Software Defined Antenna for Interceptor-to-Interceptor Communications

The contract seeks the development of a software-defined antenna for interceptor-to-interceptor communications, designed to enable secure, high-speed, simultaneous multi-node communication within meshed High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptors operating under a Zero Trust architecture. The antenna must deliver wideband, quasi-isotropic coverage with advanced beam steering and shaping capabilities, supporting multiple concurrent transmit and receive beams while accommodating frequency hopping, band switching, and dynamic modulation schemes. It must support multiple polarization states for flight environments and maintain secure link integrity under contested electromagnetic conditions. Operating across the S-band through Ka-band spectrum, the system must sustain communication over 250 km in both exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric hypersonic flight regimes, conforming to a 10-inch missile diameter constraint. The design must prioritize minimal size, weight, power consumption, and cost without compromising performance or security. This is a total small business set-aside under the SBIR/STTR mandate, restricted to entities with fewer than 500 employees, and is issued by the Missile Defense Agency under the Department of Defense. The solicitation, identified as MDA26BZ04-NV003, was posted on July 1, 2026, with a response deadline of July 22, 2026. The solution must be tailored for integration into hypersonic interceptors, ensuring robust, adaptive, and covert communication capabilities under extreme operational environments. The antenna’s software-defined architecture must enable rapid reconfiguration to counter evolving threats and spectrum challenges while maintaining compliance with stringent DoD security and performance standards.