Input-Output Unit (IOU) for Secure Processing and Routing of Hull, Mechanical, & Electrical (HM&E) and Navigation Signals

IOUs are used on all Navy DDG 51 class ships to transfer Steering Control, Machinery Control, and Damage Control signals, as well as Interior Communication Alarm and Indication, Synchro and Digital Navigation data. They are also used on USN LHA(R) class ships, in Aegis Ashore facilities, and across a variety of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases. IOUs serve as a translation point when sending and receiving non-Ethernet traffic, such as synchro and low-level serial data, to Ethernet user systems.

IOUs are installed in a variety of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned spaces. Their use in engineering spaces that historically have relied on Halon 1301 (safe for sensitive electronics) for fire suppression has been complicated by the Navy’s transition away from Halon and toward water mist protection systems. Additionally, existing IOUs rely on the integration of a wide variety of circuit card assemblies (CCA) to process different types of signals, creating hardware challenges for lifetime support and technology refresh.

The Navy seeks to reduce lifecycle costs with a simplified design that has fewer hardware dependencies, hardware component updates, and more open and modular system architectures.

The IOU is intended to be operated continuously. The IOU shall be designed to permit routine maintenance and troubleshooting. Repair actions should be possible while the IOU is energized without loss of required functionality and operating. Reliability and Survivability are essential and all IOU components must demonstrate Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) in excess of 10,000 hours. While the IOU as a whole product does not exist commercially, the base technology required is available in industry. The focus of this SBIR topic is to integrate the capabilities into a synergized product.

Requirements: The Navy requires a dust-protected, water splash-resistant (IEC 60529 IP54-rated) IOU capable of interfacing with legacy and future equipment to send, receive, process, and route signals throughout the hull and superstructure of naval vessels. The enclosure must protect the power supply, cooling components, and electronics necessary to connect serial (RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, NTDS-E), fiber Ethernet, Cat 5 Ethernet (unicast, multicast), analog synchro (60 and 400 Hertz), and analog voltage (AC and DC) capabilities. External connections are made by triaxial, 42-pin, and 92-pin cables, as well as fiber optic connectors to redundant Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) shipboard networks.

Design must accommodate an additional fifty percent capacity for future growth from initial defined design specifications and capability descriptions. It must also provide adequate internal cooling while meeting or exceeding IP54 dust and spray requirements.

All hardware components must be compliant with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive 2011/65/EU.

Enclosure: Maximum size and weight (excludes external mounting dimensions): Weight: 188 pounds; Depth: 17 inches; Width: 26 inches; Height: 27 inches.

The IOU must be mountable from the rear or the bottom and allow cable attachment/removal and reasonable access to all user interfaces and cable attachment points in any mounted configuration.

Power Supply: Internal Alternating Current (AC) power supply will connect to two independent 120V, 60Hz shipboard lighting circuits (2 of 3 phases) for redundancy. Synchro reference power (400Hz and 60Hz) is necessary for some user interfaces (separate from IOU AC power). IOUs should require less than 600 Watts of power when fully loaded.

IOU must strictly comply with MIL-STD-1399-300, operating reliably on both Type I and Type II power. The design must tolerate all specified voltage and frequency fluctuations, withstand severe voltage spikes, and limit maximum instantaneous input current (inrush current) when initially energized. To maintain ship-wide power quality and ensure system compatibility, the IOU must also adhere to strict limits on harmonic distortion, maintain a high-power factor, and meet the electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements of MIL-STD-461. To ensure the IOU design is suitable for shipboard environments, the IOU must meet the requirements of the latest revisions of MIL-STD-810 (currently Rev H with Change Notice 1), MIL-DTL-901 (currently Rev E), MIL-STD-167 (currently Rev 1A with Validation Notice 1), and MIL-HDBK-2164 (currently Rev A),

IOU must remain fully operational through momentary power interruptions from the selected power source. If all AC power is lost, the IOU will automatically restart within 30 seconds following restoration of at least one power source. Adequate cooling must be maintained in any power-on condition.

User Interfaces, Routing, Processing: IOU must adhere to a defined set of core networking standards. The unit must ensure full compliance with the foundational protocols for internetworking, including IPv4 (RFC 791) and IPv6 (RFC 8200). To support efficient one-to-many data distribution, the IOU must implement IP Multicasting (RFC 1112). For high-availability and fault tolerance, the IOU must also support the Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) in accordance with IEC 62439-3.

Fiber optic cables connecting the IOU to shipboard networks will be supplied by the shipbuilders and will utilize a four-fiber cable per MIL-PRF-85045/18 with a fiber cable class of single mode per MIL-PRF-49291/7.

Reliance on legacy hardware and proprietary data currently limits the Navy's ability to use open competition. Updating the design to include commercially available components will eliminate these constraints and significantly reduce lifecycle costs.

Program: SBIR, Phase I and Phase II Agency: Department of War, Navy Topic number: DON27BZ01-NV004 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/13021. 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.