xTech|Adaptive Strike

xTech|Adaptive Strike is sponsored by U.S. Army xTech Program. A competition focusing on adaptive strike capabilities, open to businesses developing technologies in this area.

​​xTech|Adaptive Strike – xTechSearch ​​The U.S. Army is seeking innovative technology solutions from eligible small and large businesses across the U.S. that address critical capability gaps through the xTech|Adaptive Strike competition.

This platform offers participants the opportunity to engage with the U.S. Department of War (DoW), earn prize money, participate in Soldier exercise events, and potentially receive a contract award or agreement.

Angel Aerial Systems Trio Scout for Extended-Range Reconnaissance Extended On-Station Time and Range for Medium/Long-Range Reconnaissance (MRR/LRR) Visit Website Fang: Man-Packable, Fire-and-Forget C-UAS Interceptors for the Dismounted Soldier Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) for Soldier Operations Visit Website Amphora Agile Power for All Battlefield Use Cases Power Generation for Ground Units with sUAS Visit Website Hellhound S3 - Affordable Loitering Munition Solution for Scaled Operations Affordable Drones and Loitering Munitions for Scaled Operations Visit Website Hoverfly Technology, Inc. Tethered Unmanned Aircraft System (TeUAS) Enhanced Counter-UAS DETECT Operations Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) for Soldier Operations Visit Website New Use Energy’s Portable Power: Win with Watts Power Generation for Ground Units with sUAS Visit Website HYPER: Enabling Silent Power Dominance at the Tactical Edge Power Generation for Ground Units with sUAS Visit Website Sonoma Counter Drone Rifle Upgrade Kit (RUK) Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) for Soldier Operations Visit Website Modular Silent Tactical Power for Sustained sUAS Operations and Distributed Command Posts Power Generation for Ground Units with sUAS Visit Website Tandem Defense xTech Adaptive Strike White Paper Affordable Drones and Loitering Munitions for Scaled Operations Visit Website ​ The U.S. Army is seeking innovative technology solutions from eligible small and large businesses across the U.S. that address critical capability gaps through the xTech|Adaptive Strike competition.

This platform offers participants the opportunity to engage with the U.S. Department of War (DoW) , earn prize money, participate in Soldier exercise events, and potentially receive a contract award or agreement.

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is partnering with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), and the MARNE Innovation Center to deliver the xTech|Adaptive Strike competition.

This initiative supports the U.S. Army’s broader effort to (1) identify commercially available or near-commercial technologies that address operational challenges and could be rapidly adapted for Army use; (2) engage and integrate non-traditional innovators and emerging technology to broaden the U.S. DoW‘s Science and Technology (S&T) and exercise ecosystem; (3) assess technologies and provide expertise and feedback to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies to support operational forces; and (4) ​​deliver attritable, scalable capabilities that can be delivered within 180 days of challenge completion.

The xTech|Adaptive Strike competition will consist of three (3) phases: Application, including the following: Five (5)-page white paper; Up to 10-minute required technology demonstration video; and Self-certification of minimum requirements. Semifinals Soldier exercise event; and Finals Soldier exercise event. The U.S. Army intends to award up to $1.

5 million in cash prizes throughout the competition to selected participants. The award structure is as follows: Semifinalists (Part 1): Up to 20 semifinalists may be selected at the conclusion of the Part 1 submission evaluation period. Each selected semifinalist will be eligible to receive a cash prize of $25,000 each and the opportunity to participate in the Part 2 semifinals live Soldier exercise event scheduled for June 2026.

Finalists (Part 2): Up to 10 finalists may be selected at the conclusion of the semifinals event. Each selected finalist will be eligible to receive an additional cash prize of $50,000 each and the opportunity to participate in the Part 3 finals live Soldier exercise event schedule for October/November 2026. Winners (Part 3): Following the finals event, up to five (5) winners may be selected.

Each selected winner will be eligible to receive an additional cash prize of $100,000 each. Additional details on prize structure can be found in Section VII. The xTech|Adaptive Strike competition is conducted in accordance with 10 U.S.C.

§ 4025, which authorizes the use of prize competitions to stimulate innovation and identify promising technologies for national security applications. Requirements for competition under 10 U.S.C. § 3201 are satisfied upon completion of the challenge and use of prize authority.

As such, this competition serves as a competitive down select mechanism that enables government organizations to engage with finalists and winners through a variety of follow-on acquisition pathways, including but not limited to: 10 U.S.C. § 4114 – Selection of contractors for prototype projects 10 U.S.C. § 4022 – Prototype projects 10 U.S.C.

§ 4023 – Procurement for experimental purposes 10 U.S.C. § 4001 – Research and development 10 U.S.C. § 4021 – Other Transaction Authority (OTA) 10 U.S.C.

§ 3458 – Authority to acquire innovative commercial products and commercial services using general solicitation competitive procedures 15 U.S.C. § 3703 – Technology innovation partnerships 15 U.S.C.

§ 638 – Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs Government organizations are encouraged to consider leveraging these statutory authorities to pursue follow-on awards with companies identified through the xTech competition process.

This approach supports rapid technology maturation, accelerates the transition of innovative capabilities to the field, and promotes collaboration with non-traditional and small business performers. While the authority of this program is 10 U.S.C. § 4025, the xTech|Adaptive Strike competition may generate interest by other U.S. Army, DoW or USG organizations for a funding opportunity outside of this event.

The interested organization may contact the participant to provide additional information or ask for a request for proposal in a separate solicitation. Finalists of the prize competition may have opportunities to submit a separate proposal for further development of their proposed technology solution based on the needs of the Army. The Army may use a contract mechanism of their choice and will notify the participants accordingly.

All xTech|Adaptive Strike competition submissions are treated as privileged information and contents are disclosed to government employees and designated support contractors strictly for the purpose of evaluation and program support. The xTech Program intends to provide feedback from evaluators to participants during each part of the competition.

The purpose of providing this feedback is to help accelerate the transition of the technology to a U.S. Army end-user by providing insight into the best applications for the technology, suggestions for product improvement for U.S. Army use and recommended next steps for development. However, the Government will not respond to inquiries regarding this feedback.

The U.S. Army’s front-line units are facing significant challenges from adversaries who are using large quantities of low-cost technologies like drones and jammers. The Army’s current equipment is often too expensive, complex, and slow to deploy, which leaves smaller units vulnerable.

This technology gap makes it difficult for them to conduct reconnaissance, communicate effectively, and defend against the growing threat of unmanned systems in fast-paced environments. To counter this, the Army is actively seeking innovative, ready-to-deploy solutions that are both affordable and easy for small units to use.

They need better longer-range reconnaissance tools, cost-effective drones, mobile power sources, and scalable anti-drone defenses. The main goal is to empower these units to maintain an advantage, improve their protection, and sustain operations against rapidly evolving threats, and the Army is encouraging collaboration with commercial companies to find these solutions.

The Army is seeking to evaluate capabilities that demonstrate performance in one (1) of four (4) capability areas: Capability 1: Extended On-Station Time and Range for Medium/Long-Range Reconnaissance (MRR/LRR) Capability 2: Affordable Drones and Loitering Munitions for Scaled Operations Capability 3: Power Generation for Ground Units with sUAS Capability 4: Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) for Soldier Operations PHASE 1: ​​​Concept White Paper Submission Feb 23, 2026 - Mar 18, 2026 PHASE 2: ​​Semifinal Soldier Exercise Jun 6, 2026 - Jun 19, 2026 PHASE 3: ​​Final Soldier Exercise Oct 29, 2026 - Nov 28, 2026 ​ ​ Eligible entities include U.S. based nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations (i.e., large and small businesses) only.

​ Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the U.S.; ​ Shall not be a U.S. Federal government entity or employ a U.S. Federal Employee acting within the scope of their employment; Shall not be currently under contract, agreement or other providing similar capabilities to the Government for work described in the problem statement; Must have or be able to obtain a CAGE code if selected to advance in the competition (instructions on how to obtain a CAGE code can be found on the xTech|Adaptive Strike registration page); and Shall be at the sole discretion of the Government.

​ Submission window is closed.

Extended On-Station Time and Range for MRR; Affordable Drones and Loitering Munitions for Scaled Operations; Power Generation for Ground Units with sUAS; C-UAS for Soldier Operations ​​U.S. Based Nonprofit Organizations and For-profit Organizations​ Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology ASA(ALT) releases contract opportunities on an ad-hoc basis to meet Army research and development needs.

Army Futures Command (AFC) releases topics during three specific solicitation periods throughout the fiscal year to address the Army’s current and anticipated war-fighting technology needs. Army STTR follows AFC’s topic release schedule but partners with a university, federally funded research and development center, or a qualified non-profit research institution as part of their contract.

Is the opportunity to establish the scientific, technical, commercial merit and feasibility of your proposed innovation. Is focused on the development, demonstration and delivery of your innovation from Phase I. Represents the commercialization phase of the program in which the company can market their products or services developed in Phase II, either to the government or in the commercial sector.

Allows small businesses to submit to Direct to Phase II applications if they performed the Phase I research through other funding sources. Provides funding to projects that require additional funding during their open Phase II contract. A Phase II Awardee may receive one additional, sequential Phase II award to continue the work of an initial Phase II award.

The sequential Phase II award has the same guideline amounts and limits as an initial Phase II award.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (supply chain management, logistics coordination, target identifications and simulation) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (additive manufacturing) Autonomy (unmanned systems, drones, ground vehicle capabilities) Chemical and Biological (detection, defense) Cyber (biometric authentication, secure communications) Electronics (microelectronics, Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI)) Electronic Warfare (jamming, spoofing) Human Performance (wearables) Immersive (augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality) Network Technologies (antennas, radio frequency, communications systems) Position, Navigation, and Timing (GPS) Power (batteries, generators) Software Modernization (high performance computing, data management and visualization) Sensors (infrared sensing) Weapons Systems (hypersonics, munitions and projectiles, directed energy)