Navy seeks counter-swarm and other new tech for operational experimentation

The Office of Naval Research is seeking information on technology related to counter-unmanned systems swarm, containerized payloads for unmanned surface vehicles and decision superiority for maritime operations centers in preparation for a Technology Operational Experimentation Event '26 campaign in the next year.

TOEEs are meant to inform future science and technology investments by executing live experimentation in operationally relevant scenarios and environments, according to a Tuesday notice. Past events have focused on expeditionary sustainment, subsea and seabed warfare, maritime reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance.

The Office of Naval Research Global, Experimentation and Analysis worked with naval operational forces, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Office of Naval Research to develop the operational topics TOEE 26 will address.

ONRG E&A is interested in technologies with a technology readiness level of five through seven that can conduct live experimentation in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, will hold a virtual industry day with ONRG Dec. 4. The entire experimentation series will be initiated with a technology demonstration, and successful technologies will be invited to join limited objective experiments, which could begin by March to July 2026, according to the request for information. Sufficient technologies will then move onto the Advanced Capability Experiment, tentatively scheduled for August to December 2026.

Submissions to this RFI are due Dec. 19.