The Hatch Report (Issue #23)
DoD Opportunities
1) USASOC Sources Sought: Field Engineering Support for HERO 120 Loitering Munition
In support of USASOC’s Capability Exercise 2025 and Sonic Spear Exercise 2025. The PoP is from 13 March to 1 May at Ft. Bragg, NC. Support will include system operations, pre-flight procedures, operator feedback, and the delivery of a HERO Air Refilling System to sustain multiple test events.
The HERO 120, developed by Israel’s UVision, is a mid-range, anti-tank loitering munition (LM) that integrates extended-range surveillance with precision strike capabilities. To meet U.S. defense needs, UVision partnered with SAIC to manufacture the system domestically in Charleston, SC.
THR's Take
Loitering munitions (LMs) like the HERO 120 are poised to become among the most lethal weapons on modern battlefields. As costs decrease and capabilities improve, LMs will increasingly democratize integrated kill chains and standoff precision strike at scale. They empower light formations to punch far above their weight class, reducing reliance on higher-echelon joint force assets for fire support.
In an era increasingly defined by distributed operations, limited force structure capacity, and proliferating A2/AD threats, higher-echelon support from air and long-range ground-based fires is no longer a given. This will force maneuver units to begin fielding organic, highly deployable/mobile, scalable strike solutions. LMs embody all these characteristics and are well-positioned to help fill this gap.
Important Trends
As production ramps up and COTS component integration expands, affordability should improve substantially. Simultaneously, emerging technological advances are likely to enhance battlefield effectiveness through:
Edge AI / networked swarming
More seamless C2 integration with ground units
More efficient propulsion boosting range/loiter time
Modular payloads
Improved SWaP
AI-enabled targeting
This convergence of affordability and capability will accelerate LM proliferation, forcing a fundamental reassessment of ground maneuver doctrine. In Issue 21 of The Hatch Report, I suggested this trend will drive parallel investment in autonomous ground systems to reduce human operator risk in contested/high-threat environments.
A Taste of What's to Come
An excellent analysis from the Warzone examined an intriguing Rheinmetall-UVision partnership concept: an ISO-standard shipping container housing 126 Hero launch cells arranged in three 42-cell arrays mounted on a Rheinmetall tactical truck.
The concept's disruptive potential comes from weaponizing globally ubiquitous shipping containers for mass LM deployment via multiple transportation modalities—truck, rail, ship, and aircraft. During protracted conflicts, military success increasingly depends on rapidly adapting and integrating readily available commercial assets. This ISO container-LM combination exemplifies this approach, potentially enabling industrial-scale precision fires, so long as LM production can keep pace.
Taiwan Option?
The ability to pre-position and forward-deploy this kind of capability—effectively keeping it on standby until the battle begins—could be especially valuable in a Taiwan scenario. Scattering and camouflaging ISO-LM containers near beachheads and key chokepoints would create a major challenge for PLA invasion forces. PLARF targeters would struggle to identify and neutralize all of these assets, especially if well-hidden, in the opening stages of an invasion.
It’s well known that once an invasion begins, Taiwanese forces must be able to hold out long enough for the U.S. to mobilize sufficient combat power and break through the PLA’s increasingly formidable A2AD defenses. This requires sufficient combat capability and capacity already on the island to sustain the defense during this critical window.
Note: This broader concept is not new. I encourage readers to review the Defense Science Board’s 2017 unclassified report on Assault Breaker II (ABII). Over the years, DARPA, OSD R&E, the military Services, and other DoD agencies have continued to refine and work toward operationalizing the ABII concept. The ABII report, along with DSB’s other highly informative reports, can be found [HERE].
Is a New Approach to Buying LMs needed?
The U.S. is only just beginning to meaningfully procure loitering munitions (LMs). The most significant example to date (to my knowledge) is the $500 million "Replicator Award", a portion of which went to AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600, a system that shares many similarities with the HERO 120.
This prompted an important question: Should DoD pursue a Joint Program Executive Office (J-PEO) approach to LMs, or would this type of centralization cause more harm than good? Given the variations in LMs, they don’t seem to fit neatly into the current PEO construct.
Currently, each Service independently manages testing, validation, and procurement for LMs. This can result in redundant efforts, delayed capability delivery, and forces industry to navigate multiple bureaucracies. A streamlined J-PEO for LMs empowered with an M-IDIQ contract vehicle would:
Test and validate multiple LM systems.
Create a pre-approved catalog with multiple LMs categorized by range, payload, and mission type. (Akin to DIU’s BlueUAS list.)
Enable individual units across the Services to procure LMs through task orders tailored to their mission requirements and budget constraints.
Leverage economies of scale to negotiate better pricing.
Take a more strategic approach to address manufacturing/supply chain capacity.
Strengthen collaboration between end-users and industry to refine capabilities and integrate improvements at a more rapid cadence.
This idea aligns with the growing push for a "portfolio approach" in DoD acquisitions, shifting away from Service-siloed, platform-centric procurement toward more adaptable capability portfolios that integrate all essential elements needed to deliver a given capability. For example, "Small-Unit Precision Strike" could serve as a capability portfolio under which LMs would fall, enabling more agile funding and investment across enabling technologies.
DIU's $99M production OT agreement with Anduril for counter-UAS technology provides a partial precedent. This five-year agreement offers a flexible contracting vehicle any Service can use to procure evolving C-UAS solutions, though actual utilization across the Services remains unclear.
Importantly, the Services are likely to resist any attempt to cede decision/procurement authority to a joint-PEO.
I welcome any pushback regarding my thoughts on the disruptive nature of LMs and/or the viability of a J-PEO approach. I recognize there are significant DOTMLPF-P considerations that the Services have to own and must be carefully considered in any joint PEO approach. It’s also entirely possible that the tech does not pan out and/or costs remain prohibitively high.
2) Army RCCTO Solicitation: Enhanced Contested Logistics Software Prototype Development
Primary Goal: Maintain dynamic planning capability to provide reliable, visible, and secure flow of all classes of supplies and services while operating in highly contested degraded environments with limited resources.
Focus Areas (in response to gaps identified in the CFL-CFT's A-CDD):
Improve fuel distribution by providing visibility into operational/tactical needs, ensuring units are adequately supplied pre-line of departure. Should recommend the best use of ground assets combined with other distribution (air, rail, other) techniques.
Enhance BCT and Command Post mobility/readiness by optimizing supply chain for timely delivery of CLIII (fuel) and CLV (ammunition) to Division Support Areas.
Maintain combat platform readiness through predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring, leveraging Army-provided data to recommend CLIX (repair parts) distribution.
Calls out RCCTO-led Human Machine Integrated Formations (HMIF) initiative. Must incorporate and utilize the Army’s standards for maintenance data pertaining to HMIF.
The software must be designed as an enterprise-level framework that others can build upon. It needs to integrate with existing Army systems (e.g., EBS, GCCS-A, CPCE), provide visualization capabilities, and achieve at least 85% predictive accuracy for logistics disruptions. It must utilize middleware that allows for rapid adoption and ingestion of data sources, and incorporate deep learning models.
This is a competitive opportunity for U.S. companies capable of handling CUI. The project should deliver a TRL 6+ solution within 20 months of contract award and could lead to follow-on production contracts without competition.
The Government will evaluate proposals based primarily on technical approach, followed by schedule/milestone payment plan and experience/qualifications, with price as a secondary consideration.
Questions Cut-off Date: 17 March
Response Deadline: 26 March
3) SOCCENT Sole Source J&A: Unmanned Aerial System Procurement for Cave Clearing Operations
These UAS will feature FPV capabilities to provide real-time visual intelligence within cave environments, allowing operators to identify threats and assess terrain before human entry. This acquisition aims to replace current practices that rely on Military Working Dogs or personnel for initial reconnaissance, which exposes them to significant hazards including limited visibility, unpredictable terrain, and potential threats like explosives and booby traps. The UAS solution will include communication relay capabilities to enhance coordination between teams inside and outside caves.
This is a new firm-fixed-price contract using FY25 Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funds, which is an interesting color of money to buy hardware capabilities like this. Most details have been redacted.
4) AFLCMC/EBDK JUON-related C-UAS RFI
Focused on groups 2/3 (others a plus). Open to ground-to-air or air-to-air systems with autonomous or semi-autonomous capabilities. Must have the ability to demonstrate All-Up Round capability at TRL 6 NLT 30 June. AF/Navy munitions packaging and airworthiness experience important. Informative manufacturing-related questions:
Can you produce this system?
MRL level demonstrated?
U.S.-based production?
Current max capacity per month?
Ability to scale to 2,000 units/year (tooling & ROM details)?
Willingness to provide Unlimited/Gov’t Purpose Rights?
Response deadline - 27 MAR
THR’s Take
New defense entrants face a significant catch-22: They develop innovative ideas and MVPs but struggle to secure/justify the CapEx for large-scale production without order backlogs or contracts that provide long-term recurring revenue. Conversely, DoD is unlikely to award contracts unless companies can demonstrate a realistic pathway to meet production requirements.
This misalignment creates a critical dichotomy in defense innovation that requires deeper analysis, especially as the Department shifts toward tranche-based procurement strategies, which likely mean shorter procurement lead times. I.e., no waiting around for a year while you try to figure out your product ramp.
I’d argue that a U.S. government-subsidized third-party “manufacturing-as-a-service” model could help bridge this gap. This presents a great opportunity for DoD’s Depots, industry, and PE/financial institutions to collaborate on novel public-private partnership solutions.
5) AFRL/Information Directorate Pre-solicitation: Targeting Operations and Analytics Development
Seeking technologies to improve the joint targeting cycle: shorten the killchain, improve operational awareness, provide information and connectivity assurance during execution, and enable battle damage assessment.
Total BAA funding is $499M. Individual awards typically range from $1M-$25M over 36-month periods, with potential for awards up to $99.9M. Successful prototype projects completed under Other Transaction agreements may transition to follow-on production contracts or transactions.
6) Office of Strategic Capital RFI: Environmental Due Diligence (EDD)Services
Seeking environmental due diligence support—ranging from thorough site assessments to regulatory compliance guidance. In the future, the government anticipates awarding one or more IDIQ contracts with an estimated ordering period of 5 years and a total value ranging from $35 million to $75 million.
IMO, this is a likely indicator of OSC’s desire to start making some large-scale infrastructure-related investments.
Response deadline - 25 March.
7) Navy SSN: Camouflage Netting And Expeditionary Lifting Structures (CNELS), Operational Test Support, And Joint Technology Transition
Focused on next-gen aircraft shelters and camouflage systems for USMC/USAF. X-Hangar is a fully inflatable, expeditionary aircraft shelter designed for rapid deployment with an integrated lifting structure for support. The Camouflage Vehicle Mesh (CVM) is a specialized cover that attaches to the X-Hangar, providing multispectral concealment while maintaining durability and breathability. This project seeks to enhance both systems, making the X-Hangar lighter, more mobile, and more durable while improving the CVM’s multi-spectral obscuration capabilities and environmental adaptability/durability.
Response Deadline: 24 March
8) USMC RFI: Innovative Technology Solutions & Support Services for Project Dynamis
Project Dynamis = USMC’s strategy/framework for rapidly prototyping battle management, joint-fires, intelligence, and logistics capabilities (USMC’s contribution to Navy’s Project Overmatch). Goal: accelerate CJADC2 through informed service-level decisions and adjustments to Programs of Record. If your tech supports CJADC2 or Force Design 2030, Project Dynamis could be a direct path to USMC evaluation. Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) appears to be leading this effort and may have details on next steps/timing of evaluation opportunities.
Response Deadline: 14 April
9) DARPA Solicitation: Anticipatory and Adaptive Anti-Money Laundering (A3ML)
The newly developed algorithms will sift through financial transaction graphs for suspicious patterns and learn new patterns to anticipate future activity and emerging TTPs. A3ML also seeks to represent the structure of these TTPs in a generic, sharable format that protects sensitive financial data to facilitate information sharing between and across industry and government.
Response Deadline: 23 May
10) DLA Solicitation: AI for financial reporting and audit processes
Seeking AI-enabled capabilities that can automate data analysis, identify anomalies in transactions, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Should integrate seamlessly with existing DLA financial systems. Must support scalable implementation, adapting to evolving audit needs while maintaining security and transparency. Advanced analytics and machine learning should enable proactive fraud detection, trend analysis, and predictive insights to strengthen financial oversight. A user-friendly design is essential for ease of adoption and minimal disruption to current workflows.
Response Deadline: 10 April
11) DARPA RFI: End to End Automation & Evaluation Tools
Seeking AI/LLM-enhanced capabilities that streamline requirements and solicitation development, enhance abstract and proposal evaluations, and optimize pre-award, award, and post-award contract management. Solutions must integrate seamlessly with DARPA’s Microsoft 365 environment and support rapid, merit-based decision-making while ensuring FAR compliance.
Response Dadline: 26 April
12) DARPA Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) Pitch Day & Spark Tank Special Notice
Invite-only on 25 July in Aurora, CO. Abstracts due April/May. Up to $2M available with accelerated 30-day awards (per original BAA). More details posted ~20 March. MTO’s three thrusts: next-gen microsystem circuits, advanced fabrication/manufacturing, and design/integration/security technologies leveraging commercial scale.
Question / Industry Survey Idea
Which U.S. government agency hosts the most effective pitch competitions with the fastest follow-on contract awards? Is there a clear leader regarding transparency, communication, contracting team competence, and overall coordination before, during, and after pitch events?
Beyond the pitch event itself/initial award, which pitch events have most successfully connected industry participants with qualified PMs ready to integrate capabilities into their acquisition strategies? And/or, how clear was it that the pitch event influenced some kind of requirements document or larger award? Even without winning, detailed end-user feedback is invaluable, which pitch events facilitated the most substantive end-user feedback sessions?
Everyone runs these events differently (and there’s a lot of them). If there's a clear leader, codify their process and share it with the wider community for possible adoption. An industry survey generating a net promoter score for these events could be useful. For example, on a scale of 1-10, how valuable was the event? Value can be measured by:
Number of key stakeholder relationships established (was the event conducive to quality networking)
Level of insight gained into the problem
Effective coordination and communication
Simplicity of submission process
Competence level of the contracting team
Time required to receive awarded funds
Quality of follow-up engagement resulting from the event
13) DARPA Solicitation: Securing Artificial Intelligence for Battlefield Effective Robustness (SABER)
Seeks to establish an operational AI red teaming capability to assess vulnerabilities in AI-enabled battlefield systems. While AI offers significant advantages in decision-making speed, accuracy, and autonomy, adversarial threats such as data poisoning, evasion attacks, and model theft pose significant security risks. Despite extensive theoretical research, these risks remain largely untested in real-world military environments.
SABER aims to build a sustainable AI red teaming model to evaluate AI-enabled ground and aerial systems expected to deploy within the next 1-3 years. The program will solicit experts to develop and integrate advanced adversarial AI, cyber, electronic warfare, and physical attack techniques into a robust toolkit, ensuring future AI-enabled defense systems can withstand adversarial threats in operational settings.
Response Deadline: 6 May
14) USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and Readiness (AF/A3T) RFI: Air Force Readiness Analysis And Decision Support (AFRAADS)
The contractor will assess readiness using data models, optimize resource allocation, and support decision-making processes. Key responsibilities include managing readiness databases, improving predictive models, and ensuring policy compliance. Vendors are encouraged to provide information regarding plans to use joint venturing (JV), partnering or consortia.
Response Deadline: 10 April
15) DHA RFS: Role 4 (Definitive Care) Modeling and Simulation Tool
Seeks innovative medical simulation prototypes to enhance warfighter medical training and readiness. Supports DHA’s Medical Simulation and Training Program Office. Only TReX II consortium members are eligible to submit proposals.
Response Deadline: 23 April.
Industry Activity
16) AFWERX Awards $15M STRATFI to Argus for AI-Powered Social Media Intelligence
Accrete Government, a wholly-owned subsidiary Accrete, will enhance situational awareness across low-density social media platforms currently unmonitored by the USAF and other DoD elements. The funding will accelerate the development and deployment of Argus, an advanced AI-driven social media influence and threat detection platform.
17) BlueHalo Conducts Successful Test Launch of FE-1 Next-Gen C-UAS Missile
FE-1 is designed to counter Group 3 UASs and above. The latest test builds on a series of key milestones:
June: BlueHalo was selected as one of two vendors to advance the Next-Generation C-UAS Missile (NGCM) by CCDC AvMC / Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium® (AMTC).
August: Completed multiple test rounds, including the successful firing of its dual-thrust, solid rocket motor.
December: Conducted warhead detonation testing, gathering impact data on penetration depths, velocities, and fragmentation patterns to validate lethality predictions and refine warhead development.
18) NAVSUP Awards Sole-Source Contract to OWT Global for NINJA C-UAS Support
OWT Global LLC will provide FSR services for Black River Systems’ NINJA C-UAS, which is protecting CJTF-HOA. The contract runs from May 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026. OWT is the only authorized provider due to its exclusive partnership with BRSC, the system’s original developer.
19) USAF Awards BAE $34M for Force Optimization through Rapid-Prototyping, Gear Enhancements & Innovative Technology (FORGE-IT)
$4M obligated at time of award, contract runs through 2029. Provides for development and integration of solutions that leverage new tech such as augmented reality, enhanced communications, and optimized system integration of the Special Warfare (SW) ground ensemble. Result of a competitive white paper submitted under Open Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) FA8650-21-S-6005. No known congressional interest.
20) Skylark Labs Forms Distinguished Defense Advisory Board with Top Military Leadership to Accelerate Market Growth
Skylark Labs focuses on AI-driven technologies like their ARIES BVLOS system for advanced drone detection and the Scout AI Tower for enhanced border security.
The Scout MK I features a compact 20-50 feet telescoping design that deploys in under an hour and operates for 72+ hours on integrated solar power, eliminating the need for fixed infrastructure or external power sources. The system integrates proprietary privacy-preserving spatial mapping technology, multi-spectrum imaging, advanced radar, and AI-powered audio analysis into a rapidly deployable tower.
The system's onboard Kepler AI can detect weapons, unauthorized access, violence, crowd formations, and destructive activities in real-time. The audio analysis system identifies critical sounds including gunshots, breaking glass, and distress calls. The system can be fully operational within 60 minutes at construction sites, public events, critical infrastructure, or remote locations without existing security infrastructure
The Defense Advisory Board's members include:
Lt. Gen. Michael S. Groen (Ret.), former US Marine Corps Commander of JAIC and Deputy Chief of Computer Network at NSA, who brings deep expertise in implementing AI solutions across military operations
Colonel Brad Boyd (Ret.), former U.S. Army Chief of Staff at US Army HQ, JAIC, Stanford, and DIU, with extensive experience in defense technology implementation
Colonel Douglas Drakeley (Ret.), former U.S. Air Force Director ISR US Air Force, JAIC, and DIU, bringing decades of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance expertise
Retired Border Patrol Agent in Charge, Philip Calk, with 28 years of experience at DHS and USBP with TS Clearance, offering specialized expertise in border and public safety operations
21) Holochip Taps Lumus Geometric Waveguide Tech for AR Goggles Targeting U.S. Defense Sector
Backed by the U.S. Navy, the Holochip H50 AR headset is designed for hands-free operation, rugged durability, and secure remote access. Featuring Lumus' geometric waveguide technology, it delivers unmatched brightness, clarity, and a wide field of view. Expected by late 2025, the H50 meets the highest cybersecurity standards for defense applications.
22) Fairlead and Firehawk Aerospace Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Modular Defense Acquisition and Sustainment Capabilities
This partnership integrates Firehawk's rapid, safe, and cost-efficient energetics production techniques with Fairlead's containerized mission modules (CMM) to facilitate edge manufacturing of munitions. It supports a spectrum of applications, from on-demand battlefield production to global-scale manufacturing, enhancing logistical efficiency and effectiveness. Specifically, the collaboration delivers scalable solutions for shipboard, shore-based, and autonomous operations.
23) Ultra Intelligence & Communications unveils a unified ADSI® platform: The future of AI-enabled multi-domain command and control
Ultra's updated ADSI® system connects and translates data across multiple military communication formats, including but not limited to Link-16 networks, net-enabled weapons, hypersonic systems. The platform features an AI assistant that analyzes incoming data, prioritizes critical information, and supports decision-making even in contested environments with limited connectivity. ADSI maintains Joint Interoperability certification while introducing continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) accreditation for rapid security updates.
NOTE: Reminded of DARPA’s STITCHES program, which is a software-only and fully government owned (non-proprietary) toolchain specifically designed to rapidly integrate heterogeneous systems across any domain by auto-generating extremely low latency and high throughput middleware between systems without needing to upgrade hardware or breaking into existing system software.
The toolchain does not force a common interface standard; rather, it rapidly creates the needed connections based on existing fielded capabilities, obviating the need to upgrade in order to interoperate.
24) NoMIS Power Achieves Major Breakthrough in SiC Short-Circuit Withstand Time
The impact of this innovation extends across multiple industries, including renewable energy, electric transportation, and high-power industrial applications. A longer short-circuit withstand time ensures rugged and reliable performance in critical applications, reinforcing the robustness of SiC-based power systems.
For example, built-in redundancy of the SiC MOSFETs inside power converters, which impacts costs as well as power density, can be reduced. Furthermore, applications sensitive to electromagnetic interference, that cannot solely rely on digital control and sensing schemes to detect and act upon short-circuit events, will now be able to effectively utilize SiC MOSFETs with lower risk.
25) GDIT Announces Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS
GDIT and AWS will collaborate to develop cutting-edge cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud migration and modernization solutions to accelerate digital transformation for defense, intelligence and civilian agencies.
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