The Department of War has selected 14 projects for fiscal year 2026 as part of the initial round of the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, or APFIT, program.
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DOW said Monday the announcement brings APFIT’s total awards to more than $1 billion to small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors across the U.S.
“Crossing the billion-dollar threshold underscores APFIT’s commitment to America’s small business innovators and we are proud to accelerate the delivery of these critical capabilities to our warfighters,” said Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering.
The program’s average FY 2026 award now exceeds $30 million per project, with its highest single award reaching $49.7 million, which is just under APFIT’s statutory cap of $50 million.
What Defense Projects Received APFIT Funding in the Initial FY 2026 Round?
The selected projects for the initial APFIT round are:
- Augmented Maneuver Vehicle for Satellites, U.S. Space Force
- Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle for Ground Based Air Defense, U.S. Marine Corps
- Deployable, Attritable Optical Systems, Space Force
- Domestic High Performance UAS Batteries, U.S. Navy
- Gremlin Low-Cost Munition, Marine Corps
- High Frequency Intercept Direction Finding and Exploitation, U.S. Army
- Kraken 18 Communications Pod, Navy
- Miniaturized Gyroscope for Resilient Navigation, Marine Corps
- Mobile Smart Manufacturing for Airframe Spares, Air Force
- Real-Time Command and Control at the Tactical Edge, Army
- Small Uncrewed Maritime Vessels, Navy and Marine Corps
- Tactical High-Bandwidth, Low-Latency, high-capacity data network, Marine Corps
- Trolling Uncrewed Navigation Assistant Seeker, Marine Corps
- Whaleshark Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, Marine Corps
What Is the APFIT Program?
Launched in FY 2022, the APFIT program provides procurement funding for nontraditional performers and small businesses with innovative projects that are ready to transition into operational use.
The OUSW R&E uses a competitive selection process based on warfighter impact, sustainment support and broader applicability. Funded projects span a wide range of capabilities, from undersea sensors to satellite manufacturing and launch.
In June, the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, or OUSW R&E, announced that five companies will receive awards ranging from $30 million to $42 million under the APFIT program. The companies were among the 18 projects selected to receive FY 2025 APFIT funding.
To date, the AFIT program has awarded over $1.4 billion to over 75 companies.
