Small Business–Led Innovation in Cost-Effective Kill Vehicles

The contract seeks small businesses to develop low-cost, modular kill vehicle concepts that leverage commercial off-the-shelf components, additive manufacturing, and scalable design principles to significantly reduce the cost per engagement. The focus is on innovative approaches that prioritize affordability, rapid production, and versatility across mission scenarios, enabling scalable deployment without sacrificing performance or reliability. Design efforts must emphasize modularity to allow for easy integration, maintenance, and future upgrades, while minimizing reliance on custom-fabricated or high-cost military-grade materials. The initiative is led by the Missile Defense Agency under the Department of Defense and falls under NAICS code 332996, targeting advanced manufacturing capabilities in defense systems. Subcontractors are required to respond by May 15, 2026, with proposals that demonstrate proven or feasible use of COTS parts and additive manufacturing techniques to achieve cost reduction targets. The program aims to transform traditional kill vehicle development by shifting from high-cost, bespoke platforms to adaptable, mass-producible systems that can be deployed in volume, enhancing the operational capacity and economic sustainability of missile defense architectures.