The Pentagon's innovation arm is once again partnering with its counterparts from Australia and the United Kingdom to seek solutions for accelerated scaling that would enable operational advantages across environments, the Defense Innovation Unit announced yesterday.
It’s the second such initiative to come from AUKUS Pillar II -- a defense and security partnership between the U.S. and the two nations aimed at boosting joint defense capabilities.
The launch also comes nearly seven months after winners from the inaugural AUKUS Electronic Warfare Innovation Challenge were announced in September.
DIU, along with Australia’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator and the U.K.’s Defence and Security Accelerator, is seeking commercial technology solutions that would “enhance the sensing, interpreting and navigating capabilities of autonomous platforms to provide an operational advantage in all environments,” DIU said.
Solutions should also be operational in a “relevant environment,” which would be at Technology Readiness Level 6, according to the release.
Solutions are also expected to “deliver advantages across capabilities” including but not limited to -- near-real time communications between undersea vehicles, command and control systems, battle management solutions and seabed systems, as well as operations and communications in a contested or congested, dynamic and complex environment, DIU said.
A combined $9 million is expected to be awarded across the AUKUS alliance for three to 10 proposals, and applications close April 28.