The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, or OUSD R&E, has increased its investment in the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, also known as APFIT, program, which provides financial support to small businesses that develop technologies for warfighters.
OUSD R&E announced that five companies will receive funding of up to $42 million, which is the largest single award since the program launched in 2022.
APFIT was established to accelerate the development and delivery of cutting-edge technologies that support warfighters. Since 2022, the program has invested over $925 million across various projects.
Previous contracts awarded under APFIT ranged between $10 million and $20 million.
New APFIT Funding Winners
According to OUSD R&E, a company developing electronic warfare capability for the U.S. Army secured the largest single AFIP funding of $42 million. Another contract awardee for a Ku and Ka band communications suite for the U.S. Air Force received $33.3 million.
Four projects each received $30 million under AFIP. The projects are:
- Expeditionary Manufacturing Cells for the Air Force
- Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack Systems for the Marine Corps
- Small Unmanned Aircraft Defense for the Air Force
- Vanilla Long Endurance UAS for multiple Department of Defense components
“APFIT empowers small and non-traditional companies to play a pivotal role in countering emerging threats,” explained Emil Michael, under secretary of defense for research and engineering. “The investments allow them to scale, hire talent, and deliver solutions that directly enhance warfighter capabilities.”
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