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The Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded the final round of contracts for its Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, pushing total program awards past $2 billion since its launch and introducing the initiative’s first software-only capability awards. The latest selections support technologies spanning autonomous systems, electronic warfare, resilient communications, counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS), expeditionary manufacturing, contested logistics and resilient energy.
“APFIT has fundamentally reshaped how the Department of Defense accelerates the transition of innovative technologies to the warfighter,” said Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering. “Our adversaries are not waiting, and neither will we. By scaling the APFIT program past $2 billion, we are equipping the Joint Force with the lethal capabilities to guarantee dominance on the battlefield.”
The APFIT program has transitioned more than 100 technologies into operational use since its inception by funding the procurement of commercially developed systems that have completed development and are ready for fielding. The initiative also seeks to expand the defense industrial base by supporting small businesses, venture-backed companies and other nontraditional defense contractors.
Among the largest unclassified awards announced in the latest funding round are:
- Assured positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) Device at Scale, U.S. Army — $43 million
- Autonomous Low-Profile Vehicle (ALPV) Liberty, U.S. Marine Corps — $32.58 million
- Unruly one-way attack drone, U.S. Special Operations Command — $31 million
- Persistent Subsea Autonomous Profiler (PSAP), U.S. Navy — $30.8 million
- Counter for All-Domain Operations, U.S. Army — $28 million
- Dragonfly electronic warfare sensor, U.S. Special Operations Command — $23.9 million
- Mira highly maneuverable spacecraft, U.S. Space Command — $19.75 million
- Low-Collateral Effects Interceptor and Multi-Mission UAS, U.S. Air Force — $17.5 million
- Beyond Line-of-Sight Link (BLink), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command — $15.55 million
- Drake counter-UAS system, U.S. Navy — $11.35 million
- Advanced Navigation for UAS and Launched Effects, U.S. Army — $11.24 million.
The FY26 awards also mark the first time APFIT has funded software-only capabilities. The inaugural software awards include artificial intelligence-enabled decision support, cyber analysis, intelligence planning and tactical networking tools for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Space Command, U.S. Southern Command, the Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command. Officials said the move reflects a growing emphasis on rapidly deployable software that can be continuously updated to meet evolving operational requirements.
The latest awards complete APFIT’s FY26 procurement selections, excluding classified projects, and bring total program funding above the $2 billion milestone.
