US DoD announces second set of APFIT innovation projects

The US Department of Defense has announced the second set of projects to receive funding via the pilot program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT).

The purpose of the APFIT pilot program is to expeditiously transition technologies from development into production, and to accelerate the fielding of those technologies to the warfighter. In FY22 US$100 million was appropriated for APFIT, resulting in ten DoD programs each receiving US$10 million to expedite their production and fielding. APFIT funding is helping to deliver war-winning capability 1-2 years earlier than scheduled, while contributing to the health of the US Industrial base through investments in small business and/or non-traditional defence developed capabilities.  The US Congress appropriated US$150 million for APFIT in FY23.

“I am thrilled to see the increased support from Congress for the APFIT program,” said Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “This flexible funding is helping to transform the way the Department quickly pivots to procure and field warfighting capability, across the military services and defense agencies.

“This pilot program is a critical tool to help us bridge the ‘valley of death’ and transition capabilities to the warfighter quicker than previously planned. The companies being funded will fill crucial capability gaps. Without APFIT funding, these capabilities could take years longer to field.”

The innovative technologies procured from small businesses or nontraditional defense contractor vendors under the 2023 APFIT program are:

• Commercial Satellite Communications Terminals, U.S. Marine Corps, $15.0M, Bascom Hunter Technologies, Louisiana
  • Establishes a fully automated production line and initial procurement of transportable satellite terminals to provide assured Naval capability to leverage the latest Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite communication constellations.
• Common Air-Launched Munitions Radio, U.S. Air Force, $10.0M, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc., Alabama
  • Initial low rate procurement of software defined munitions radios and Technical Data Package to support integration of weapons data links in future USAF weapons.
• Integrated Air Defense Cameras, Defense Innovation Unit, $16.77M, Teleidoscope, California
  • Procurement of initial upgraded electro optical/infrared cameras with enhanced capabilities to improve airspace awareness.
• Minuteman III Code Wheel Replacement, Defense Logistics Agency, $10.0M, BC Engineering Products, New Jersey
  • Procurement of new code wheels for replacement of units in the Minuteman III Missile that are ~40 years beyond planned service life using advanced manufacturing techniques and processes to retain form, fit, and function.
• Mixed Reality Pilot Training Devices, U.S. Marine Corps, $10.0M, Bowhead Professional & Technical Solutions, LLC, Virginia
  • Procurement of affordable, smaller, mixed-reality T-45C flight training simulators to augment legacy full-size flight simulators.
• Modern Commercial Weather Satellites, U.S. Space Force, $10.3M, Tomorrow.io, Massachusetts
  • Procurement and launch of two affordable commercial weather sensing satellites to augment the existing commercially-owned, managed, and sustained weather constellation to support weather data-as-a-service use by the military.
• Multi-Platform Anti-Jam Global Positioning System Antennas, U.S. Army, $19.97M, Mayflower Communications, Inc., Massachusetts
  • Accelerated procurement of sufficient quantities to achieve optimum price break of anti-jam antennas for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
• Network Enhancements for Contested Environments, U.S. Navy, $10.0M, Adaptive Dynamics Inc, California and Caliola Engineering, Colorado
  • Procurement and integration of software into existing joint tactical radio systems that leverage modified software techniques for enhancing communications in contested environments.
• Tactical Passive Radar for Counter Unmanned Air Systems (UAS), U.S. Army, $10.0M, Hidden Level, Inc., New York
  • Procurement of platform agnostic, day/night, modular passive radar capability for small UAS detection and tracking.
• Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Range Extension using Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications, U.S. Navy, $10.0M, Maritime Applied Physics Corp., Maryland
  • Initial low rate procurement of USVs and supporting communication systems to enable beyond-line-of-site operations.
• Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Capable Fixed-Wing Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Small UAS, U.S. Special Operations Command, $20.0M, Quantum-Systems Inc., California
  • Accelerated procurement of Fixed-Wing Small UAS with integrated VTOL capabilities.

About USD(R&E)

The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil