on implementing the proven radio architecture into a form factor compatible with existing interceptor radio dimensions.

This phase emphasizes the integration of all RF chain components, timing elements, and processing hardware into a single, survivable package while maintaining or improving upon Phase I performance metrics.

The prototype must demonstrate the ability to fully exploit the multi-band capabilities of advanced antenna systems while operating in representative environments.

Particular emphasis should be placed on the radio's ability to maintain reliable communications through intelligent frequency management across all available bands during simulated contested operations.

Primary objectives include:

• Integration of all RF chains and supporting hardware into a single enclosure matching existing interceptor radio dimensions.

• Demonstration of survivability under MIL-STD vibration PSDs and temperature limits (e.g., MIL-STD-810).

• Reduction of retune and band hop times by at least half from those achieved in Phase I.

• Implementation and demonstration of continuous sensing, frequency rank ordering, and scheduling.

• Achievement of sensitivity and noise figure requirements (to be provided upon award).

• Demonstrate the ability to engage in encrypted communications using publicly available, NIST-approved encryption schemes while maintaining frequency agility (e.g., FIPS-validated algorithms).

The Phase II effort must deliver functional radio hardware, complete design documentation, and comprehensive test results validating all requirements listed above.

Test results should include characterization of frequency agility, encryption performance, link quality measurements, and environmental test data.

All demonstrations must be performed in a relevant ground test environment.

Phase II deliverables shall include evidence that TRL 5 has been achieved and analysis showing commercial viability of the technology.

NOTE TO OFFERORS:

Due to the nature of this technology and its potential integration with existing interceptor systems, Phase II efforts may require transition to a classified environment.

Offerors must address in their initial proposal their ability to execute classified work, either through their own Facility Clearance Level (FCL) or through established relationships with cleared facilities capable of supporting classified efforts under DD-254 requirements.

Failure to demonstrate a viable path for classified execution may impact further consideration.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Phase III efforts will focus on achieving operational requirements within an existing interceptor radio form factor and demonstrating flightworthiness through testing on a representative vehicle.

The radio must demonstrate full multi-band capability with advanced frequency management, make-before-break handover, and integration with military encryption standards.

Commercial applications of this technology include satellite communications systems, commercial aviation, and other platforms requiring secure, reliable communications across multiple bands.

Additional reduction in SWaP while maintaining or enhancing performance across all communication bands is encouraged.

The small business is expected to obtain funding from non-SBIR government and private sector sources to transition the technology into viable commercial products.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Low-Volatility, Reduced-Toxicity Hypergolic Propellants - STTR Topic MDA26TZ04-NV003

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop and demonstrate low-volatility, reduced-toxicity hypergolic fuels suitable for Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS) thrusters while maintaining critical performance metrics when paired with standard oxidizers.

Description:

This topic seeks novel hypergolic fuels featuring significantly reduced volatility and toxicity compared to traditional hypergolic fuels while maintaining rapid, reliable ignition characteristics essential for missile defense applications.

Current DACS systems typically use highly toxic and volatile fuels which, while offering excellent ignition delays and specific impulse, present significant handling and safety concerns.

The program desires to explore cost-effective alternative fuels that offer reduced vapor pressures while simultaneously minimizing ignition delays to ensure adequate DACS responsiveness in missile defense scenarios.

Candidate solutions might include, but are not limited to:

• Ionic liquids

• Reaction-driven amines

• Boranes

• Others

Hypergolic fuel blends are also an acceptable alternative so long as they could be justified in terms of miscibility and maintained performance across operational temperature ranges.

PHASE I:

The purpose of Phase I is to demonstrate viable low-volatility fuel candidates suitable for DACS applications.

Through laboratory-scale synthesis and testing, the fuel formulation must demonstrate significantly reduced vapor pressure compared to traditional hydrazine-based fuels while maintaining rapid ignition characteristics with standard oxidizers.

Laboratory demonstrations must validate vapor pressure, ignition delay, and basic handling characteristics.

Primary objectives include:

• Demonstration of fuel vapor pressure below 5 kPa at 20°C.

• Initial characterization of density, viscosity, and thermal stability.

While it is acknowledged that there may be trade-offs in performance, the Offeror must quantify the ignition delay and specific impulse using appropriate oxidizers and provide this information to the Government.

Material compatibility testing with common aerospace alloys and preliminary safety assessments must be conducted.

Phase I deliverables should include test data validating the above metrics, with sufficient characterization to enable assessment of potential integration challenges.

PHASE II:

Building upon successful Phase I fuel development, Phase II efforts would focus on validating performance through incremental testing culminating in sub-scale hot-fire demonstrations.

Initial characterization would include drop tests and static mixing evaluations, followed by 3-5 hot-fire demonstrations in a thrust chamber representative of DACS applications (<50 lbf thrust class).

Test campaigns should characterize:

• Ignition reliability and delay times

• Chamber pressure and temperature profiles

• Specific impulse validation

• Material compatibility in fired configuration

• Start-up and shutdown transients

The Phase II effort must deliver comprehensive test data demonstrating repeatable performance, complete fuel production documentation at the subscale level, and analysis showing scalability to flight systems.

Moreover, the Offeror must initially quantify any human and environmental toxicity concerns and detail these in comparison to the present art in hypergolic fuels, as well as initially describe a plausible path to mass production consistent with future needs.

Successful completion would achieve TRL 5 through demonstration in a relevant environment.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Phase III efforts would focus on scaling the validated fuel formulation to flight-qualified hardware and demonstrating performance in an operational environment.

The fuel must demonstrate reliable ignition and sustained performance when integrated with flight-representative DACS hardware.

Following this, the Offeror would develop and execute a plan to scale fuel production to the quantities needed.

Commercial applications of this technology include satellite propulsion systems, particularly for constellation deployment where reduced ground handling complexity offers significant operational advantages.

Commercial space companies conducting frequent launches could benefit from safer ground operations enabled by low-volatility fuels.

The small business is expected to obtain funding from non-SBIR government and private sector sources to transition the technology into viable commercial products.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Open Topic for Historical Radiation Data Analysis for Enhanced Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) Modeling and Prediction - STTR Topic MDA26TZ04-NP002

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

This open topic seeks to develop and implement advanced analytical techniques for processing and interpreting historical radiation data (space-based and simulated) to improve the accuracy and predictive capabilities of radiation models, particularly concerning sensor performance and spacecraft survivability.

Description:

The performance and survivability of Department of War (DoW) and space systems, especially those operating in space environments, are critically affected by radiation. Radiation testing of parts are major cost and schedule drivers for DoW and space systems. This topic seeks to conduct a rigorous statistical analysis of long-term radiation trends and their impact with the goal of either reducing or justifying the need for rigorous and costly radiation testing. DoW systems must determine a part’s susceptibility to many forms of radiation including but not limited to: neutron, proton, heavy ion, displacement damage, total ionizing dose. Successful proposals may focus on all or some subset of these radiation environments and would seek innovative approaches to analyze historical radiation data from various sources in the open literature, including but not limited to:

Archived space-based radiation measurements (e.g., from past and current satellite missions).

Data from ground-based radiation testing facilities and simulation environments.

Historical performance data of space components and subsystems exposed to radiation.

Legacy data of previous test failures to analyze and attribute the event to the natural space environments.

Proposers should be able to conduct their analysis without data provided by the Missile Defense Agency.

The analysis should focus on:

Trend Identification: Identifying long-term trends and patterns in radiation effects of microelectronics. For example, the development of a-priori expectations based on part type, node size and process technology, and trends in lot-to-lot variation of radiation performance for particular devices.

Correlation Studies: Correlating historical radiation data with observed performance degradation of sensors, electronics, and other critical spacecraft components. This includes exploring the relationships between radiation dose, single event effects (SEUs), total ionizing dose (TID), and other radiation-induced phenomena, with failures or degradation of space systems.

Predictive Modeling: Developing predictive models that use historical radiation data to forecast the radiation environment impact on future and current microelectronics devices and process technologies. This may involve incorporating machine learning techniques to identify complex relationships and improve prediction accuracy.

Uncertainty Quantification: Quantifying the uncertainties associated with historical data and predictive models and assessing their implications for risk management, decision-making and design margin.

PHASE I:

Identify and acquire relevant historical radiation datasets from available sources in the open literature. Develop and implement data processing and analysis techniques, including statistical methods, machine learning algorithms, and visualization tools. Conduct preliminary correlation studies between radiation data and observed performance degradation of DoW components. Develop an initial predictive model and assess its accuracy and limitations. Provide analysis of existing data and historical data with respect to high energy events. Demonstrate the applicability of the proposed models to one or more existing DoW systems.

PHASE II:

Refine data processing and analysis techniques, incorporating new datasets and advanced algorithms.

Conduct comprehensive correlation studies, focusing on specific radiation-induced failure mechanisms and their impact on performance.

Develop and validate predictive models using independent datasets.

Quantify uncertainties and assess their impact on decision-making.

Integrate with data from other government sources, with respect to test failures, to determine if there are any connections between the events of interest and the observed trends.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Commercialization potential exists in the medical, aviation, homeland security sector, power and automotive industries. Modern integrated circuits are increasingly more susceptible to Single-Event Effects (SEE) to the point that even non-space, terrestrial assets such as large computing centers are facing radiation effects challenges. This topic would help to assess quality control features for the selection and testing of future devices to ensure survivability in radiation environments.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Novel Ignition Systems for multi-pulse Solid Propellant Rocket Motors - STTR Topic MDA26TZ04-NV001

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $314,000

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

ITAR:

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

Objective:

Develop a reliable, lightweight ignition system for solid propellant propulsion systems that is capable of multiple ignitions.

Description:

Solid propellant propulsion systems which utilize multiple pulses commonly use separate pyrotechnic or pyrogen igniters for each pulse. In recent years, alternative ignition methods have been conceptualized which could ignite rocket motors multiple times with the same ignition hardware. Alternative ignition methods may also eliminate the need for sensitive pyrotechnic initiators typically used in conventional igniters, reducing the danger of inadvertent initiation. Ignition systems which are capable of multiple ignitions facilitate the design of systems which provide more flexible use of propellant.

PHASE I:

Design an ignition system capable of generating combustion gases from reduced smoke propellant grains with mass flow rates adequate to achieve stable combustion with multiple ignitions. Proposed designs must consider attenuation from combustion products. Proposed ignition system should minimize use of novel subcomponents and maximize the use of commercially available subcomponents. Proposed work plans must include demonstration of combustion gases to validate models.

PHASE II:

Develop an ignition system which could ignite solid propellant propulsion systems in multiple ignitions with a single ignition system. The igniter should be applicable to several propellant compositions. The proposed ignition system must be demonstrated to achieve motor rise times with a wide range of motor free volumes, and the mass of the proposed ignition system should be lower than the mass of a conventional pyrogen or pyrotechnic igniter. Proposer should specify the energy requirements and energy source for the proposed igniter system. Required power should not exceed capabilities of existing commercially available thermal batteries and power supplies. Work with propulsion system supplier or system level integrator to further define performance attributes.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

Design and build an ignition system for solid propellant rockets capable of igniting rockets with free volumes and motor rise times specified by prime contractors. The proposed ignition system must be capable of multiple ignitions for multiple rocket pulses with the same hardware.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

T3CP Patent Holiday SBIR Open Topic Call - SBIR Topic OSW26BZ04-DP013

Funding Amount:

Phase I - $250,000

Direct to Phase II - $2,153,927

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

Objective:

Develop innovative, transition-ready prototype solutions that leverage Department of War inventions made available through the T3CP Patent Holiday Initiative in the areas of Microelectronics, Advanced Materials, Energetics, Munitions, and Critical Minerals and supply-chain-enabling technologies.

Description:

The Office of Technology, Transition and Commercial Partnerships (T3CP) is seeking innovative approaches that accelerate the commercialization and dual-use transition of government funded intellectual property made available through the T3CP Patent Holiday Initiative.

Launched in January 2026, the Patent Holiday Initiative curates priority inventions from intellectual property (IP) in which the government holds either title or statutory rights of use and offers no-cost commercial evaluation licenses (CELs) to qualifying industry partners, enabling small businesses to prototype, evaluate, and commercialize products built on DoW-origin patents.

T3CP is seeking proposals that translate and mature these priority government funded inventions into prototype capabilities with clear commercial relevance and credible transition potential.

This topic is structured as a broad open topic with five sector areas.

Offerors should propose within the sector most aligned to the patent or patents they seek to commercialize, clearly identifying the target product concept, end users, integration pathway, technical approach, and measurable milestones.

Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable meaningful advances in devices, components, materials, manufacturing processes, software-enabled tools, or integrated product concepts.

Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice without a credible prototype and commercialization pathway.

Sub-categories of interest under this topic include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Microelectronics

The rapid advancement of commercial microelectronics offers significant potential for accelerating DoW capabilities in sensing, communications, positioning, and cyber-resilient systems.

T3CP is interested in technologies that leverage DoW patents to develop commercially relevant microelectronics-based products with defense and dual-use transition potential.

Sub-categories of interest under Microelectronics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Resilient communications and adaptive networking systems

• Assured position, navigation, and timing; GNSS spoofing detection and timing integrity technologies

• RF sensing, radar, spectrum awareness, and electronic support tools

• Compact, wideband, metamaterial, or reconfigurable antenna technologies

• Embedded electronics and sensing for autonomous systems or edge-deployed platforms

• Secure network automation, physical-layer identification, and infrastructure resilience technologies

2. Advanced Materials

Advances in functional materials, coatings, composites, and manufacturing processes offer significant commercial and defense potential.

T3CP is interested in technologies that apply DoW patents to create innovative products in advanced materials, functional surfaces, protective textiles, and materials-enabled sensing.

Sub-categories of interest under Advanced Materials include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Corrosion-resistant, thermal barrier, anti-fouling, or multifunctional coating systems

• Conductive polymers, functional thin films, and stimuli-responsive material systems

• Graphene, 2D materials, ALD/ALE, wide-bandgap, and semiconductor-enabling materials and processes

• Protective textiles, wearables, personal protective equipment, and CBRN-resistant fabrics

• Sorbent, catalytic, or reactive materials for filtration, decontamination, and chemical agent defeat

• Sensing-integrated and material-embedded monitoring platforms

3. Energetics

DoW patents in energetics and energy-related systems offer broad commercial potential in areas including oxygen generation, propulsion, diagnostics, and advanced air mobility support.

T3CP is interested in technologies that apply DoW patents to develop commercially viable products with dual-use applicability.

Sub-categories of interest under Energetics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• On-demand oxygen generation systems for emergency, industrial, medical, or confined-space applications

• Advanced fuel, combustion, and propulsion-enabling technologies for UAV, portable power, marine, or light aircraft applications

• Quantum-enabled or RF-enabled sensing and diagnostics systems

• Weather, environmental hazard, or safety tools for aviation, advanced air mobility, and autonomous operations

• Safer pyrotechnic, gas-generant, or controlled energy-release applications for commercial or industrial use

4. Munitions

DoW patents in munitions, armaments, launch mechanisms, projectile design, ignition, detection, and non-lethal effects offer potential for prototyping commercially relevant and defense-relevant products where a credible transition pathway exists.

Sub-categories of interest under Munitions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Propulsion-related subsystems and performance-enhancing components

• Projectile, fuze, launch mechanism, sabot, obturation, and terminal effects technologies

• Safe ignition, initiation, and energy transfer mechanisms for commercial or industrial applications

• Explosives detection, diagnostics, and safety systems

• Non-lethal, training, or controlled-effects technologies

• Armament-adjacent materials or components with commercial and industrial applications

5. Critical Minerals and Supply-Chain-Enabling Technologies

Securing domestic supply chains for critical materials is a national priority.

T3CP is interested in technologies that support strategic material processing, recovery, substitution, advanced manufacturing, and supply-chain resilience, leveraging DoW patents to create commercially viable and strategically important products.

Sub-categories of interest under Critical Minerals and Supply-Chain-Enabling Technologies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Strategic material extraction, separation, refining, and recovery technologies

• Battery, electrode, electrolyte, and structural energy material innovations

• Process technologies that reduce reliance on scarce or foreign-controlled material inputs

• Sensing, monitoring, and quality assurance technologies for materials processing and refining

• Advanced manufacturing processes that improve domestic production capacity and resilience

• Commercial platforms and tools that support supply-chain awareness, performance, and security

6. Biomanufacturing

Advances in commercial biomanufacturing and bioindustrial technologies offer significant potential for accelerating DoW capabilities in biodefense, biosurveillance, protection, diagnostics, and resilient domestic production of critical biological products.

T3CP is interested in technologies that leverage DoW patents to develop commercially relevant biomanufacturing- and biosystems-based products with defense and dual-use transition potential.

Sub-categories of interest under Biomanufacturing include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Recombinant protein production systems, expression platforms, and cell-free synthesis methods

• Enzyme-based detoxification, decontamination, and protective technologies

• Biosensing, bioassay, and diagnostic platforms for detection of biological or chemical signatures

• Bioaerosol detection, environmental biosurveillance, and hazard monitoring systems

• Bioprocess monitoring, quality assurance, and manufacturing control technologies

• Wearable, portable, or field-deployable bio-enabled systems for exposure monitoring and operational decision support

Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in devices, materials, systems, manufacturing processes, or software-enabled capabilities.

Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

PHASE I:

Phase I proposals will describe the selected DoW patent or patents being leveraged, the relevant sector area, the proposed product or prototype concept, the intended commercial and/or defense end use, the technical modifications required to adapt the patented invention for the target application, anticipated performance improvements or commercial value, the status of or plan to obtain a commercial evaluation license (CEL), impacts to logistics, safety, or regulatory considerations as applicable, and the proposed transition approach.

Results of Phase I will be detailed in a final technical report (Final Report).

Phase I deliverables include:

• Kick-Off Briefing, due 15 days from start of Base award

• Final Report, due 120 days from start of Base award

• Initial Phase II Proposal, due 120 days from start of Base award

This topic is eligible for Direct to Phase II proposals.

Proposers must demonstrate Phase I-equivalent feasibility work completed prior to submission, at their own expense or through the T3CP Patent Holiday Commercial Evaluation License (CEL) process, and must hold or have applied for a royalty-bearing patent license for the DoW patent(s) underlying the proposed effort.

PHASE II:

The scope of the Phase II effort will be specific to each project but is generally expected to develop and demonstrate a functional prototype that implements the Phase I concept and achieves defined performance goals, validate the prototype in a relevant environment appropriate to the sector, mature the transition plan including manufacturability, scalability, regulatory and safety considerations, and advance commercialization including licensing progression, pilot partnerships, customer validation, and product adoption strategy.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

DoW is particularly interested in dual-use applications because they can accelerate transition of DoD-origin inventions by leveraging existing commercial demand, private-sector investment, and established manufacturing capacity, while also strengthening the domestic industrial base and supply-chain resilience.

Dual-use pathways also help reduce time to fielding, expand the pool of nontraditional partners, and increase the likelihood that patented technologies will mature into sustainable products with both defense and commercial value.

The technologies developed under this topic could be used in a broad range of military and commercial applications, including secure communications, resilient networking, RF sensing, spectrum awareness, navigation assurance, cyber defense, autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing, advanced coatings and functional materials, protective textiles and CBRN protection systems, emergency oxygen and life-support systems, propulsion and power systems, advanced air mobility and UAV-enabling technologies, explosives detection and safety systems, non-lethal and training technologies, battery and energy storage innovations, strategic and critical material processing, industrial monitoring and sensing platforms, and domestic supply-chain and manufacturing resilience technologies.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Integrated Multicomponent Module for Quantum Sensors - SBIR Topic OSW26BZ04-DV007

Funding Amount:

Est. $2,153,927

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

Objective:

Develop one or more multicomponent prototypes realizing a commercially viable quantum-sensor-related component in an integrated module.

Description:

The DoW needs quantum sensing capabilities that are Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) compatible with a broad range of vehicles and platforms, and it seeks to develop commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) components with integrated capabilities that currently hinder low-SWAP quantum sensors.

Such COTS components could provide multiple advantages:

• Integrating capability for use in different sensor designs across the quantum industry.

• Accelerating the development of low SWaP, low-cost quantum sensors by focusing resources on COTS solutions that currently hinder such development from custom, discrete approaches.

• Expanding dual-use market opportunities through commercial application of such COTS components individually and by enabling quantum sensors with more attractive price points for commercial markets.

• Providing initial steps needed for eventual standardization of quantum technologies and quantum support devices targeting the most mature quantum technology currently available, i.e., quantum sensors.

• Attracting non-quantum commercial companies to leverage their expertise in microelectronic device manufacturing.

Proposed approaches should target capabilities needed for supporting quantum device operation broadly needed in the quantum sensor community with the result of lowering overall SWaP and cost of such sensors.

They should carefully consider the expected market potential for selling the resulting component to the quantum community and potentially beyond to non-quantum DoW and commercial markets.

The mix of component technologies that enable quantum devices should account for such market potential and be key elements in reducing the SWAP of overall quantum sensors.

Proposed solutions could leverage, but they are not limited to, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), microcells, and solid-state technologies like color centers, silicon nitride (SiN), and thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) to enable the production of compact and robust light sources, isolators, modulators, and other components used to realize quantum sensing, computing, and networking capabilities.

These components are still largely produced in isolation, incurring performance losses due to interfacing issues such as fiber insertion loss or reflection at waveguide facets.

Directly integrating these components onto (e.g.) a single substrate can reduce the losses resulting from internal interfaces and enable reduced form-factors, but they must balance a need for the modularity that enables reuse and accelerates innovation.

PHASE I:

Phase I efforts should develop a design for an integrated multicomponent COTS module that mitigates risk associated with component integration and manufacture.

The design should mitigate the risk of integrating the individual components as well as manufacturing the module, with alignment to facilities focused on commercial products versus research use.

The design should be documented in a detailed technical report alongside performance modeling or simulated performance of the proposed integrated components, as well as that of a manually integrated equivalent using state-of-the-art discrete components.

Module key performance parameters relevant to one or more quantum sensing applications should be identified in collaboration with the government.

The performance of the proposed module in these key performance parameters should be compared to that of a discrete-component approach, alongside expected performance impacts in the identified quantum application(s).

Expected SWaP reductions in quantum sensors and identified market potential of the resulting device will be key elements of the progress of this phase, and it will be used in evaluating the progression of the effort to the next phase.

Proposals elucidating initial paths and necessary development to achieve volume manufacturing of the final COTS device are especially encouraged.

Proposals should specify the level of integration necessary based on application and market demand.

Individual components to be integrated must already be sufficiently mature (e.g. Technology Readiness Level 4-5, or have accepted design criteria).

The designed prototype must have an immediate quantum sensor application but should also enable being rapidly integrated into non-quantum applications.

The designed prototype should be shown to meet or exceed the performance of equivalent manually-integrated state-of-the-art components as modeled and/or simulated.

This topic is accepting both Phase I and Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals.

Proposers interested in submitting a DP2 proposal must provide documentation to substantiate that the scientific and technical merit and feasibility described above has been met and describe the potential commercial applications.

DP2 documentation may include:

• Technical reports describing results and conclusions of existing work.

• Presentation materials and/or white papers.

• Technical papers.

• Test and measurement data.

• Prototype designs/models.

PHASE II:

Phase II will focus on the production of a prototype as per the Phase I design, and the characterization and evaluation of the produced prototype.

In Phase II the performer will build one or more working prototypes agreeing with modeled or simulated performance from Phase I.

Phase II reporting should include characterization of the prototype(s) in terms of key performance parameters updated from those identified in Phase I and validation of the prototype(s) against updated manufacturing and integration risk mitigations from Phase I.

The prototype produced must be self-contained and/or the adjacent components to support operation, evaluation, and characterization must be available, along with benchmark specifications for device performance.

Optionally, the prototype could be physically integrated into a quantum sensing, computing, or networking device, and performance, including overall SWAP reductions, characterized.

Optionally, a module manually-assembled from state-of-the-art components could be characterized and compared to the prototype module.

The prototype is expected to meet or exceed the performance of manually-integrated components as modeled and/or simulated in Phase I or optionally built in Phase II.

Performers should show clear progress towards manufacturing and selling the resulting COTS component to one or more external vendors.

Such vendors could include other quantum-related companies, companies supporting other DoW applications, or companies unrelated to either.

Progress can include letters of interest from such vendors, plans for integration into designs from external DoW or commercial entities, detailed analyses of the feasibility of displacing existing sensors or components, and so on.

Providers are required to provide a defensible and progressive path to costing and market feasibility of the COTS component for use by external commercial vendors given any unknown limitations in realizing such a path.

Progress towards volume manufacturing and resulting cost reductions should be shown.

Leveraging of commercial manufacturing vendors is encouraged, although not necessary given sufficient justification for the proposed business path of the resulting COTS device.

Proposers are invited to consider use of the Microelectronic (ME) Commons fabrication and packaging capabilities to broaden device exploration.

Success of a primary COTS effort should not depend on the use of the ME Commons, however, as securing such capability is not guaranteed by being selected for this SBIR.

Proposers are further not required to use the ME Commons, and no special consideration or favor will be given to proposals that include the use of the ME Commons.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

The work in Phases I and II should provide a compelling path to move the component towards commercial viability within 12 months, pending production of the updated technical data packages required to drive manufacturing at scale.

The prototype outcomes of this project are expected to have utility in both DoW and non-DoW applications.

DoW applications should have quantum sensing as a primary one, but they can also include non-quantum solutions via programs focused on the rapid transition of technologies into fielded devices and systems.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below:

Large Étendue, High Spectral Resolution Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne Interferometer for Quantum and Dual-Use Remote Sensing Applications - SBIR Topic OSW26BZ04-DV006

Funding Amount:

Est. $2,153,927

Deadline to Apply:

August 19th, 2026

Objective:

To design, develop, and demonstrate a large étendue, high spectral resolution Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (ASH) interferometer optimized for quantum sensing, quantum communication support, and dual-use remote sensing applications.

Description:

Quantum communication systems, quantum-enhanced LiDAR, and quantum sensing platforms share a critical and unmet instrumentation need: a spectrometer capable of simultaneously achieving large étendue (high optical throughput) and high spectral resolution.

In satellite-based and ground-based quantum key distribution (QKD), ground station receivers must collect single photons from spatially extended fields of view — demanding large étendue — while rejecting broadband background noise, including solar background in daylight operations, through extremely narrow spectral filtering — demanding high spectral resolution.

Similarly, quantum-enhanced atmospheric and oceanic remote sensing requires the collection of weak, Doppler-shifted optical returns distributed across large solid angles, while resolving velocity-induced frequency shifts at the sub-pm level.

Conventional spectrometer architectures, including grating spectrometers and Fabry-Perot etalons, face a fundamental étendue-resolution tradeoff that prevents simultaneous optimization of both parameters.

The Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (ASH) interferometer architecture — a derivative of the Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) interferometer — offers a compelling solution: its field-widened, static, no-moving-parts design provides the Jacquinot throughput advantage inherent to interferometric spectrometers while achieving high spectral resolving power through heterodyne detection of small Doppler and frequency shifts [1, 2], making it uniquely suited to serve the quantum and dual-use sensing communities.

In this topic, proposers should develop a fieldable ASH interferometer that simultaneously achieves large étendue and high spectral resolution suitable for the quantum and remote sensing applications described herein.

The instrument shall achieve:

• A minimum étendue of 0.1 cm² sr.

• A spectral resolving power (R = λ/Δλ) greater than 10⁵.

• Operation at one or more select wavelengths relevant to quantum sensing or communication (e.g., 486 nm H-β for Fraunhofer line sensing, 780 nm for rubidium-based quantum systems, 1550 nm for telecom-band QKD, or other well-motivated wavelengths between 400 nm and 1600 nm).

The design shall be static (no moving parts), compatible with space or airborne deployment environments with simultaneous high étendue and narrow spectral bandpass, and shall demonstrate a convincing path toward operation across multiple wavelengths relevant to both quantum and dual-use applications.

Proposers should clearly articulate the design trades between étendue, resolving power, and instrument volume, and should demonstrate that the proposed architecture is scalable and manufacturable beyond the prototype stage.

PHASE I:

The performer must demonstrate prior relevant capability in spatial heterodyne or asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectrometer design and fabrication, supported by experimental data addressing étendue, spectral resolving power, and instrument throughput.

The proposer must also provide measured or rigorously modeled data showing progress toward the étendue and resolving power goals of this topic.

Additionally, the proposer shall deliver a detailed Phase II instrument design, including:

• Optical layout.

• Diffraction grating parameters.

• Field-widening prism design.

• Exit optics.

• Detector architecture.

• A quantitative analysis of the étendue-resolution performance space achievable with the proposed approach.

A credible analysis of the target quantum and/or dual-use application(s) to be addressed, including the spectral line(s) of interest and required Doppler velocity sensitivity, shall also be included.

This topic is accepting both Phase I and Direct to Phase II (DP2) proposals.

Proposers interested in submitting a DP2 proposal must provide documentation to substantiate that the scientific and technical merit and feasibility described above has been met and describe the potential commercial applications.

DP2 documentation may include:

• Technical reports describing results and conclusions of existing work.

• Presentation materials and/or white papers.

• Technical papers.

• Test and measurement data.

• Prototype designs/models.

PHASE II:

Build and demonstrate a prototype ASH interferometer meeting the following minimum performance specifications:

• Étendue ≥ 0.1 cm² sr.

• Spectral resolving power R ≥ 10⁵ at the selected operating wavelength(s).

• Static design with no moving parts.

• Instrument volume not to exceed 10 liters in the packaged prototype configuration.

• Operation demonstrated on at least one quantum-relevant or remote sensing spectral line (e.g., 486 nm H-β Fraunhofer, O¹S 557.7 nm airglow, Rb 780 nm, K 770 nm, or O₂ A-band 762 nm).

The prototype shall be validated in a laboratory environment, with a clear demonstration of Doppler velocity sensitivity sufficient to resolve wind or current velocities at the 1–5 m/s level, or frequency shifts relevant to the proposed quantum application.

The proposer shall also deliver a convincing scalability and manufacturability analysis for a subsequent fieldable or space-qualifiable instrument, and shall identify a transition path to at least one DoD and one commercial application.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

The ASH interferometer developed under this effort is expected to have immediate commercial and government applicability following Phase II completion.

Applications include:

• Quantum communication ground terminals for satellite QKD links requiring daylight operation.

• Quantum-enhanced wind and atmospheric density profiling and space weather monitoring.

• Quantum LiDAR systems for precision Doppler ranging.

Civil and commercial dual-use applications include:

• Spaceborne and airborne upper atmosphere wind field profiling supporting weather prediction.

• Laboratory quantum sensing platforms for cold atom, Rydberg sensor, and atom interferometer velocity diagnostics.

A second-generation instrument is envisioned to be purpose-built for specific quantum sensing modalities — including atom interferometry-based inertial navigation, quantum-enhanced wind LiDAR, and entangled-photon atmospheric probing — all of which represent significant and growing dual-use markets spanning DoD, civil government, and the commercial quantum technology sector.

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.

Request to talk with a member of our team by completing the form below: