ERIS Shopping Notice: High Duty Cycle High Energy Lasers (HEL) for SWaP-Constrained Systems

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Strategic Technologies Office is issuing Shopping Notice DARPA-SN-26-82 to identify innovative, awardable solutions for moderate power high-energy lasers ranging from 100W to 20kW. These systems must be designed for size, weight, and power constrained platforms, such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. The primary technical objective is to maximize duty cycle to enable successive firing over long durations, which requires novel engineering designs and system architectures that overcome significant cooling and heat exhaust challenges while maintaining beam coherence and wavelength flexibility. Active from June 4, 2026, to November 30, 2026, this search utilizes the Expedited Research Innovation System marketplace for rolling reviews, meaning awards may be made prior to the closing date. Interested parties must submit a video solution through the DARPAConnect ERIS Portal and provide a follow-up notification email to the Marketplace Coordinator. Evaluations will focus on the proposer's understanding of the current state of the art, the technical leap offered by the innovation, the combined expertise of the team, and the potential impact on both defense and commercial applications.