Find the Right Path to Working With DIU

Background

The Department of War (DoW) relies on the U.S. Army for intra-theater logistics, creating a heavy dependence on supply chains to sustain joint operations at required speed and scale. Army Watercraft Systems (AWS) are critical to distributing supplies across dispersed littoral formations in the Indo-Pacific theater, but the current fleet is aging and reliant upon a limited cadre of Army senior enlisted mariners. It also lacks the overall supply payload capacity to move supplies at the demands needed by operational forces. This risk is compounded in contested environments where adversaries can target the high value and personnel-intensive targets in the supply chain.

Problem

The Indo-Pacific theater requires additional logistics capacity capable of sustaining long-distance maritime distribution while operating with minimal personnel. This capability must reduce reliance on vulnerable airfields and large crewed vessels, scale rapidly in crisis or conflict, and remain affordable for production at scale.

The DoW is looking toward unmanned systems to solve these challenges. For Indo-Pacific Contested Logistics, Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) can provide significant operational advantages by eliminating risk to onboard personnel and reducing the need for trained mariners. Additionally, their dispersed and relatively inexpensive nature complicates adversary targeting, enhancing survivability in contested environments.

To these considerations, the DoW is seeking solutions for a small, Autonomous Resupply Vehicle (ARV-S).  The ARV-S’ primary job will be regularly resupplying containerized cargo to forward-deployed units in the form of Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).

Desired Solution Attributes

The following are the desired attributes for the ARV-S:

Solutions will be evaluated on their ability to affordably meet the desired attributes in an operationally relevant environment. Proposed prototype solutions should be demonstrable on water within 12 months of award.

Consideration will be given to both conversion solutions—modifying manned vessels to operate without a crew, and designs for completely new, purpose-built unmanned vessels.

The Government understands that some companies may not be able to meet all the desired attributes in this solicitation, but encourages companies with relevant, demonstrable capability for major components to partner with other companies to submit complete solutions.

Submission Requirements

Vendors are expected to submit a solution brief for stating how their solutions meet the requirements outlined above.

Preference will be given to submissions that present a comprehensive and compelling solution to the problem statement and product requirements and robustly discuss the process to adopt a fully domestic/Allied supply chain in a cost-effective manner.

Submissions should include an overview and technical details for the solution. Inclusion of examples of past successful deployment of similar solutions in the commercial or public sectors is highly encouraged.

Any resulting agreement from this AoI will include language requiring your company to confirm compliance with Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232). If you are unable to confirm compliance with the law referenced, the Government will not be able to enter into an agreement with your company.

Background and Problem Statement:

The Department of War lacks the ability to rehearse, validate and iterate Operational Plans (OPLANs) for contested, multi-domain conflict at the scale and speed required for modern warfare.

The government is constructing dedicated facilities to support the required scale of virtual training and mission rehearsal. However, these facilities impose strict constraints on physical footprint, power, cooling, and sustainment. They also require modularity and rapid reconfigurability across multiple mission platforms and classification levels, thereby limiting the utility of existing large, monolithic, and platform-specific simulators.

To address this gap, the Department seeks modular and scalable simulation and training architectures for military platforms that enable 100+ players to exercise and rehearse within a shared synthetic battlespace.

Desired Attributes:

The Department seeks solutions that break the mold of monolithic aircraft simulator system architectures by:

• Decoupling the operator interface from aircraft-specific, proprietary, or tightly-coupled software implementations.
• Enabling reconfigurable, platform-agnostic cockpit architectures leveraging centrally hosted virtual aircraft services and shared synthetic environment components
• Supporting rapid scenario generation and iteration, scalable force-ratio flexibility, and secure multi-level security across networks. 

All solutions must be compatible with, and integrable into, the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) Technical Baseline (JTB). Amplifying and clarifying information on JSE services will be provided to offerors in subsequent phases. 

Successful prototypes may be considered for fielding at the U.S. Air Force Joint Integrated Test and Training Center – Elmendorf (JITTC-E), other joint training and test facilities, or any other relevant mission, training, or battle network architecture.

This opportunity includes three solution paths. Vendors may propose against Solution Path I, Solution Path II, Solution Path III, or any combination of the three. Offerers are encouraged to focus technical capabilities toward individual solution paths. Please submit a separate solution brief for each Solution Path. 

Solution Path I: Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) Agnostic Training System (JATS)

Existing aircraft simulator implementations tightly couple cockpit hardware, aircraft software, and display systems into monolithic, platform-specific architectures that cannot scale for large force virtual training and rehearsal.

The department seeks modular training architectures that separate:

• Operator-machine interface (i.e. fighter agnostic cockpit (FAC))
• Aircraft mission systems, vehicle logic, dynamics (i.e. Virtual Aircraft Services (VAS))
• Out-the-window (OTW) image generation services (IGS)
• Shared synthetic environment (i.e. JSE)

The main focus of Solution Path I is the Fighter Agnostic Cockpit (FAC) concept. 

Solutions for the FAC should provide a reconfigurable, hardware agnostic and software-defined cockpit, capable of supporting multiple fighter aircraft types. Solutions should orient capabilities around a tactical/mission training use case as opposed to basic airmanship training.

Additionally, solutions should:

• Emphasize low Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWAP-C) to enable dense facility layouts
• Support rapid session provisioning and platform reassignment
• Enable seamless integration with JSE, including real-time synchronization of scenario data and entity state
• Maintain necessary human-machine interaction to include:
  • Representative physical and/or virtual cockpit controls needed to execute tactical/mission scenarios
  • Support display feeds and symbology/sensor fusion representations from external virtual aircraft services
  • Support helmet-mounted cueing systems (e.g., HMCS equivalents)

Proposed solutions should ensure compatibility with extended reality (XR), head-mounted displays (HMDs) (or alternative compact display technologies), to the maximum extent feasible, while addressing human factors challenges such as comfort, fatigue, and usability during extended training events. For more details on display system objectives, see Solution Path II.

Offerors are encouraged to propose multiple FAC user interface concepts with varying levels of fidelity, technical maturity, and risk to enable informed trade-space evaluation during prototyping.

In addition to the FAC concept, offerors may propose solutions that provide or enable additional capability related to Virtual Aircraft Services (VAS) and Image Generation Services (IGS) that complement the overall JATS architecture described above. These capabilities may be proposed as standalone solutions or as integrated components within a broader system.

For the purposes of this project, Virtual Aircraft Services (VAS) refer to the modular, software-defined representations of aircraft systems and behaviors, including mission systems and vehicle dynamics, that can be hosted independently of the cockpit interface and integrated with the JSE Technical Baseline (JTB). The government seeks solutions that serve as capability force multipliers, enabling rapid integration of additional Mission Design Series (MDS) platforms and their components into the JSE ecosystem.

Proposed Virtual Aircraft Services (VAS) solutions should:

• Provide open development frameworks and toolchains (e.g. SDKs, APIs, component libraries) that enable third-party government or industry engineers to rapidly build, integrate, and extend existing capability into JSE. 
• Support a service-oriented or containerized architecture, allowing platform subsystems (e.g. sensors, weapons, flight dynamics) to be independently developed, deployed, and sustained.
• Enable integration with JSE through standardized adapters, interfaces, and data models
• Provide abstraction and data normalization layers to translate between cockpit interfaces and aircraft system representations.

For the purposes of this project, Image Generation Services (IGS) are responsible for rendering the operator’s visual perspective of the synthetic environment based on the authoritative state provided by JSE and associated simulation services.

Proposed IGS solutions should:

• Provide open architecture, scalable image generation capabilities that integrate with JSE-provided environment and entity data 
• Support low-latency, high-fidelity rendering suitable for tactical aviation use, including compatibility with XR, VR, and mixed reality display systems 
• Enable decoupling of rendering from aircraft and cockpit implementations, allowing independent evolution of visual systems 
• Support multi-resolution and mission-dependent rendering, optimizing performance based on platform type, training objectives, or user access rights.
• Minimize local compute requirements through centralized or distributed rendering architectures. 
• Maintain accurate spatial alignment and stability of rendered symbology and external scene elements under head-tracked viewing conditions. 

Solution Path II: Cockpit display systems

Large-scale, reconfigurable training environments require compact, immersive, and interactive display technologies capable of replacing traditional large format displays.  

The department seeks to significantly advance the state of the art in compact head-mounted hardware devices and associated software optimized for military aircraft simulation use-cases, including long-duration tactical training events, high workload human-machine interaction, and integration with the software-defined cockpit architectures described in Solution Path I while minimizing negative training.

Proposed solutions should emphasize advancement in the following capability areas:

• Display performance
• Human factors and endurance
• Virtual interaction and spatial registration
• Security

Ongoing external efforts will inform and refine the understanding and definitions of the above attributes as this effort proceeds. Offerors should demonstrate the ability to apply agility and rapid adaptation during development to address incoming refinement of requirements and human factors related scientific understanding.

Solution Path III: Data Orchestration

The Department seeks resilient and scalable solutions that enable secure, policy-compliant data access, exchange, and propagation across classification boundaries while maintaining high performance and low latency.

Within the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE), simulation interactions and propagation effects are currently orchestrated through the Global Reusable Interface Domain (GRID), a government-owned integration framework that provides authoritative, physics-based synchronization and interaction services across participating simulation entities, platforms, sensors, weapons, and environments.

Future operational concepts introduce additional requirements for dynamic data governance, heterogeneous user populations, coalition interoperability, and real-time policy enforcement across mixed-classification simulation environments. GRID is not currently designed for orchestration of mixed-classification messages and data. Therefore, the Department seeks solutions that extend or augment GRID-enabled architectures with capabilities including:

• fine-grained data tagging and labeling 
• identity- and role-based access control 
• dynamic releasability enforcement 
• automated cross-domain mediation 
• policy-driven filtering and transformation of simulation data 
• secure orchestration across multiple classification levels and coalition enclaves 

Solutions must demonstrate how the low-latency, authoritative and synchronized interactions required for JSE participation will be preserved while introducing scalable multi-level training operations supporting heterogenous user groups and mission scenarios.

Selected performers may anticipate access to JSE GRID source code for prototyping and experimentation. GRID is provided for prototyping and experimentation according to the Naval Air Warfare Center battlespace license, which must be agreed. The government intends to maintain unlimited data rights over all JSE GRID services, including those that may be developed or extended through this prototyping effort.  

Proposed solutions for this effort are expected to demonstrate solutions using GRID-enabled architectures and services. However, the department is interested in modular, standards-based solutions whose data orchestration, policy enforcement, identity management, and security concepts may be extended to broader distributed mission, training, and battle network ecosystems requiring similar data tagging, mediation, governance, and access-control capabilities.

Key differentiators for all proposals include:

• Potential to significantly advance the state of the art and technology maturity within a 1-2 year prototyping period
• Scalability to large, multi-site training environments
• Interoperability with existing DoW systems and architectures
• Alignment with government DevSecOps and secure deployment pipelines
• Ability to collaborate effectively with government teams and other industry partners
• Flexibility to evolve with emerging operational requirements and mission sets
• Information detailing prior cyber accreditation (e.g. ATO) of the proposed solution and/or a proposed plan, confidence level, and supporting evidence to achieve accreditation of the technology within a ~12-month period. Detailed information on any existing ATO, CTF, or ATC will be requested at later stages of this opportunity.

Other proposal considerations:

• Proposals should target a submission length of 5 pages for a white paper or 15 pages for a slide deck.
• Offers may only upload one submission per solution path (i.e. a maximum of 3 total submissions if offering against all three solution paths). While multiple concepts may be included under a single submission, multiple submissions for any one solution path will not be considered. 
• Offerors are encouraged to disclose and/or curb the use of AI generated proposal content. Fully AI generated submissions will be rejected.
• Prior to submitting, name your proposal “company_product name_solution path”
• For additional guidance on how to best succeed throughout this CSO, see the DIU_CSO_Amend_0001_HQ0845-20-S-C001 document published on sam.gov, or reference the CSO_Guide_1.1.2026 posted on the DIU.mil website.

Upon the successful completion of the prototype project, the competitively awarded OT may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of further competitive procedures. The follow-on production OT agreement or contract will be available for use by one or more organizations in the Department of Defense and, as a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production OT agreement or contract could be significantly larger than that of the prototype OT. As such, any prototype OT will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production:

“In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project, or portions thereof, for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OT agreement may result in the award of a follow-on production OT agreement or contract without the use of competitive procedures.”

Overview:

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in partnership with Blue Horizons and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) RF Seekers Branch, is offering a $250,000 prize challenge for a conceptual active RF radar seeker design and future use considerations for use in a 2.75-inch class munition. This technology focus area supports efforts to evolve a low-cost 70mm missile variant by integrating an RF active seeker capable of all-weather lock-on-after-launch engagements. The prize challenge is designed to identify top-performing solutions for potential prototyping and eventual transition into a $50M rapid acquisitions program using an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle. 

Benefits of Participating:

• $250,000 in total funding split among up to three (3) top-performing finalist companies
• Consideration for the follow-on $50M rapid acquisitions program contract
• Engagement opportunities with mission partners and DoW leaders for winning team(s)



Eligibility:

• Any U.S. Participants will be subject to a security screening if selected. International participants are not eligible at this time.
• Companies without a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code will be required to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) and have an active registration to be eligible for a Prototype agreement, if selected. The DoW recommends that participating companies begin this process as early as possible.
• Any US business is encouraged to apply.

Timeline:

All dates are tentative and subject to change

Phase 1: Prize Challenge

• May 28, 2026: Open Call Release (DIU Website)
• June 8, 2026: Ask Me Anything Session (12:00 PM ET)
• July 2, 2026: Open Call Submission Window Closes
• July 2026: Winner(s) Announced

Phase 2: Rapid Acquisitions Program Contract

• August 2026: Top performers may be invited to submit a proposal for the $50M rapid acquisitions program contract (less than 60 days) without further competition

Industry Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session

On June 8, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) will host a virtual Ask Me Anything (AMA) session for the Rising Smoke Prize Challenge: Register Here. The session will provide prospective participants with an overview of the challenge objectives, timeline, eligibility, and submission requirements. Following the overview, attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions directly to the challenge team and subject matter experts during an open Q&A discussion. A consolidated Q&A document summarizing questions and responses from the session will be posted to the event page following the AMA for those unable to attend live.

Problem Statement:

The Department of War (DoW) requires a commercially viable, active RF radar seeker for the low-cost 70mm missile variant. The immediate challenge is to identify a conceptual design that can be integrated within the strict 2.75-inch munition form factor, enabling all-weather lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) engagements. The resulting solution must demonstrate a clear pathway to transition an affordable sensing capability into scalable missile production.

Since the seeker's outer diameter is small (maximum 2.75 inches/70mm), the design must prioritize the “art-of-the-possible” by balancing trade-offs between detection range, power requirement, and seeker field of regard, while maintaining compatibility with both aircraft (LAU-131 and LAU-68) and ground launch systems. Successful and scalable solutions have the potential to redefine how the Department fields low-cost missile capabilities against increasingly complex threat sets.

Background:

The AFRL RF Seekers Branch is partnering on this $250,000 prize challenge to identify top performers for a potential follow-on $50M rapid acquisitions program. The effort supports development of a low-cost 70mm missile variant. The envisioned concept of operations for the RF seeker is to autonomously acquire and track targets after missile launch, provide guidance inputs to the guidance section, and secondarily it would be ideal to trigger warhead detonation via a proximity fuze mode-Seeker Integrated Fuzing (SIF).

End User: DoW

Judging Criteria:

White Paper submissions will be judged on seven (7) major criteria: 

1. Introduction: Clarity and conciseness of the innovation, capability, and relevance to Air Force needs.
2. Form Factor & Launch Integration: Physical size, weight, 70mm munition form factor compliance, and compatibility with LAU-131/LAU-68 launch systems.
3. RF & Tracking Performance: Operational frequency band, detection range/guidance to a 0 dBsm (normalized value) target at 6km, adequacy of Field of Regard (>±15° in Azimuth and Elevation), and adequacy of angle detection/tracking error. 
4. System Architecture & Features: Internal design factors including resident power source, Seeker Integrated Fuzing (SIF) desirability, and open system architecture (WOSA/MOSA), considerations. A mechanical single beam conical scan design will be rejected.
5. Commercial Viability: Overall trade-offs between performance, cost, and risk, emphasizing mass producibility and technical novelty.
6. Team and Contracting Readiness: Assessment of the team's organizational structure and ability to reliably transition to a follow-on contract, including compliance with Other Transaction (OT) requirements and readiness for government contracting (e.g., CAGE/SAM status).
7. Submission Quality: Clarity in evidence of projected performance.

Desired Capabilities Features:

The focus is on the “art-of-the-possible” with considerations toward performance, cost, and mass producibility.

• Size/Form Factor: Maximum diameter of 2.75 inches (70 millimeters). The seeker must be consistent with a 70mm form factor (5–7” length; 6–10 lb weight).
• RF Operation: Ku or Ka frequency bands are desired (not necessarily both). Higher than Ka (40 GHz) will still be considered. Avoid commercial use frequencies and atmospheric absorption frequencies.
• Performance: Detection of, and guidance to, a 0 dBsm (normalized value) target at a range of 6 kilometers.
• Tracking/Guidance:
  • Seeker Field of Regard > ±15 degrees in AZ and EL. Beam steering preferred. Gimballed solution is not preferred but will still be considered.
  • Able to develop/derive adequate Angle Off Boresight (AOB) angle discriminant for guidance (simultaneous AZ and EL is preferred, and sequential AZ then EL is acceptable).
  • Develop and maintain appropriate target track file(s) information for missile guidance
• Integration:
  • Seeker power source resident with seeker. Power-Up-Enable line possible from separate Safe-and-Arm (S&A) module.
  • Seeker Integrated Fuzing (SIF) capability at terminal distance is highly desirable but not required.
  • Must be compatible with both aircraft and ground launch systems (LAU-131 and LAU-68).
  • Exact interface to guidance section is TBD but should have Weapon Open System Architecture (WOSA) and Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) considerations.

Submission Requirements:

Entries that do not comply with these instructions will not be accepted. 

Companies must submit a white paper using the provided template (check back soon for link) that describes their proposed solution and addresses the features outlined above. The white paper submission must not exceed 25 pages in length and 25 MB in file size. The document must use a minimum 11-point Calibri font and single-spaced formatting.

• Do not modify the template’s margins or formatting.
• Use the embedded prompts to structure your response. These prompts directly correspond to the evaluation criteria and should guide the organization of your white paper.
• An additional references section is permitted but must be included within the established page limit.
• Footnotes are not permitted.
• Delete the instructional text on the template prior to submission.
• Submit the final white paper as a PDF file.

Applicants must submit their required white paper through the designated submission portal associated with this open call announcement. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and classified information up to the Secret level are not permitted through the standard submission portal.

Applicants may submit supplemental CUI or unclassified materials separately via the Government-designated secure submission method identified here: stephen.davis.4@us.af.mil. Furthermore, vendors may choose to submit information up to the Secret level here: stephen.e.davis42.civ@mail.smil.mil. However, the vendor is solely responsible for ensuring appropriate handling, safeguarding, transmission, and marking of all classified material in accordance with relevant regulations.

About the AFRL RF Seekers Branch

The Air Force Research Laboratory, RF Seekers Branch (AFRL/RASR) is located at Eglin AFB, Florida. AFRL/RASR performs research and development in airborne radio frequency seekers and fuze sensors for a variety of munitions in the United States Air Force current and future inventory. 

About the Defense Innovation Unit

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology in the Department of Defense and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the DoD to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, DIU is the Department’s gateway to leading technology companies across the country.

Intellectual Property:

Applicants retain ownership of existing Intellectual Property (IP) submitted under this Challenge and agree that their submissions are their original work. Applicants are presumed to have sufficient rights to submit the submission. For any submission made to the Challenge, you grant DIU a limited license to use this IP for testing and evaluation for efforts specifically related to the Challenge. Any follow-on contract will be negotiated with individual competitors in the event additional usage, integration, or development is contemplated. Competitiveness for the follow-on effort will consider willingness to provide government purpose rights for maximum producibility of the capability.

Other Transaction Authority:

This DIU Challenge public announcement is an open call to small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors seeking innovative, commercial technologies proposed to create new DoW solutions or potential new capabilities fulfilling requirements, closing capability gaps, or providing potential technological advancements, technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, but also concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities improving commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities, or concepts for broad Defense application(s). As such, the Government reserves the right to award a contract or an Other Transaction agreement for any purpose, to include a prototype or research, under this public announcement. The Federal Government is not responsible for any monies expended by the applicant before award and is under no obligation to award additional procurement transactions.

Satisfying Competition Requirements:

This DIU Challenge Open Call Announcement is considered to have potential for further efforts that may be accomplished via FAR-based contracting instruments, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for Prototype Projects 10 USC 4022 and Research 10 USC 4021, Prizes for advanced technology achievements 10 USC 4025. The public open call announcement on DIU’s website is considered to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition in accordance with 10 USC 4025(b), and 10 USC 4022 (b)(2). Accordingly, FAR-based actions will follow announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b).

DIU reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, at DIU’s sole discretion.

Problem

The U.S. Navy requires the ability to neutralize diverse maritime mine threats in high-current chokepoints to ensure freedom of navigation. Current Mine Countermeasure (MCM) operations are resource-intensive and place personnel and high-value assets at risk. 

Mine threats are divided into two primary categories, each presenting materially different detection, classification, and neutralization challenges:

• Near Surface and Volume/Moored Mines: Mines suspended in the water column, anchored to the seabed by a mooring wire. This includes contact, influence, and command-detonated variants.
• Bottom Mines: Mines resting on or partially buried in the seabed. Effective neutralization requires precision terminal guidance and a neutralization mechanism designed for near-bottom detonation geometry.

Solution

The U.S. Navy, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit, seeks modular, communication-resilient, rapidly fieldable capabilities to reacquire and neutralize near-surface and volume mine threats in the water column. In addition, the Navy seeks the full kill chain detect-to-engage capability for bottom mines, from safe standoff. A solution will:

• Increase the speed at which MCM mission can be accomplished, whether fully autonomous or tethered with operator-in-the-loop 
• Decrease the cost to neutralize 
• Remove warfighters and manned assets from the threat zone with low operator burden

This challenge will test commercial solutions in a series of competitive sprints against one of three Tracks organized by mission, mine type, and position in the water column. For the purpose of this announcement, fully integrated vehicles with sensor/effector payloads and secure C2, ready for operational deployment within six months, are strongly preferred. Due to aggressive fielding timelines, this challenge is strictly seeking mature technologies of TRL 7 or higher. Conceptual designs or early-stage R&D (TRL 1-6) will not be evaluated. 

Vendors should expect that their solution will integrate on an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) of the Navy’s determination. Vendors should clearly describe their solution’s logistical deployment plan, meeting applicable SWaP-C objectives below for USV launch, or hand-launched from shore/pier, in their submission’s Capabilities Matrix (see below) for consideration under this Announcement. 

Timeline

In-water testing will be conducted at a US Navy Warfare Center in the timeline below. The test asset utilized must be representative of production units in form, fit, and function. Timeline subject to change; additional details will be shared to vendors selected.

Solution Attributes 

It is highly desired that solutions meet some or all of the below attributes:

• Navigation: Fully GNSS-denied. Arrive at cue within minimal Circular Error Probability (CEP); maintain low positional drift for area searches.
• Maneuverability: Up to 4-knot sustained currents. Maintain station-keeping in up to 2-knot currents.
• Command & Control: Contested Electromagnetic (EM) spectrum with jamming/spoofing. Transmit authorization requests and sensor data over degraded, encrypted links with ≤ 3 decisions required from the operator per track. Establish continuous, real-time data pipeline streaming from the surface asset back to the Operations Center (Surface > OC). Provision of proprietary or applied data compression Intellectual Property (IP) alongside End-to-End (E2E) encryption standards utilized for the data relay.
• Targeting: Mixed minefield with co-located seabed clutter. Reacquire targets with high probability of reacquisition and classification, and low probability of false alarm (Pfa) against clutter.
• Engagement: Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) authorization required. Execute neutralization with a high probability of kill (Pk) after receiving Operator approval.
• Survivability: Surface operations in up to Sea State 4. All sub-systems should survive launch and operate reliably within a 30°F – 95°F temperature range.
• Host Platform SWAP-C: Max vehicle weight if Launcher required: Objective 250lbs; Threshold 500lbs. Power needs should not exceed 1000W
• Safety: Energetics and batteries should segregate from the vehicle and from each other up until employment.
• Accelerated CONOP: Quantifiable reduction in overall mission time, explicitly demonstrating capabilities enabling immediate "in-stride" mission analysis at the OC.

Mission Tracks

Vendors will self-select into which Track they compete, and may, but are not required to, compete in more than one, and may present different solutions between Tracks. Each Track is evaluated independently. The three Tracks for this Challenge define the specific operational conditions against which vendor solutions will be evaluated. Tracks share a common operational environment and force structure; they diverge at the point of terminal engagement, where the mine type and burial state drive materially different sensor, guidance, and neutralization method. Intended mission profiles and preferred capability characteristics can be found below.

Mission Track 1: Near Surface & Volume Engage 

Overview and Threat Profile

• Target: Multiple Mine-Like Objects (MLOs).
• Depth: Near-surface (0–10m) and in the water column (11–50m).
• Objective: Neutralize multiple targets in a single sortie; Threshold: Neutralize one target in a single sortie.  

Full Mission Profile

• Cuing: External 5–10m CEP provided at launch.
• Reacquire: Must re-acquire targets within 5–10m CEP using internal PNT. Preferably ≥ 60% Probability of Reacquisition (Pr). 
• Standoff C2: Maintain encrypted C2 link. Transmit sufficient for positive identification to Operations Center (OC) for Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) authorization.
• Terminal Engagement: Execute physical approach while holding station within +/- 2m in up to 2-knot currents.
• Neutralization: Use of inert commercial payload required for T&E Event; Objective: proven integration of commercial or GFE kinetic neutralizer strongly preferred for Prize consideration.
• BDA (Objective): Optical or acoustic confirmation via UUV, ROV sUSV (surface sonar), or sUAS (aerial imagery for shallow targets). Preferably ≥ 60% Probability of Kill (Pk).

Mission Track 2: Bottom Mine Detect 

Overview and Threat Profile

• Target: Bottom mine resting on seabed (max 300m depth).
• Environment: Exposed or lightly silted (< 20% burial); seabed clutter present.
• Navigation: Solution should maintain sufficient underwater navigation accuracy to support near-bottom localization in GNSS-denied environments.

Full Mission Profile

• Search & Detect: GNSS-denied transit and search using internal PNT. Search box size will be dependent on system search rate, no greater than 1 nmi x 1 nmi. Detection range should be ≥ 10m.
• Classify: Maintain < 10m standoff. Preferably ≥ 60% Probability of Classification (Pcd) and ≤ 40% Probability of False Alarm (Pfa).
• Standoff C2: Establish encrypted submerged link to pass high-fidelity sensor data and bottom imagery back to the Operations Center (OC).

Mission Track 3: Bottom Mine Engage 

Overview and Threat Profile

• Target: Bottom mine resting on seabed (max 300m depth).
• Environment: Exposed or lightly silted (< 20% burial); seabed clutter present.
• Navigation: Solution should maintain sufficient underwater navigation accuracy to support near-bottom terminal engagement in GNSS-denied environments.

Full Mission Profile

• Cuing: External 5–10m CEP provided at launch. Must include local search capability if coordinates are degraded.
• Reacquire: Must re-acquire target within 5–10m CEP using internal PNT. Preferably ≥ 60% Probability of Reacquisition (Pr). 
• Standoff C2: Maintain encrypted, submerged C2 link. Transmit sufficient for positive identification to OC for HITL authorization.
• Terminal Engagement: Execute near-contact neutralization profile while holding station within +/- 1m (bottom-lock). Must reject 95% of seabed clutter.
• Neutralization: Use of inert commercial payload required for T&E Event; Objective: proven integration of commercial or GFE kinetic neutralizer strongly preferred for Prize consideration.
• BDA (Objective): Acoustic post-shot return or secondary sensor pass (optical not required). Preferably ≥ 70% Probability of Kill (Pk).

Problem

The Department of War manages a fleet of over 150,000 non-tactical vehicles (NTV) across its installations, supporting daily movement of personnel and logistics. Most vehicles remain idle for the majority of the day—often 22 to 23 hours—driven by limited access, analog dispatch processes, and fully human-dependent vehicle operations.

As a result, fleet utilization has remained persistently below target levels - driving excess fleet capacity, elevated cost per mile, and unnecessary accident exposure.

The private sector faces similar challenges and is rapidly adopting digitally coordinated autonomous vehicle business models to increase utilization and improve safety. At scale, these solutions are demonstrating meaningful reductions in crash rates and increasing operational efficiencies.

However, the Department currently lacks a scalable pathway to integrate these commercially proven capabilities into its fleet operations—particularly in a way that aligns autonomy, dispatch, and real-time fleet coordination to deliver measurable operational impact.

The Department is seeking scalable, commercially derived solutions that integrate modern fleet management and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 2+ through Level 4 autonomous vehicle technologies to:

• Increase NTV vehicle utilization through dynamic access and tasking
• Lower overall accident exposure and improve safety outcomes
• Reduce total NTV fleet size and cost per mile
• Free service members from routine tasks so leaders can focus personnel on higher-value missions

Solutions should be capable of operating in realistic environments and demonstrate a clear path to scaling across the Department’s NTV fleet and meet a wide range of logistics missions. 

Desired Solution Attributes

The Department is specifically looking for solutions that are:

• Autonomous: Currently demonstrate, or have a credible path to achieving within 12 to 24 months on public roads, SAE J3016 Level 4 (High Automation) operation with a teleoperation fallback for edge cases and commercially demonstrate at least SAE Level 2+ at time of proposal submittal
• Scalable: Rapidly scalable at a commercially competitive cost with an ability to deliver up to 1000 vehicles within one year of the challenge ending
• Commercially-derived: Utilize any widely commercially available base vehicle – full-size sedan, sports utility vehicle, pick-up truck, or minivan-class vehicle
• Road-capable: Can operate on paved roads and well-maintained, non-paved roads (e.g., engineered gravel or dirt roads). No dedicated off-road capability is required at this time
• Safe: Adhere to established commercial automotive and autonomous vehicle safety standards. Minimize operator interventions and safety-critical disengagements per mile and increase mean miles between disengagements while reliably avoiding pedestrians, vehicles, and other obstacles.
• Easy to Maintain: Minimize maintenance, repair, and sustainment burden
• Rapidly Fieldable to New Sites: Minimize the training time on-site before reaching full system performance
• Cyber-secure: Implement robust cybersecurity measures
• Taskable: Provide a method for users and fleet operators to task, monitor, and supervise vehicle operations

Proposals must present a complete system solution and outline a credible pathway to address the full problem set. Partial solutions (e.g., autonomy software stacks not integrated onto a commercial vehicle platform) will not be considered.

Benefits of Participating

• $30,000,000 in total funding awarded across the finalists and top performing company or companies
• Significant follow-on purchases of vehicles by the DoW
• Demonstrate and validate driver-out Level 4 autonomy under real-world installation conditions, potentially preceding regulatory clearance for public roads
• Facilitate the identification and testing of edge cases

Solicitation, Competitive Process, and Iteration Overview

• Phase 1 - Proposal evaluation. 
  • Objective: Identify the most promising solutions for live demonstration.
  • Companies will submit proposals through the program solicitation. A cross-functional evaluation team will assess submissions based on problem alignment, technical feasibility, and innovativeness within the scope of the project's timeline and budget.
  • Up to 10 companies will be selected to advance.
  • Selected companies will be invited to participate in Phase 2 live demonstrations.
• Phase 2 - Live Demonstration and Capability Brief. 
  • Objective: Evaluate real-world performance and operational readiness.
  • Selected companies will host in-person demonstrations at their facilities, showcasing their integrated solution operating in real-world environments.
  • Demonstrate autonomous on-road navigation and dispatching concepts.
  • Use commercially available vehicles of your choosing.
  • Provide a capability overview and technical briefing.
  • Government evaluators and end users will assess performance, alignment to the problem statement, and overall system maturity.
  • Companies are eligible for up to $500K upon successful completion of Phase 2.
  • The Government intends to select multiple vendors to Phase 3.
• Phase 3 - Initial On-Installation Pilot 
  • Objective: Validate performance, reliability, safety, and user adoption in a real-world operational environment and assess potential scaled value.
  • A subset of companies will be selected to deploy their solution on-site at a Government installation for a 3–4+ month pilot.
  • Companies will deploy a small fleet and support team to incrementally validate expanded autonomy and dispatch capabilities as the safety case matures over the course of the pilot.
  • Selected companies are eligible for up to $10M during this phase.
• Post Prize Challenge Transition
  • Objective: Scale safe, reliable, and value-enhancing solutions.
  • Based on Phase 3 performance, system maturity, and available funding, the Government may:
    • Scale selected solutions across multiple locations, or
    • Continue to mature and refine capabilities in partnership with industry
  • The Government will leverage flexible authorities and acquisition pathways, including but not limited to Prize Challenge (10 U.S.C. § 4025) and Prototype OT (10 U.S.C. § 4022).

Note: At the conclusion of Phase 3, or any time leading up to it, the Government may issue a Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) and award a 10 U.S.C. § 4022 Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement for further development.

Additional Information

The government anticipates multiple awardees within the prize challenge. 

Prime/subcontractor solutions are acceptable, and subcontractors may change in composition throughout the challenge (as long as the prime vendor remains the same).

Eligibility

Any U.S. or International Participants will be subject to a security screen before acceptance to the finals. 

Active or eligible to establish a registration in Sam.gov before final demonstrations.

Ability to demonstrate the solution’s capabilities at a Department-determined test site by July 2026.

Proposal Submission Requirements:

Teams should submit proposals that address the desired attributes above. Proposals should meet the following format requirements:

• Sized 16:9 (1920x1080 pixels)
• Horizontal presentation
• PDF file
• Maximum 15 slide pitch deck

Phase 1 proposals will be evaluated based on the relevance, technical maturity, and innovative differentiators of their solution as it relates to the problem and desired attributes of this solicitation. While companies are welcome to submit in their preferred style and format, the Government recommends addressing the following topics within the proposal:

• Company Overview
  • Headquarters, manufacturing, and operating locations
  • Funding background
• Solution Overview
  • Overview of the complete system and its logistics use cases
  • Overview of vehicle platform and autonomy-critical hardware (sensors, compute, etc.)
  • URL to a video demonstrating system operation (typed, not hyperlinked or embedded).
• Operational Concept and System Architecture
  • Operating environments supported (e.g., paved roads, unpaved roads, trails, weather and environmental conditions)
  • Approach to vehicle tasking, teleoperation functionality, and communications architecture
  • Diagram illustrating how the autonomous system operates and how vehicles are deployed in real-world scenarios
• Safety and Reliability
  • Safety architecture, including collision avoidance, redundancy, and fallback mechanisms
  • Key reliability indicators such as intervention frequency and operational uptime
• Deployment and Mapping Approach
  • Real-world deployments, pilots, or operational testing completed to date
  • Infrastructure, mapping, or setup requirements needed to achieve full system performance in a specific region (i.e., how long until operational).
• Cybersecurity and Data Protection
  • Approach and methods to protecting data, including mapping and sensing data
• Pricing, Scalability, and Product Roadmap
  • Unit pricing and available business models (purchase, leasing, or autonomy-as-a-service)
  • Manufacturing rates, capacity, and product roadmap toward achieving L4 autonomy

There is no guarantee that submissions will be selected. If selected, companies may incur costs not covered by the Prize Award and should be willing and able to do so.

Intellectual Property Considerations:

Applicants retain ownership of existing Intellectual Property (IP) submitted under this Challenge and agree that their submissions are their original work. Applicants are presumed to have sufficient rights to submit the proposal. For any submission made to the Challenge, you grant DIU a limited license to use this IP for testing and evaluation for efforts specifically related to the Challenge. DIU will negotiate with individual competitors in the event additional usage, integration, or development is contemplated. 

About the Defense Innovation Unit

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology in the Department of War and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the DoW to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, DIU is the Department’s gateway to leading technology companies across the country.

Other Transaction Authority:

This DIU Challenge public announcement is an open call to small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors seeking innovative, commercial technologies proposed to create new DoD solutions or potential new capabilities fulfilling requirements, closing capability gaps, or providing potential technological advancements, technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, but also concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities improving commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities, or concepts for broad Defense application(s). As such, the Government reserves the right to award a contract or an Other Transaction agreement for any purpose, to include a prototype or research, under this public announcement. The Federal Government is not responsible for any monies expended by the applicant before award and is under no obligation to pursue such transactions.

Satisfying Competition Requirements:

This DIU Challenge Open Call Announcement is considered to have potential for further efforts that may be accomplished via FAR-based contracting instruments, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for Prototype Projects 10 USC 4022 and Research 10 USC 4021, Prizes for advanced technology achievements 10 USC 4025. The public open call announcement on DIU’s website is considered to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition in accordance with 10 USC 4025(b), and 10 USC 4022 (b)(2). Accordingly, FAR-based actions will follow announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b).

DIU reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, at DIU’s sole discretion.