DARPA Tactical Technology Office Opens BAA With Rolling June Deadline
April 8, 2026 · 2 min read
David Almeida
DARPA's Tactical Technology Office is accepting proposals on a rolling basis through June 22, 2026, for projects spanning autonomous systems, long-range military effects, and disruptive battlefield innovation. The broad agency announcement (HR001125S0011) represents one of the most flexible defense R&D funding opportunities currently open.
Four Priority Areas for Proposals
The TTO Office-Wide BAA solicits proposals across four categories. Design/Build/Buy focuses on accelerating the development and fielding of military systems. Surge and Sustain targets the ability to rapidly scale and maintain force structures. Long Range Effects seeks new systems that enable decisive military capability at distances where anti-access and area-denial strategies operate. Disruptive Innovation covers novel engineering approaches that change the battlefield in unexpected ways.
DARPA emphasizes that it is looking for non-obvious solutions—proposals that challenge conventional military thinking rather than offer incremental improvements to existing platforms.
Submission Timeline and Award Types
Executive summary submissions closed April 17, but full proposals remain open through June 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET. Submitting an executive summary was encouraged but not required, so organizations that missed the April window can still submit full proposals directly.
Award types include procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and Other Transaction agreements. Multiple awards are anticipated across all four focus areas. Questions should be directed to HR001125S0011@darpa.mil.
Why This Matters While SBIR Is Frozen
With SBIR/STTR programs frozen pending congressional reauthorization, DARPA BAAs operate under separate authority and remain fully active. For small businesses and startups with defense-relevant capabilities in AI, autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing, or novel engineering, this BAA offers one of the few active paths to substantial federal R&D funding right now.
DARPA also pre-releases new SBIR and STTR topics the first Wednesday of every month. Organizations can monitor active solicitations at dodsbirsttr.mil.
For help matching defense-tech capabilities to current funding opportunities, visit grantedai.com. Detailed breakdowns of DARPA funding strategies are available on the Granted blog.