Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems Rapid Maturation

Inexpensive, highly maneuverable, commercially available unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threaten tactical forces, critical infrastructure, and installations. Current defenses are limited by cost, by the operator attention they require, and by their vulnerability to countermeasures. A capability gap against Group 1 and Group 2 UAS remains.

This topic seeks mature or maturing technology at any point in the counter-UAS kill chain. The three areas below are where capability is most needed. They are examples. A proposal may address one area, more than one, or a gap not listed here.

Detection and Tracking. Detect and hold track on highly agile targets in cluttered low-altitude airspace. The proposer selects the sensing modality. Approaches that hold track when the target is not emitting are preferred. Solutions that require permanent site infrastructure or mains power, including fixed perimeter sensor installations, are out of scope for this area. The system must move with the force.

Identification and Decision Support. Classify and identify unauthorized platforms and support an engagement decision. Processing must run on tactical computing hardware carried or emplaced with the force. Proposals should describe a pathway to interoperate with existing command and control. Conformance to a named standard is not required at this stage and will not be scored.

Mitigation and Defeat. Kinetic, non-kinetic, or cyber approaches that defeat hostile UAS in remote tactical theaters and in densely populated areas. Proposals must address collateral effects. Operating preferences. The operating environment is denied, contested, and unattended. The four conditions below are preferences, not eligibility requirements.

Every proposal must state where it stands against each one. (a) The system does not require the target to emit radio frequency (RF) energy. Passive RF may be part of a solution; the preference is that track holds when the target is silent. (b) The system does not radiate. The Government favors kinetic and cyber defeat over approaches that require the friendly system to emit. Jamming, active illumination, and transmission into a target's control or navigation link are in scope. A proposal that uses any of them must say so and describe the operational effect. (c) The system does not require cloud services or reachback. Training and analytics may occur off-platform. The processing that produces the operational output should run on the platform, and the system should continue to function with all external network interfaces disabled. (d) The system does not require a dedicated operator, meaning no person whose only task is attending it. Human judgment over the use of force is expected and is not addressed by this preference.

Out of scope: work requiring classified access or a facility clearance at the time of award, and approaches that depend on cooperative identification, including Remote ID broadcast.

Program: SBIR, Phase I and Phase II Agency: Department of War, Office of the Secretary of Defense Topic number: OSW27BZ01-DV002 Solicitation: 27.BZ Released October 7, 2026; proposals accepted from October 28, 2026 Closes November 25, 2026. Check the official solicitation for the exact due time. Award type: contract, not a grant. Official solicitation: https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/ Listed on SBIR.gov: https://www.sbir.gov/topics/13024. SBIR.gov copies agency solicitations and can lag behind them; the official solicitation is the final word.

Small businesses only: a for-profit US business with 500 or fewer employees, including affiliates.

More than 50% owned and controlled by US citizens or permanent residents (some agencies also accept majority ownership by venture capital, hedge fund or private equity firms; the solicitation says).

SBIR: the principal investigator is primarily employed by the business. STTR: the business partners with a US nonprofit research institution or university, which does at least 30% of the work.

Registered in SAM.gov before submitting.

Check the official solicitation for its own conditions, proposal limits and security review.