Miniaturization, Modulation, and Chip Scaling of Photonic Technologies

The Missile Defense Agency is soliciting proposals to advance and integrate quantum and photonic technologies into fielded radar and communication systems to enhance the resilience and performance of the Missile Defense System. The focus is on developing miniaturized, low size, weight, and power transceivers that leverage measurable quantum effects and photonic engineering to enable next-generation sensor and radio capabilities. Proposals must outline a clear pathway to common building block technologies that support direct sampling and heterodyne structured software defined radios, ensuring compatibility with modern defense sensor requirements. Priority will be given to solutions that achieve significant chip-scale integration and modulation advancements to enable scalable, field-deployable hardware. This opportunity is a total small business set-aside under the SBIR/STTR mandate, open only to businesses with fewer than 500 employees. The solicitation titled Miniaturization, Modulation, and Chip Scaling of Photonic Technologies with identifier MDA26BZ04-NV005 was posted on July 1, 2026, with responses due by July 22, 2026. The effort is managed by the Department of Defense through the Missile Defense Agency and aims to accelerate the transition of cutting-edge photonic and quantum technologies into operational defense systems, emphasizing compact, high-performance architectures that meet the demanding constraints of military platforms.