Drones and uncrewed aircraft: funding and government opportunities

Open and planning notices

• xTech|Kinetic Reach Competition

  DSIP · Pre-Release · Closing 2026-12-23 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2026 CSO xTech; Autonomy; Robotics; Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGV); Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS); Teleoperation; Contested Environments; GPS-Denied Navigation; Communications-Denied, Degraded, Intermittent, and Limited (DDIL) Environments; Electronic Warfare (EW) Resiliency Force Sustainment, Contested Logistics; Point-of-Need Delivery The U.S. Army is seeking innovative force sustainment solutions from eligible small businesses across the U.S. through the xTech Kinetic Reach competition. This platform offers participants the opportunity to engage with the Department of War (DoW), ea

• OPEN - Proliferated Low-Altitude Detection for C-sUAS

  DSIP · Open · Closing 2026-10-21 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2026 CSO sensor network, sensors, acoustic, optical, radio frequency, C-sUAS, sneaky drone, RF-silent dark drone, base defense Innovations in Counter-UAS sensor technologies, data processing, and networking to solve the "sneaky drone" problem by improving the detection, tracking, and identification of small, low-altitude, terrain-masked, and RF-silent Group 1-3 UAS. The system must detect targets from 1 meter up to 300 meters (threshold), 500 meters (objective) off the ground, with individual sensor nodes detecting targets at a horizontal range of at least 100 meters. The nodes must i

• Ground and Air Launched Drone Swarms Create a Self-Protecting Perimeter Using Autonomous AI

  DSIP · Open · Closing 2026-10-21 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2026 CSO autonomous drones; AI-driven swarm; air-launched effects; perimeter defense; secure communications; mobility asset protection; Agile Combat Employment; high-altitude deployment; mobility launch platforms; dual-use; swarm technology; force protection The overall goal of this Direct to Phase II research and development effort is to adapt and validate mature, readily available autonomous unmanned aerial swarm technologies to provide enhanced situational awareness and force-multiplying capabilities for high-value Mobility Air Forces assets and forward ground installations. To ens

• Agile Wire Harness Manipulation and Installation for Unmanned Aerial Systems

  DSIP · Pre-Release · Closing 2026-11-25 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2027 BAA Robotic Wire Routing; Deformable Material Manipulation; Autonomous Harness Installation; Single-Arm Workcell; Blind-Mate Connector Insertion; Real-Time Tactile Feedback; Computer Vision Alignment; Multi-Modal Sensory Control Develop and demonstrate a modular, agile robotic manufacturing workcell capable of autonomously routing, aligning, inserting, and verifying flexible, non-rigid wire harnesses and electrical connectors within the highly constrained physical geometries of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and advanced munitions.As a Direct-to-Phase-II (D2P2) topic, the immediat

• ONR Open Topic for Low-Cost Heads Up Displays (HUDs) for Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR/AR)

  DSIP · Pre-Release · Closing 2026-11-25 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2027 CSO Heads Up Display, Augmented Reality, Human-Machine Interface, First Person Drone, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality Develop a commercial technology to address Navy and USMC gaps regarding low-cost, NDAA-compliant heads-up displays (HUDs) with on-board 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) tracking.

• Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems Rapid Maturation

  DSIP · Pre-Release · Closing 2026-11-25 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2027 BAA Counter-UAS; C-sUAS; Group 1 UAS; Group 2 UAS; autonomous threat detection; edge artificial intelligence; multi-sensor fusion; denied environment Mature commercial and dual-use technologies that detect, track, identify, or defeat small low-flying drones (Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerial systems) in hostile or contested areas.

• Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems Rapid Maturation

  DSIP · Pre-Release · Closing 2026-11-25 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2027 BAA Counter-UAS; C-sUAS; Group 1 UAS; Group 2 UAS; autonomous threat detection; edge artificial intelligence; multi-sensor fusion; denied environment Mature commercial and dual-use technologies that detect, track, identify, or defeat small low-flying drones (Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerial systems) in hostile or contested areas.

• Resilient Integrated Photonic Transport In Denied Environments (RIPTIDE)

  DSIP · Open · Closing 2026-10-21 · Observed 2026-10-13

  DoW SBIR 2026 BAA free-space optical communications; photonic crosslink; cooperative navigation; alternative PNT; GPS-denied navigation; optical mesh network; time transfer; optical direction finding; laser ranging; distributed state estimation; unmanned aerial systems; LPI/LPD datalink The objective of this topic is to develop applied research toward an innovative capability that provides resilient, jam-resistant communications and cooperative navigation for distributed Group three (3) unmanned aerial system (UAS) formations operating in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments acr

• Basic Ordering Agreement for PMA-262 Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programs to support procurement of test, teardown, evaluation, repair, design changes, engineering services and logistics support for the Common Data Link System.

  SAM.gov · Justification — active notice · Closing not reported · Observed 2026-10-13

• Basic Ordering Agreement for PMA-262 Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programs to support procurement of test, teardown, evaluation, repair, design changes, engineering services and logistics support for the Common Data Link System.

  SAM.gov · Award Notice — active notice · Closing not reported · Observed 2026-10-13

• RFI - Contractor Support Approaches for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

  SAM.gov · Sources Sought — active notice · Closing 2026-10-28 · Observed 2026-10-13

• FA8629-26-S-C001(Call-001)_Air Force - Small UAS & Asymmetric Capabilities - Commercial Solutions Opening

  SAM.gov · Special Notice — active notice · Closing 2026-10-15 · Observed 2026-10-13

• Drone Marketplace Commercial Solutions Opening

  SAM.gov · Solicitation — active notice · Closing 2031-03-11 · Observed 2026-10-13

• INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR DRONE OTA CONSORTIUM - AMENDMENT 0001

  SAM.gov · Special Notice — active notice · Closing 2031-05-28 · Observed 2026-10-13

• Call for Solutions (CFS): Drone Marketplace Onboarding of US Payloads, Software, Components, and Enablers/Accessories

  SAM.gov · Solicitation — active notice · Closing 2031-08-03 · Observed 2026-10-13

• Drone Marketplace Onboarding of Group 3 UAS

  SAM.gov · Solicitation — active notice · Closing 2031-08-03 · Observed 2026-10-13