The US Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking innovative research to enhance counter-small uncrewed aerial system (C-sUAS) kill chain and point defence capabilities through advancements in electronic warfare (EW), cyberspace operations (CO), command and control (C2) automation and autonomy, low-collateral defeat (LCD), low-collateral effect interceptors (LCEI)/blue force interceptors (BFI) and communications.
One of the goals of the research is to blur the line between EW and CO by developing cyberspace countermeasures that disrupt sUAS operations, particularly C2 links. This includes improving system resiliency in contested environments and prioritizing low-collateral damage solutions. C2 advancements aim to automate and optimise responses to sUAS threats, especially swarm attacks, through AI/ML, sensor fusion and automated decision-making. The department says research into LCD/LCEI/BFI could lead to the development of low-cost, autonomous interceptors with integrated EW/CO capabilities and other C-sUAS payloads.
Further research will focus on improving sensor technologies for enhanced detection, identification and tracking, as well as developing a library for storing and indexing cyberspace effects. Efforts will also be made to advance UAS traffic management (UTM) systems, integrating them with existing air traffic control, enabling safe integration of uncrewed aircraft into the airspace.
Finally, it is envisaged that the research will enhance communication systems through advanced modeling and simulation, development of resilient waveforms and networking protocols for swarm operations, and integration of AI for network optimisation and spectrum management.
The total funding for this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is approximately USD 499 million. Individual awards will not normally exceed sixty months with amounts normally ranging from USD 500K to USD 20M. There is however the potential to make awards up to USD 99M. There is also the potential for a prototype project to transition to the award of a follow-on production contract.
The BAA is open and effective until August 2030.
For more information
Image: US Air Force photo
The 2026 Unmanned Airspace Global Counter-UAS Systems Directory is now available. The guide is the world’s only comprehensive, continually updated directory of global C-UAS companies and systems. It itemises over 1,000 C-UAS products and services with performance details, company sales and partnerships arrangements. It is updated every month and broken down into niche sub-sectors (net-capture, missiles, intercept drones, detectors etc) to give C-UAS procurement and industry personnel a unique perspective of global C-UAS technical capabilities and market positions. It is available in word, PDF and excel formats and Unmanned Airspace readers are eligible for a range of discounts. For more information about the Directory please contact the editor Philip Butterworth-Hayes at philip@unmannedairspace.info.