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Area of Interest (AoI) Statement: Massed Modular Aircraft

Problem Statement

The Joint Force's reliance on low-density, high-value "exquisite" (>$30 million) manned and unmanned aircraft is unsustainable against adversaries utilizing layered defenses enabled by increasingly low-cost antiaircraft capabilities. This drives the Joint Force into unacceptable compromises: either operate safely outside a threat zone – negatively impacting mission effectiveness, or maneuver inside a threat engagement zone with increased levels of attrition.

To operate effectively, we must accept this inevitable attrition, and deploy larger numbers of less-expensive unmanned platforms, designing them from the start with the expectation that some will be lost in combat.

Desired Solution

The Joint Force seeks a cost-effective, theater-range, massed, and modular Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to provide a flexible, operationally-responsive, risk-tolerant option in the air domain. The ability to employ many aircraft at once ensures a persistent overwhelming credible threat despite inevitable attrition. Massed modular aircraft (MMA) are envisioned as in-theater reconfigurable platforms capable of long-range payload delivery. Crucially, MMA must retain the ability to be outfitted with a variety of payloads, including Full Motion Video (FMV) sensors, to execute missions that the MQ-9A performs today.

By deploying large groups of risk-tolerant MMA, the Joint Force can overwhelm enemy defenses even while experiencing numerous MMA losses.

Keeping a constant airborne MMA presence to launch weapons, gather intelligence, perform electronic warfare missions, or relay communications will force an adversary to stay on the defensive. This relentless pressure will exhaust the adversary, forcing them to burn through expensive anti-aircraft missiles and resources faster than they can be replaced.

The following attributes represent an ideal solution, although many of these attributes exist in the trade space.

Primary Attributes Sought

• Risk Tolerance: Designed for affordable, high-rate manufacture, and minimized total ownership cost
• Sufficient Munition and Sensor Payload Capacity: Payload capacity of at least 2800 lbs
• Meaningful Range: Unrefueled combat radius of at least 2300 nautical miles while carrying payload and ability to self-deploy one-way at least 8,000 nautical miles
• Maximum Interoperability, and Integration: Capable of rapid integration and upgrades via exploitation of the following Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) tenets: a) Government Reference Architectures; b) Model Based Systems Engineering; c) formal methods-based software verification

Secondary Attributes Sought

• Autonomy for Control: a one-to-many operator-to-UAS control ratio
• Sufficiently Resilient and Integrated Communications: Hybrid SATCOM/mesh network connecting to Department of the Air Force-Battle Network (DAF-BN); execution of local airfield operations (taxi, takeoff, landing, and divert) under highly degraded or denied primary C2/SATCOM conditions
• Tactically Relevant: At least 200 knots true airspeed; operation from 6,000-foot runway or shorter, semi-improved or prepared
• Sufficient SWaP-C: Sufficient available size, weight, power (25kW), and cooling (5kW) to host a variety of internal and/or external payloads. Enables rapid payload exchange

Capable of full-scale prototype flight testing within 21 months of award, with a targeted Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in FY2031. IOC for MMA is envisioned as 20 mission-ready aircraft delivered to an operational unit, able to be deployed.

Phase 2 Guidance

Companies selected for Phase 2 should expect to deliver a virtual or in-person pitch, and will receive amplifying information with expanded detail to help inform their Phase 2 pitches. As part of a Phase 2 questionnaire, vendors will be expected to provide their Rough Order of Magnitude breakdown to arrive at their proposed design performance and manufacturability tradeoffs. The company’s Phase 2 pitch shall address the Phase 2 evaluation factors contained in CSO HQ0845-20-S-C001 & HQ0034-20-9-DIU, Amendment 0001.

DoW requires companies without a CAGE code to register in SAM (https://sam.gov/SAM/) if selected for agreement award. The Government recommends that prospective companies begin this process as early as possible.

DIU Presents: Specular MIST Prize Challenge

Overview of the Event

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in collaboration with the Department of the Navy Rapid Capabilities Office (DONRCO) and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, seeks to identify innovative, scalable, and cost-effective solutions to address modern maritime training and operational challenges. Traditional acquisition timelines no longer support the urgent needs of our warfighters. To maintain maritime superiority, the Specular MIST Challenge accelerates the prototyping and fielding of transformative technologies that deliver an operational advantage at speed.

A critical component of this modernization effort is the deployment of autonomous and containerized payloads to generate combat power at speed and scale. This initiative focuses on accelerating the development, prototyping, and production of a portfolio of payloads for integration onto manned and autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), providing adaptable, lethal, and decisive advantages in contested maritime environments.

A team of subject matter experts will evaluate applicants across a multi-phase competitive process, down-selecting companies to participate in a live At-Sea Challenge demonstration event.

Problem Statement

Current maritime training frameworks and operational capabilities often rely on rigid, distribution-limited, or cost-prohibitive payloads that lack the flexibility to scale. To enable cost-effective sensing, training emulations, and electronic warfare capabilities across autonomous platforms, the DoD requires modular payloads optimized for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) that feature open-system architectures and software-defined capabilities.

Submissions are open across three distinct Lines of Effort (LOEs):

• LOE 1: Threat Radar Simulators - Develop a fleet of maritime-suitable threat radar simulators to provide dynamic threat target presentations for modern training challenges. Emulators must emit complex S-band signals from a moving vessel, operate remotely, and be marinized to support future integration with autonomous USVs.
• LOE 2: Active Electronic Attack (EA) - Integrate modern active EA capabilities onboard autonomous USVs to execute autonomous electromagnetic warfare operations. Microwave Radio Frequency (RF) technology must sense, digitize, and react to the environment without operator input, featuring real-time adaptive jamming against multiple simultaneous signals.
• LOE 3: Passive Electronic Surveillance - Provide remotely operable electronic surveillance capabilities at scale to crewed and uncrewed surface platforms. Must sense and process the RF environment with remote operator input, providing state-of-the-art cybersecurity compatible with the existing Navy landing zone.

Technical Attributes

Solutions for LOE 1 & 2 should be designed with a modular, open-system architecture. A focus should be placed on real-time reprogramming and software-defined RF capabilities to deliver tunable solutions. Submissions must address the following focus areas:

• Tunable & Scalable: Demonstrate a modular open systems architecture with software-defined radio programming for maximum tunability and rapid technology insertion. Address your plan for solution availability, production capacity, and unit cost for 1, 10, 50, 100, and 300 units, beginning 6 months after Challenge completion.
• Integration: Address unmanned platform integration design, payload optimization (Size, Weight, and Power), and demonstrate the ability to account for vessel motion (roll, pitch, yaw) to ensure accurate payload pointing.
• Environmental Conditions: The solution must feature a resilient design addressing maritime conditions, elevated temperatures, and ship vibration while maintaining performance. It must also address power and thermal management to ensure efficient thermal dissipation for high-power components.
• Command and Control (C2): Detail a common C2 architecture capable of operating the primary payload and co-located systems remotely. For LOEs 1 and 2, The solution must demonstrate the ability to ingest target positioning data and automatically adjust antenna position accordingly. For LOE 3, the solution must be capable of operating with multiple layers of encryption while underway, while supporting data transfer of recorded wideband RF.

Specific Technical Requirements

The following Specifications must be met to have a viable solution.

For LOE 1: Threat Radar Simulators: 

The emulator must meet the following minimum technical specifications:

• The system must provide an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of 50 dBW operating at a 10% duty cycle.
• The radar waveform must support a pulse width ranging from 0.5 to 55 µs, a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) between 50 and 5,000 pps, and utilize both unmodulated pulse and Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM) techniques. 
• The system must maintain a maximum harmonic level of 15 dBc and deliver a beamwidth capable of providing an instantaneous azimuth coverage of at least 10°, complete with elevation pointing capabilities.

For LOE 2: Active Electronic Attack (EA):

The system must demonstrate the ability to operate effectively in a contested electronic warfare environment. It must simultaneously detect and discern multiple discrete queued signals and provide adaptive jamming suppression in real-time without operator intervention.

For LOE 3: Passive Electronic Surveillance: 

The system must be meet the following minimum technical specifications:

• The system must feature radio frequency (RF) environmental sensing capabilities that encompass, at a minimum, the VHF and UHF bands. It must include subsystems providing position and timing, and deliver a total instantaneous bandwidth of at least 50 MHz. Additionally, the system architecture must be fully capable of hosting and operating government-provided software.
• Submissions will be judged by the degree to which they comply with the NSA’s CSfC requirements for data at rest and data in transit, frequency range coverage beyond the minimum specified here, and innovative design decisions leading to cost savings in production or for technological refresh.

Competitive Process & Evaluation Criteria

The challenge is structured into three progressive evaluation phases:

Phase 1: Proposal & Down-Select

-White Paper & Pitch Deck

Phase 2: At-Sea Live Demo

-Live demo at Southern California Event with Direct End-User Testing

Phase 3: Post-Demo Pathway

-Maturation Prizes and potential for Follow-on OTA prototype contract / Procurement

Phase 1: Proposal Evaluation & Down Selection

Initial evaluation of written submissions to select viable commercial technologies for live demonstration. Vendors selected to advance receive up to $250,000 to fund participation.

• Technical Viability & Alignment: Degree to which the solution meets the Technical Capabilities and individual LOE requirements.
• Team & Company Viability: Demonstrated capability, current production rates, and corporate expertise to successfully develop, deliver, and sustain the solution.
• Cost & Scalability: Feasibility of proposed pricing ranges across varying production volumes and lifecycle maintenance.
• Quality of Proposal: Clear, thorough explanation of how the technology fills current capability gaps and enhances operational effectiveness within the chosen LOE.

Phase 2: At-Sea Challenge Live Demonstration & Pitch Evaluation

Hands-on operational assessment under realistic conditions in Southern California, evaluated by a designated team of DoW end users. Down-selection to Phase 3 yields up to $1,000,000 per selected company and potential for follow-on prototype or production contract. Evaluated on Phase 1 criteria plus:

• Operational Effectiveness: Proven resilience and performance of the hardware/software when exposed to highly dynamic EM environment and maritime weather conditions.
• End-User Feedback: Ease of use, learning curve, and direct tactical feedback from operators testing the system. Selected companies must provide training documentation ahead of time to allow at least three operators to complete training prior to the event.
• Quality of the Pitch: Clear communication of the solution’s value proposition, commercial viability in non-defense markets, and responsiveness to technical or business questions from strategic advisors.

Phase 3: Post-Demonstration Pathway & User-Driven Iteration

High-performing vendors transition into unit-focused field assessments for extended evaluation, training, and rapid fielding. Prizes awarded in Phase 3 scale alongside direct feedback from operational units as they train with and deploy the systems.

• Rapid Delivery Capability: Ability of the vendor to manufacture and supply substantial numbers of operational systems shortly after completing Phase 2.
• TTP Impact: Measurable positive impact on unit Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs).

Challenge Timeline

Date Milestone

07/08/2026 Challenge Opens / Solicitation Release

07/22/2026 Phase 1 Submission Deadline (White Paper & Pitch Deck)

07/29/2026 Announcement of Invited Phase 2 Down-Select Participants

08/05/2026 Virtual Q&A Session for Selected Participants

09/10/2026 At-Sea Challenge Live Demonstration Event Begins (Southern California)

09/25/2026 At-Sea Challenge Live Demonstration Event Ends

10/23/2026 Prize Challenge Board Deliberations Completed

10/30/2026 Prize Challenge Winners Announced

Benefits of Participating

• $5,000,000 Total Cash Prize Pool: Funding distributed across phases to incentivize maturation and cover live demonstration participation.
• Direct Exposure: Operational engagement with leaders across multiple branches of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
• Follow-On Pathways: High-performing vendors stand eligible for rapid fielding opportunities, including cash prizes under 10 USC 4025, system procurement for extended testing, or Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreements under 10 USC 4022.