DOD Announces Next Round of Projects to Receive Funding to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies
Science & Tech
The purpose of the APFIT pilot program is to expeditiously transition technologies into production, and to accelerate the fielding of needed technologies to the warfighter, with priority given to technologies developed by small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors.
The benefits of this pilot program will be to deliver war-winning capability earlier than scheduled, while contributing to the viability of small business and nontraditional defense contractor vendors. APFIT is an additional tool the DoD can use to propel innovative capabilities across the "Valley of Death" and accelerate fielding into the hands of warfighters.
The National Defense Authorization Act of FY22 established APFIT under the Secretary of Defense as a competitive, merit-based program for innovative and mature technologies and products that can meet warfighter demands but lack the necessary funding to transition the capability into the production phase.
The U.S. Congress funded $100 million for APFIT in FY22 and increased funding to $150 million in FY23. In those two years, twenty-one DoD programs were selected to receive APFIT funding to procure innovative technologies from these small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors. While awaiting an appropriation before making additional selections, the APFIT program will provide FY24 Continuing Resolution (CR) funds to the following projects:
- Accelerated Procurement of Maritime Expeditionary Standoff Response Advanced Capability Modules (APMAC) – $11.95M, U.S. Marine Corps.
- ARCHER Airborne Threat Detection & Tracking – $13.55M, U.S. Air Force.
- Electronic Intelligence Modernization Upgrade (EIMU) Production – $14.40M, U.S. Navy.
- Micro Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) – $10.10M, U.S. Marine Corps.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military's technological advantage.