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DIU Presents: C-UAS Low-Cost Sensing Challenge | National Security Innovation Network

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DIU Presents: C-UAS Low-Cost Sensing Challenge

When May. 20, 2025
C-UAS Low-Cost Sensing Challenge
Seeking solutions for scalable, cost-effective UAS detection, identification, and tracking to enhance DoD counter-UAS capabilities for up to $1,000,000 in awards.

Overview

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in collaboration with the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), seeks to identify solutions for scalable, cost-effective unmanned aircraft system (UAS) detection, identification, and tracking. This challenge aims to enhance the DoD’s counter-UAS (CUAS) capabilities while addressing cost and scalability limitations associated with traditional radars, optical sensors, and radio frequency detection systems.

“We are proud to put all of the tools in our tool box – from our early onramp network of entrepreneurs to our deep commercial engagement and team of dual fluency experts - to work in support of NORTHCOM’s critical efforts to build DOD’s strategic C-UAS capabilities” said DIU Director, Doug Beck. “This work will significantly enhance our ability to detect and track threats, and will help our NORTHCOM teammates secure the homeland.”

DIU Lead for Counter UAS, Matthew Way, explained the pressing need for this capability in the joint force, “DoD needs more options for low cost cUAS sensors that can augment our more exquisite capabilities to provide earlier warnings and indicators,” said Way. “We understand there may be trade-offs in detection range and accuracy to drive down costs versus positively enabling a distributed sensing concept.”

“Establishing a layered domain awareness network from seabed to space to detect and track threats approaching North America is critical to immediate and future mission requirements, because you can’t defeat what you can’t see.” - General Guillot at the Senate Hearing on the Posture of NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM for FY 2026

A team of subject matter experts will evaluate applicants and select up to 10 finalists. This group of finalists will receive a portion of the overall funding to help cover their participation in NORTHCOM’s Falcon Peak exercise in September 2025. The top performing vendors at Falcon Peak will compete for the remaining prize funding. This challenge will close on May 20, 2025 at 11:59:59 ET.

Learn more here.

Problem Statement

The current UAS detection, identification, and tracking capabilities used by the Department of Defense (DOD) often relies on expensive radars, optical sensors, and radio frequency detection systems. These exquisite capabilities, while effective and required in many contingency operations, can have limitations in the ability to scale at an affordable cost. Currently, the cost barrier hinders scalability, increasing over-reliance on visual detection at many installations. That scaling cost challenges the Department’s ability to increase counter-UAS capacity and execute its objectives under initiatives such as Replicator-2 and Operation Faithful Patriot.

Background/Overview:

  • To enable cost-effective sensing across a wide range of DoD sites, the Department needs scalable sensing capabilities that are lower total cost for procurement, deployment, integration, and operation.
  • Provide early warning, indicators, tracks, and alerts that can be integrated and inform point defense or installation defense C-UAS systems
  • Sensors that can be networked to support a single common air operating picture
  • Interested in a broad range of sensor types including, but not limited to, 5G/4G/LTE radio, optical, and acoustic. Interested in both passive and active.
  • Sensors that utilize common API/SDK standards to support modularity and rapid integration.

End User: DoD

Key Dates

Phase 1 - Solicitation/Open Call

  • May 6, 2025: Solicitation Release - Challenge.gov, NSIN Website, DIU Website
  • May 13, 2025: “Ask Me Anything” Session, 2:00pm ET, View Recording here. View Q&A guide here.
  • May 20, 2025: Solicitation Closes at 11:59:59 ET

Phase 2 - Down-Select

  • May 21, 2025: Eligibility Screening Completed
  • June 4, 2025: Evaluations Completed & DIU Due Diligence Begins
  • June 18, 2025: Due Diligence Completed & Interviews Scheduled

Phase 3 - Interviews/Pitches

  • Week of June 16, 2025: Conduct Interviews/Pitches
  • June 30, 2025: Down-select Concludes & Finalists Announced

Phase 4 - Demo/Falcon Peak Event

  • September 2025: Falcon Peak Demonstration Event
  • October 2025: Winners Announced

Benefits of Participating

  • $1,000,000 in total funding with approximately $200,000 split among the finalists and $800,000 awarded to the top performing company/companies (if they have partnered)
  • Exposure to leaders across multiple branches of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
  • Potential for follow-on opportunities such as Other Transaction (OT) agreements , Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), and others

Eligibility

  • Any U.S. or international participants will be subject to a security screen before acceptance to the finals
  • Active or eligible to establish a registration in Sam.gov before final demonstrations
  • Ability to demonstrate the solution’s capabilities at a Department-determined test site by September 2025

Judging Criteria

Applications and Pitches will be judged on eight major criteria:

  • Solution Capabilities: As listed on the Technical Capabilities List below.

  • End User Feedback: Feedback from operational end users from their observation of performance and their hands on capability testing.

  • Cost & Scalability: Cost of proposed solution is feasible for adoption and scalable by capability.

  • Innovation: Soundness and innovation of proposed approach.

  • Quality of Demonstration: Demonstrates how the technology solves one or more of the defined technical capability areas.

  • Team Qualifications: Qualifications of proposed principals, support staff, and consultants.

  • Commercial Viability: Company has a technology solution that is viable in non-defense markets.

  • Quality of Pitch: Company presents a clear and concise overview of its company and technology, demonstrates how its technology solves one or more of the defined problem areas, and effectively answers questions from strategic advisors.

Technical Capabilities

Finalists should demonstrate the following capabilities:

  • Required (not in priority order):
    • Data Export: Sensor must be able to export time series data, including detects, to allow for comparison against truth data.
    • Detection: Able to detect Group 1 and Group 2 UAS.
    • Participation: Able to participate in a test and demonstration event at Eglin AFB, or other DoD-designated facility, in September 2025.
    • Flexible: Cannot require custom or unique power, communications, or other support, a stringent or precise set-up, or a prolonged on-site sensor calibration period.
    • Scalable: Must have multiple sensors acting concurrently. May or may not be mesh-networked.
    • Cost Estimate: Supported estimate for annual cost per km2, including amortized cost of sensor purchase and all operations and maintenance expenses, for the following sensing coverage areas:
      • 1 km2
      • 100 km2
      • 1000 km2
  • Desired (not in priority order)
    • Technology Readiness Level: TRL 6+ for sensor package specifically. If an integrated system, lower overall TRL acceptable.
    • Accuracy:Reduce false positives and false negative rates of detection below sensor modality’s current best-in-class.
    • Independence: Able to operate independently of an external power source or transmitter.
    • Classification and Identification: Demonstration of sufficient sensor data fidelity to allow for classification and identification of UAS.
    • Localization: Able to localize the threat and produce accurate location, altitude, and heading.

Ask Me Anything Session:

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the challenge during the AMA session on May 13, 2025. This interaction will provide clarity on technical requirements, eligibility, criteria, challenge mechanics, and administrative processes. Engaging in the AMA fosters a deeper understanding of the challenge’s objectives, allowing participants to tailor their submissions effectively.

View Recording here.

View Q&A guide here.

You can also submit questions at any time to prizechallenge@diu.mil.

Pitch Deck Submission Requirements:

Teams will submit a pitch deck outlining their solution that addresses the features above. Pitch decks should meet the following format requirements:

  • Sized 16:9 (1920x1080 pixels)
  • Horizontal presentation
  • PDF file
  • Maximum 15 slides

Questions

Please direct your questions to prizechallenge@diu.mil.

About the U.S. Northern Command

The U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) was established Oct. 1, 2002 to provide command and control of Department of Defense homeland defense efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities. We defend America’s homeland — protecting our people, national power, and freedom of action. Integrated and aligned with North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a bi-national command responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning, we share a common goal of defending North America.

About the Defense Innovation Unit

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology in the Department of Defense and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the DoD to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, DIU is the Department’s gateway to leading technology companies across the country.

Intellectual Property Considerations: Applicants retain ownership of existing Intellectual Property (IP) submitted under this Challenge and agree that their submissions are their original work. Applicants are presumed to have sufficient rights to submit the submission. For any submission made to the Challenge, you grant DIU a limited license to use this IP for testing and evaluation for efforts specifically related to the Challenge. DIU will negotiate with individual competitors in the event additional usage, integration, or development is contemplated.


Other Transaction Authority: This DIU Challenge public announcement is an open call to small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors seeking innovative, commercial technologies proposed to create new DoD solutions or potential new capabilities fulfilling requirements, closing capability gaps, or providing potential technological advancements, technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, but also concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities improving commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities, or concepts for broad Defense application(s). As such, the Government reserves the right to award a contract or an Other Transaction agreement for any purpose, to include a prototype or research, under this public announcement. The Federal Government is not responsible for any monies expended by the applicant before award and is under no obligation to pursue such Other Transactions.


Satisfying Competition Requirements: This DIU Challenge Open Call Announcement is considered to have potential for further efforts that may be accomplished via FAR-based contracting instruments, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for Prototype Projects 10 USC 4022 and Research 10 USC 4021, Prizes for advanced technology achievements 10 USC 4025, and/or Prize Competitions 15 USC 3719. The public open call announcement made on the DIU website is considered to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition in accordance with 10 USC 4025(b), 15 USC 37 (e) and 10 USC 4022 (b)(2). Accordingly, FAR-based actions will follow announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b).DIU reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, at DIU’s sole discretion.


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