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

DARPA's Strategic Technologies Office (STO) is utilizing the ERIS Marketplace to identify innovative, awardable solutions for moderate power high-energy lasers (HEL) ranging from 100W to 20kW. The primary objective is to develop systems capable of operating at a high duty cycle within size, weight, and power (SWaP) constrained environments, specifically for use in Stryker vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs). Key technical requirements include the ability to scale from 1-20 kW, wavelength flexibility, and phase control for beam tuning. A critical focus is placed on novel thermal management and cooling architectures to address heat exhaust and transport, ensuring the laser can be fired in succession for long durations while maintaining beam coherence and quality. These capabilities are intended for applications such as aircraft self-protection and counter-UAV or counter-rocket weaponry. This is an active search under solicitation DARPA-SN-26-82, with a response deadline of November 30, 2026. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the government may make one or more awards prior to the closing date. Evaluation is based on the provider's ability to define the problem relative to the current state of the art, the level of technical innovation, the team's demonstrated expertise, and the potential impact on defense and commercial use cases. Interested parties must submit video solutions via the DARPAConnect ERIS Portal under the strategic systems topic area and notify the Marketplace Coordinator via email. Existing ERIS solution providers may also flag their current videos for consideration.