JIATF-401 DE HEL cUAS Shoot Off
Technical Objective
The Government is conducting a competitive shoot-off evaluation of directed energy high-energy laser (DE HEL) counter-unmanned aircraft systems (cUAS) solutions. The objective is to assess and compare operational performance, effectiveness, and technical maturity of DE HEL-based systems capable of detecting, tracking, and neutralizing small unmanned aircraft across diverse operational scenarios.
Core Technologies
Who Should Apply
Contractors with advanced expertise in directed energy systems, laser weapon platforms, or integrated cUAS solutions; companies must maintain active NSTXL membership and should have prior experience in military-grade weapons systems development or field-proven DE HEL technology demonstrations.
Evaluation Criteria
- 1Technical maturity and demonstrated performance of DE HEL system against cUAS targets
- 2Operational readiness and deployment capability for field evaluation
- 3System reliability, availability, and maintainability metrics
- 4Cost-effectiveness relative to threat mitigation capability
Key Dates
| RFP Questions Due | 2026-09-29 |
Submission Mechanics
All respondents must have active NSTXL membership to submit. Questions regarding the RFS should be submitted using the 'Submit Question' button on the opportunity portal. New membership applications require one business day for processing. Full proposal submission details and format requirements are contained in the RFP White Paper and Attachment A documents.
BD Strategic Notes
This is a direct competitive evaluation (shoot-off) rather than a traditional R&D solicitation, favoring contractors with field-ready or near-field-ready DE HEL cUAS solutions. Companies with active operational demonstrations, government partnerships, or proven laser weapon systems in similar domains are best positioned to compete.
Watch Out For
- Mandatory NSTXL membership requirement—non-members cannot submit; applications require one business day processing
- RFP delivered as White Paper with Attachment A—full technical and submission requirements must be reviewed in those documents
- No award amount or funding ceiling specified; this may be a sole-source or limited competition OTA
- Field testing (shoot-off) likely requires classified or controlled facility access; ITAR and NOFORN restrictions may apply