New SBIR/STTR Awards Fund AI and Tactical Tech
The DoD continues to fund technology development through its small business research programs. Recent awards include a Phase II SBIR contract to Virtualitics for AI-based threat detection and another for an ATAK-integrated wound detection garment. In the STTR program, Stratin was selected to develop the “Wild Dog” tactical loitering munition, underscoring a focus on autonomous strike systems.
- The legislative authority for the SBIR and STTR programs expired on September 30, 2025, and as of early February 2026, Congress has not passed a reauthorization, creating uncertainty and delaying new solicitations and awards across federal agencies. - The DoD's 2023 Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy is driving these investments, focusing on achieving "decision advantage" through superior battlespace awareness, resilient kill chains, and efficient enterprise operations. - The Virtualitics Phase II award is specifically for the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) and will use AI to optimize Readiness Spares Packages, which is critical for the command's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) strategy. - The wound detection garment, developed by Legionarius, LLC, uses a sensor-infused fabric to detect penetrating injuries and autonomously transmits casualty data—including wound type, location, and vitals—over platforms like ATAK and BATDOK. - Stratin Engineering's "Wild Dog" loitering munition is designed to be launched from a larger UAS or manned aircraft, after which it will autonomously navigate to and engage a moving target up to 20 km away without further human input. - The focus on loitering munitions reflects lessons from recent conflicts, where such systems demonstrated high effectiveness in suppressing enemy air defenses and striking armored targets, pushing precision strike capabilities to lower tactical echelons. - The Department of Defense is the largest participant in the small business research programs, with an annual SBIR/STTR budget of over $1 billion, accounting for roughly half of all federal awards. - Integration with the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) is a key feature for many new technologies like the wound detection garment, as the platform is widely used across services to provide shared situational awareness from the command center to the individual operator.
