DON26BZ01-DV001 TITLE: DIRECT TO PHASE II: Extended Range 10-inch Air Launched Rocket
COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY AREA(S): Advanced Materials;Sustainment
PROJECTED CMMC LEVEL REQUIREMENT: Level 2 (Self)
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.
OBJECTIVE: Implement Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) propulsion technology into an existing 10-inch diameter rocket motor to create a tactically relevant, extended range rocket motor.
DESCRIPTION: The U.S. Navy is pursuing enhancements to the performance, range, and tactical flexibility of existing 10-inch rocket motor systems. A key enabler of this objective is the maturation and application of HLG propulsion technology. HLG designs maximize total impulse within volume-constrained tactical solid propellant systems while enabling adaptable thrust-time profiles, including boost-sustain variants.
This Direct to Phase II SBIR topic seeks integration of HLG technology into an existing 10-inch diameter rocket motor, thereby increasing performance and advancing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of the HLG propulsion approach.
Key Technical Guidelines:
1. Rocket Motor Case: 10-inch diameter tactical casing with boat-tail geometry based on the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) aft-end structure
2. Grain Design: HLG-formulated geometry tailored for constrained volume and thrust shaping
3. Ballistics Software: CLWire ballistic simulation software provided by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD)
4. Risk Posture: Low to moderate for non-HLG-specific subsystems; medium risk for nozzle/igniter design
5. Performance Objective: Total impulse increase of approximately 30% over legacy baseline
6. Thrust Profile: Support both all-boost and boost/sustain regimes; comply with NAWCWD performance parameters including Maximum Expected Operating Pressure (MEOP) and thrust onset rates
7. Propellant Formulation: Aluminized solid propellant: Ammonium Perchlorate (AP) / Aluminum (Al) / Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) binder
8. Materials Compatibility: Maximize re-use of existing materials for insulation, liners, oxidizers, and binders
9. Environmental Qualification: Thermal: –65 °F to +160 °F (–53.9 °C to +71.1 °C); Structural: withstand shock and vibration in accordance with military deployment profiles
10. Nozzle & Igniter Development: Moderate risk with identified maturation path toward tactically viable configurations
Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. owned and operated with no foreign influence as defined by 32 U.S.C. § 2004.20 et seq., National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) formerly Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances. This will allow contractor personnel to perform on advanced phases of this project as set forth by DCSA and NAVAIR in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material during the advanced phases of this contract IAW the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), which can be found at Title 32, Part 2004.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
PHASE I: For a Direct to Phase II topic, the Government expects that the small business would have accomplished the following in a Phase I-type effort and developed a concept for a workable prototype or design to address, at a minimum, the basic requirements of the stated objective above. The below actions would be required to satisfy the requirements of Phase I:
1. Ballistic Design: Evidence of preliminary or detailed grain geometry development, performance modeling (e.g., with CLWire or similar), and total impulse optimization.
2. Motor Fabrication: Documentation of hardware build efforts, including grain casting, case integration, and materials characterization relevant to the HLG configuration.
3. Static Test Results: Data from one or more static firings that validate thrust-time profiles, ignition performance, MEOP survivability, and total impulse enhancement attributed to the HLG propulsion technology.
4. Importantly, feasibility documentation must not rely solely on work conducted under prior or ongoing federally funded SBIR/STTR awards. Applicants are required to demonstrate that the proposed concept has been advanced through non-SBIR/STTR-funded efforts, indicating technical maturity sufficient for immediate Phase II execution.
FEASIBILITY DOCUMENTATION: Offerors interested in participating in Direct to Phase II must include in their response to this topic Phase I feasibility documentation that substantiates the scientific and technical merit and Phase I feasibility described in Phase I above has been met (i.e., the small business must have performed Phase I-type research and development related to the topic NOT solely based on work performed under prior or ongoing federally funded SBIR/STTR work) and describe the potential commercialization applications. The documentation provided must validate that the proposer has completed development of technology as stated in Phase I above.
PHASE II: Focus on developing, documenting, fabricating, and validating a tactical solid rocket motor that integrates HLG propulsion technology, in accordance with Government technical guidelines and performance objectives.
1. Initial Concept Design and Detailed Design Review (DDR)
• Develop an initial system design incorporating: (1) Ballistic modeling using CLWire (Government-furnished); (2) Thermal and structural insulation design; (3) Tactically relevant nozzle architecture; and (4) Igniter configuration suited for aluminized propellant initiation.
• Document the full design concept for review in a DDR to be assessed against Government-agreed technical requirements and performance metrics.
• Government acceptance of DDR exit criteria is required prior to initiating fabrication.
2. Fabrication and Assembly (following DDR approval)
• Finalize design details, generate component drawings, and fabricate tooling for both component and propellant casting.
• Perform propellant mixing and casting per specified aluminized solid formulation (AP/Al/HTPB), ensuring compatibility with insulation and liner materials.
• Utilize a Government-supplied flight weight motor case and HLG-specific materials, as requested and made available by the program office.
3. As-Manufactured Validation and Testing
• Conduct an Item Under Test (IUT) review to compare the as-built motor configuration with the as-designed concept.
• Present findings to the Government for validation and alignment with performance expectations.
• Upon concurrence, proceed to static fire testing of the motor in a controlled test environment.
Work in Phase II may become classified. Please see note in the Description.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Mature the Phase II rocket motor concept for higher fidelity static fire demonstrations. The developed rocket motors will incorporate flight representative subcomponents (e.g., nozzle, insulation, ignition system, etc.) while still optimizing the propulsion design to maximize system range. Demonstrate multiple static firings to assess the environmental robustness of the rocket motors and performance relative to the technical guidelines provided by the Government. A final report will be provided that documents the design and testing results, provides a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment, and outlines a path to further mature the technology.
The developed propulsion technology with have application to space launch and space-based systems.
REFERENCES:
KEYWORDS: Solid Propulsion; Energy Management; Rocket Motor; Extended Range; Propellant; Hypersonics
TPOC:
NAVAIR SBIR/STTR POC
navair-sbir@us.navy.mil
** TOPIC NOTICE ** |
The Navy Topic above is an "unofficial" copy from the Navy Topics in the DoW FY-26 Release 1 SBIR BAA. Please see the official DoW Topic website at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/solicitation-documents/active-solicitations for any updates. The DoW issued its Navy FY-26 Release 1 SBIR Topics pre-release on April 13, 2026 which opens to receive proposals on May 6, 2026, and closes June 3, 2026 (12:00pm ET). Direct Contact with Topic Authors: During the pre-release period (April 13, through May 5, 2026) proposing firms have an opportunity to directly contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask technical questions about the specific BAA topic. The TPOC contact information is listed in each topic description. Once DoW begins accepting proposals on May 6, 2026 no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed unless the Topic Author is responding to a question submitted during the Pre-release period. DoD On-line Q&A System: After the pre-release period, until May 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, proposers may submit written questions through the DoW On-line Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login/ by logging in and following instructions. In the Topic Q&A system, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous but all questions and answers are posted for general viewing. DoW Topics Search Tool: Visit the DoW Topic Search Tool at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/ to find topics by keyword across all DoW Components participating in this BAA.
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