This is a Department of War SBIR/STTR contract topic for US small businesses (500 or fewer employees) to develop a compact, receive-only passive X-Band radar with SAR imaging and GMTI, light enough for small drones, loitering munitions, or unattended ground sensors. It is for defense-technology R&D firms with radar/RF engineering capability, not general small businesses. Nonprofits cannot apply, and companies outside defense sensing should not bother.
| Industry | Estimated fit |
|---|---|
| Technology & SoftwareMatches your industry (sbir, sttr) | 73 |
| Energy & Clean TechMatches your industry (energy) | 61 |
| Healthcare & BiotechLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 51 |
| Agriculture & FarmingLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 45 |
| Construction & InfrastructureLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 45 |
| Food & BeverageLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 45 |
| Industry | Estimated fit |
|---|---|
| Housing & Real EstateLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 45 |
| Transportation & LogisticsLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 44 |
| ManufacturingLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 43 |
| Retail & E-CommerceLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 43 |
| Finance & BankingLimit: Primarily for minority-owned businesses | 40 |
| Arts & CultureLimit: This program does not accept nonprofit applicants. | 0 |
| Education & TrainingLimit: This program does not accept nonprofit applicants. | 0 |
| Environment & ConservationLimit: This program does not accept nonprofit applicants. | 0 |
| Social Services & NonprofitLimit: This program does not accept nonprofit applicants. | 0 |
These are our matcher’s estimates for a typical business in each industry. A real match depends on your size, your state and what you need the money for — check your own fit.
DoD SBIR/STTR Phase I-II contract topic for US small businesses (≤500 employees) to develop a compact, receive-only passive X-Band radar with SAR imaging and GMTI, optimized for SWaP-C and integration on small UAS, loitering munitions, or unattended ground sensors.
In contested A2/AD environments, active radar emissions act as beacons for adversary Electronic Warfare. To ensure survivability, the DoW requires covert sensing utilizing "illuminators of opportunity." This effort requires a 100% receive-only payload; the sensor shall not transmit any RF energy.
Current passive systems are bulky, expensive, and primarily optimized for SIGINT/ESM rather than radar functionality. They lack the tightly synchronized, multi-channel receivers necessary for direct reference signal acquisition, spatial processing, and clutter cancellation. The DoW seeks a paradigm shift toward low-cost, multi-channel "attritable" (expendable) sensors designed specifically for high-risk deployments.
This topic seeks the development of a Small Form Factor (SFF) passive X-Band radar featuring both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) capabilities. Optimized for extreme Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) constraints, the payload must be light enough for integration onto Group 1 or 2 UAS, loitering munitions, or unattended ground sensors.
Program: SBIR, Phase I and Phase II Agency: Department of War, Office of the Secretary of Defense Topic number: OSW26BZ06-DV025 Solicitation: 26.BZ Released September 2, 2026; proposals accepted from September 23, 2026 Closes October 21, 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/12963. 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.
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