Suitable Warfighting Adaptive Payloads (SWAP)-USV Sprint 2

Problem

The cost-exchange ratio for detecting and neutralizing asymmetric maritime and airborne threats in contested environments is heavily skewed in favor of the adversary. Today the Department of War (DoW) too often relies on exquisite, multi-million-dollar naval surface and aviation assets to counter these inexpensive threats. Low-cost, low-signature threats—including explosive Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), Group 1–3 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), attack helicopters, go-fast vessels, and low-flying aerial vectors—directly threaten surface-fleet operations. 

The current force packages lack sufficient persistent, distributed capability to search for, track, and defeat these threats at an economically sustainable cost.

Solution

The Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU), in partnership with the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM UxS), seeks mature, production-ready, maritime counter-air solutions through a multi-phase Prize Challenge under 10 U.S.C. § 4025. For Sprint 2, DIU seeks integrated combinations of mature USVs and hard-kill counter-air effectors suitable for forward operational fielding within 120 days.

Sprint 2 focuses specifically on detecting, tracking, and defeating hostile airborne threats in contested maritime environments. Proposed solutions should combine proven USVs, mature hard-kill effectors, resilient sensor suites, and interoperable command-and-control architectures to provide affordable, scalable, and persistent capability while favorably shifting the cost-exchange ratio.

This competition will be executed as Sprint 2 of 3 for the SWAP-USV 12-month Prize Challenge. To be considered for Sprint 2, complete submissions must be received by November 29, 2026 at 23:59:59 EST.

BLUF & Key Operational Mandates

• Response Deadline: Complete proposal packages must be submitted by November 29, 2026 at 23:59:59 EST
• System Maturity: Only production-ready USV and effector platforms with demonstrated integration, active manufacturing capability, and verifiable production capacity will be evaluated. Conceptual, developmental, or prototype-only solutions will not be considered.
• Launcher Integration Paths: A Government Furnished Information (GFI) Technical Data Package (TDP) for a heavy kinetic launcher interface and fire-control is available exclusively for Category 1 (Heavy Kinetic) integrations (see Submission Guidelines). For Categories 2–4, and for industry-provided alternatives within Category 1, the Government strongly encourages mature, production-ready launchers and effectors with demonstrated manufacturing capability.
• Testing Readiness: Selected offerors must be prepared to demonstrate an integrated system within 30 calendar days of down-selection.

Desired Solution Attributes

The DoW seeks mature, production-ready USVs fully integrated with mature hard-kill Counter-Air effectors and clutter-resilient sensor suites to detect, identify, track, and defeat hostile airborne threats. This program addresses a critical gap in affordable maritime air defense and organic fleet self-defense. The Government will prioritize total cost-effectiveness - encompassing the vessel, weapons, crew, operations, and maintenance - over standalone platform performance metrics. To achieve operational mass, the Government may favor affordable, high-rate production solutions over exquisite, low-quantity systems.

The USV solution must demonstrate a minimum operational range of 200 nautical miles and a sustained cruise speed of at least 10 knots. These values represent threshold requirements for consideration; however, the government seeks the highest-performing solutions, and top performers are expected to substantially exceed these thresholds. 

The USV platform should enable the following operations:

1. Carry, integrate, launch, control, and employ mature hard-kill Counter-Air effectors and required sensor suites to detect, track, interdict, and defeat hostile airborne threats. Proposed effectors, launchers, and associated sensor subsystems must be technically mature and derived from established, active, and verifiable production lines.
2. Navigation to user-defined waypoints, patrolling designated areas, station-keeping loiter, collision avoidance, and repositioning in response to operator commands or mission objectives.
3. Safe and reliable operation across open-ocean and littoral environments.
4. 360-degree detection, tracking, and positive identification (PID) of airborne and surface threats using onboard clutter-resilient sensors, providing operators with real-time situational awareness.

The Counter-Air Effector solution should enable the following operations:

1. Capability to detect, track, and engage low-flying aerial threats – specifically Group 1–3 UAS and rotary-wing aircraft – at engagement ranges > 3NM under operator supervision. Group 5 engagement capability is highly desired.
2. Rapid field rearming executable by a two-person crew with minimal support equipment in pier-side, austere, or shipboard environments is highly desired.
3. Fail-safe over-the-horizon remote arming, firing, safe/de-arming protocols, and mission abort procedures executable under human-in-the-loop safety interlocks.
4. Seamless interface with military command architectures (MOSA compliant) to securely process offboard tactical cueing and execute remote firing commands under human supervision.

To maximize operational flexibility and accommodate diverse mature industry approaches, proposed counter-air effectors are organized into four non-mutually-exclusive capability tracks. These categories are evaluation lanes, not separate solicitations. Offerors may propose one or multiple categories within a single integrated submission.

• Integrated Solution Mandate: Submissions must represent a single, integrated solution covering the USV platform, launcher, and effector payload; standalone platform-only or effector-only submissions will not be evaluated for Sprint 2.
• Multi-Category Submissions: Offerors may propose single-category, multi-category, or hybrid payload mixes within a single integrated proposal.

The Government is seeking operationally relevant, production-ready solutions that can be evaluated quickly, fielded forward rapidly, and sustained at scale.

Desired Primary Attributes

1. Persistent Area Search and Maritime Performance: The solution must deliver persistent, low-cost autonomous surveillance and defensive interdiction across defined maritime operating areas – maximizing coverage, detection probability, time on station, and overall mission effectiveness while drastically reducing operating costs, logistical footprints, and staffing requirements. Solutions that deliver greater sustained area coverage and operational effectiveness at lower cost will be evaluated more favorably.
2. Mature System and Manufacturing Scalability: Solution briefs must address prior operational demonstrations, system maturity, proven integration, command-and-control architecture, and technology readiness. The Government is seeking production-ready capabilities and is not interested in conceptual designs, developmental efforts, or prototype-only solutions. Offerors must demonstrate established manufacturing capability and active production lines for the USV, sensors, launchers, and effectors.
3. Integrated Counter-Air Employment: Solutions must provide an integrated capability to detect, track, and engage low-flying aerial threats – specifically Group 1–3 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and rotary-wing aircraft – in contested maritime environments using mature hard-kill effectors under operator supervision. A capability to engage Group 5 aerial threats is highly desired.
4. Command and Control Integration: Solutions should provide modular, MOSA-compliant Command and Control, specifically supporting Project AVO (Autonomous Vehicle Orchestrator) as the primary C2 orchestrator for vessel maneuvering, tactical cueing, sensor data sharing, and remote weapon employment under human supervision. Offerors providing Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation capabilities for DoW test environments, including certified, validated, or accredited 3DOF/6DOF simulation of the effector covering minimum and maximum kinematic values for range and altitude, target scenarios, launch platform dynamics, and effector error conditions will be looked upon favorably.
5. Maritime Survivability and Safe Employment: Solutions should be able to withstand harsh maritime conditions, including salt spray, shock, vibration, and continuous vessel motion. Offerors must describe their approach to safe arming, firing, de-arming, and abort procedures under human-in-the-loop safety controls, including applicable stabilization requirements, safe launch envelopes, and operational limitations.

Desired Secondary Attributes

1. Low-Burden Logistics: Solutions should be transportable by standard vehicles without specialized handling equipment and compatible with common logistics pathways, including commercial trailers, standard 20 ft and 40 ft ISO cargo containers, and military cargo aircraft such as C-17 or C-130. Additional flexibility for transport in ISO containers or shipboard well decks in a fully mission-capable (FMC), turn-key configuration, requiring no specialized Material Handling Equipment (MHE), field assembly, or pre-mission coordination is highly desired.
2. Resilient Communications and Localization: Systems should maintain resilient communications pathways to operators via multiple independent communications methods, and be able to localize and navigate autonomously when Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are denied, degraded, or spoofed. Solutions that are capable of operating in denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) conditions over the full loiter period will be looked upon favorably.
3. Autonomous Maritime Operations: USVs should be capable of autonomous navigation to user-defined waypoints, patrolling designated areas, loitering on station, following or shadowing vessels of interest, maintaining collision avoidance, and intercepting or tracking targets of interest. 
4. Offensive Operations: While the primary mission focus is Counter-Air, a capability to employ chosen effectors in an offensive manner – neutralizing surface threats such as maritime attack craft, UAS launch sites, and land/maritime targets – is highly desired.

Additional Evaluation Criteria

Offerors must provide sufficient detail in their submission for the Government to assess the following factors during proposal review, down-selection, and live testing. 

Challenge Series & Sprints

This competition serves as Sprint 2 of 3 in a 12-month Prize Challenge. 

Follow-On Opportunities

Submissions received under this Prize Challenge, executed under 10 U.S.C. § 4025, constitute a competitive procedure for purposes of potential follow-on actions. Based on Government needs and program execution, the Government has budgeted $200M to award prototype or follow-on production Other Transactions under 10 U.S.C. § 4022 to support further prototyping, system improvement, scaled production, and sustained theater integration.

In addition, the Government reserves the right, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4023, to procure systems, subsystems, payloads, or related test articles necessary for experimental, developmental, test, or evaluation purposes during or following the Prize Challenge without competitive procedures.

Dynamic Test Event Profiles

Selected systems must successfully execute the following evaluation events to qualify for prize awards and potential follow-on prototyping or production opportunities. 

Test Event 1: Baseline Integration & Safety

Format: Vendor-operated evaluation conducted over a 1-2 day onsite period at a vendor-selected site. The event includes an on-water physical demonstration and a technical interview / engineering deposition.

On-Water Physical Demonstration

1. Autonomous Maneuvering: Live execution of autonomous and teleoperated (LOS/BLOS) transit, station-keeping, loiter, cruise-speed verification, sprint-speed verification, and return-to-base maneuvers.
2. Sensor and Tracking Validation: Demonstration of real-time 360-degree target detection, positive identification, and active or passive target tracking in high-clutter maritime conditions
3. Effector Safety and Dry-Fire Integration: Physical inspection of launcher hardware, human-in-the-loop safety interlocks, and payload swap or reconfiguration mechanisms, as applicable.

Technical Interview / Engineering Deposition

1. SIL/HIL Verification: Technical review of available simulation environments and supporting evidence sufficient to assess effector kinematics, representative target envelopes, and modeled error conditions.
2. Manufacturing and Shipyard Audit: Verifiable evidence of baseline hull pedigree, shipyard throughput, active workforce, and manufacturing scale.

Test Event 2: Operational Challenge

Format: DoW-operated evaluation conducted over a three-week onsite period at Little Creek, Virginia.

1. DoW Tactical Control: Direct operation of the integrated USV counter-air platform by designated military end users.
2. Unified C2 Integration: Interoperability testing with Project AVO and relevant third-party modular interfaces.
3. DDIL and GNSS-Degraded Transit: Autonomous navigation in a highly contested electronic environment with active signal jamming.
4. Offboard Tactical Cueing: Receipt of target coordinates from Government-directed offboard sensors to support search, track, and intercept profiles against airborne threats.
5. Dynamic Target Engagement: Tracking and simulated or live-fire engagement, as authorized, against maneuvering Group 1-3 UAS (or Group 5 if applicable) and rotary-wing targets under human-in-the-loop safety constraints.
6. Combat Mission Profile: Safe execution of an end-to-end tactical air defense mission and successful system recovery. 
7. 3rd Party/ Open C2 Interface: Demonstration or evidence of 3rd party C2 integration—specifically providing a C2 integration technical data package (interface documentation and SDK/API) and system integration plan for Project AVO prior to the Test 2 milestone.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements

Submission Models

This solicitation is open to U.S. and international vendors. Sprint 2 is focused on evaluation of complete, production-ready counter-air systems. Accordingly, respondents must submit a single, integrated solution covering the platform, launcher, and payload.

Specialized firms may participate as part of a teamed submission, but standalone platform-only or effector-only submissions will not be evaluated for Sprint 2.

Offerors may leverage the Category 1 GFI Technical Data Package for launcher integration and fire-control, where applicable, or propose mature industry-developed launcher and effector alternatives. The Government strongly encourages mature, production-line solutions. Offerors may propose multiple USV variants or effector/payload mixes within a single submission. For each proposed configuration, offerors should identify the recommended platform mix and describe the associated advantages, limitations, and tradeoffs relative to the Sprint 2 Counter-Air mission.

Government Furnished Information (GFI) Access Protocols (Category 1 Only)

A Technical Data Package (TDP) defining physical, electrical, and fire-control interface specifications for a baseline Heavy Kinetic launcher is available as GFI exclusively to support Category 1 proposals. The TDP contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and export-controlled technical data. To request TDP access, interested Category 1 offerors must submit proof of an active Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, an approved DD Form 2345 (Joint Certification Program - JCP), and an executed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) via the DIU submission portal. GFI will not be issued for Categories 2, 3, or 4.

What to Submit

• The proposal cover page must explicitly state: “Targeting Sprint 2 - Counter-Air Evaluation - (Insert Payload Categories).”
• Proposal Deadline: Proposals must be received no later than 23:59:59 EST on November 29, 2026.
• Pitch Deck Format: Submit a horizontal 16:9 PDF slide deck not to exceed 15 slides.
• Required Content: The submission must clearly address system maturity, prior operational demonstrations, baseline hull pedigree, manufacturing facility capacity, sensor pedigree, active production lines, and surge capacity.

Procurement for Experimental Purposes

The Government may use 10 U.S.C. § 4023 for the procurement of USVs, subsystems, payloads, or integrated capabilities required for experimental, testing, or evaluation purposes at any stage of execution without competitive procedures.

Execution Costs & Risk

The Government does not guarantee selection or reimbursement of proposal costs. Offerors are responsible for their own internal travel, logistics, deployment, and demonstration costs associated with dynamic in-water testing unless otherwise specified by the Government. Selected offerors must be prepared to conduct integrated system testing within 30 days of down-selection. This competition is subject to modification, suspension, or cancellation at the Government’s discretion. 

Intellectual Property Considerations

Applicants retain ownership of existing Intellectual Property submitted under this Challenge and represent that their submissions are original work or that they otherwise possess sufficient rights to submit them. For any submission made to this Challenge, the applicant grants DIU a limited license to use the submitted Intellectual Property for testing and evaluation purposes directly related to the Challenge. Any additional use, integration, or development beyond the Challenge will be subject to further agreement.

About the Department of War Innovation Unit

The Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology in the Department of War and bolstering 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.

Satisfying Competition Requirements

This DIU Prize Challenge, executed under 10 U.S.C. § 4025, is considered a competitive procedure. The Government reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, at its sole discretion.