DARPA Advanced Technology Development

Studies conducted under this program will explore emerging technologies, prototypes, and system concepts for applicability to military use. This includes the degree and scope of potential impact and improvements to military operations, mission utility, and warfighter capability. Research will also foster innovative system solutions and architectures at all levels of military operations and enable tight coupling of platforms across land, air, sea, and space domains. Desired effects include disruptive impacts and improvements to war planning, military operations, mission utility, and warfighter capability -- ultimately enhancing strategic planning, improved tactical responsiveness, and greater operational lethality. Topics include cutting-edge network, autonomy, and information technologies to increase precision, range, endurance, and lethality; tightly coupled sensing, communications, and agentic automation that enable hyper accurate and precise application of lethal force; methods of defeating emerging networked threats that are low cost, flexible, and resilient; novel launch systems; air vehicle control, power, propulsion, materials, and architectures; payload and cargo handling systems; cooperative operation of unmanned systems; and modern manufacturing and design tools to enable greater operating depth, tactical mission sets, and attributable functions.

The ISR Sensors Studies and Concepts will design and demonstrate advanced sensing systems and countermeasure technologies that provide novel capabilities to inform unique future capabilities and expand capabilities into new areas of operation. Efforts will emphasize improvements to size, weight, and performance to extend endurance, range, and precision; advance autonomous operations; and reduce costs to maximize system coverage and provide operational capability. Challenges that will be overcome include extended operations without the need for supporting infrastructure, continued operations in harsh physical environments, and extended persistent operations in contested environments. Technology advancements will support resilience and enable strategic sensor countermeasures.

The Dynamic Optimization for Defense of Ground bases with Electromagnetic warfare (DODGEball) program will develop algorithms for optimization of non-kinetic countermeasures for efficient and effective resource management in extended campaign warfare. DODGEball will optimize heterogeneous applications of electromagnetic warfare for the defense of surface forces and infrastructure for long-duration campaigns. Technology developed under this program will transition to the Services. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603767E, Project SEN-01.

The X-ray Extreme-range Non-imaging Analysis (XENA) Program intends to discover new methods for long-standoff X-ray characterization through the development of data processing algorithms. Based on methods explored in the Advanced Tools for Modeling and Simulation program (budgeted in PE 0601101E, Project CCS-02), XENA will enable the processing of imperfect radiography datasets to gain useful insights. Algorithm enhanced radiography datasets could be valuable in numerous fields ranging from regulatory industries to quality control. The specific enhancements XENA intends to focus on include improvements to overcome low contrast and motion blur to mimic data collected in real-world environments. Technology developed under this program will transition to the Services, other U.S. Government organizations, and commercial industry. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603767E, Project SEN-02.

Photocathodes can be found in devices such as photomultiplier tubes, image intensifiers, high-power electronics, and even free electron lasers. Photocathodes typically use low-work function metals or semiconductors and are applied in sub-micron thicknesses on planar surfaces with millimeter to centimeter-scale areas. In addition to size and geometry limitations, current materials are fragile and require special handling in ultra-high vacuum conditions. The Large Area Photocathode (LAP) program seeks to overcome these limitations by developing manufacturable photocathode material systems with high quantum efficiency that can be produced in large areas and curved geometries with substantial lifetimes. New materials and assembly methods, leveraged from the Ultra-Wide BandGap Semiconductors (UWBGS) program (budgeted in PE 0602716E, Project ELT-02) will be refined and tested through the application of large area photocathodes to a high current, fast electron device prototype. The prototype will demonstrate material feasibility and enable new classes of fast electron devices with relevant applications. Technology developed under this program will transition to the Services. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603767E, Project SEN-02.

The Cancun program will create distributable nodes to measure the radio high frequency (HF) environment for improved war fighter situational awareness. Cancun will enable cost-effective wide-area deployment of low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) nodes. Cancun will also develop the command and control (C2) network and planning tools required to address the challenge of coordinating large numbers of Cancun nodes deployed over distances of well over 1000 kilometers. The Cancun nodes will measure the state of the ionosphere using a sounding function, as well as record and relay portions of the HF radio band for analysis. The mission planning tool will be developed with war fighter input to optimize functionality. Technologies developed under the Cancun program will transition to the Services. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603767E, Project SEN-02.

The Argus program will develop novel machine learning architectures that employ models utilizing automated scoping and accelerate training efficiency to enable the creation of more generalized models across multiple sub-domains within the maritime surveillance mission. Building on research from the Foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) Science program (budgeted PE 0601101E, Project CCS-02), Argus will advance the capabilities of machine learning to engage and detect anomalies across untested environments. Existing machine learning architectures are unable to produce models that generalize across subdomains and are highly dependent upon escalating consumption of datasets and high-performance computing resources. The current state of the art architecture for model development produces brittle models that are unable to scale with the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD). Argus will overcome this by adapting new context aware machine learning architectures that focus on iteration, specifically for anomaly detection. The resulting architectures will be tailored to surveillance collection and processing to take advantage of the data rich nature of the environment. The resulting architectures may also be applied to other anomaly detection issues. Technology developed under this program will transition to the Services.

The Scorpionfish program will design and test novel undersea weapon technologies. Successful execution of the program will be a revolutionary step in the execution of missions in the undersea domain. The anticipated transition is to the Navy. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-02.

As an outgrowth from the success of Awareness in Joint Warfighting Technology, the Time-definite Capability Delivery effort will plan, research, and execute activities designed to field capabilities based on proven technologies on relevant timelines and at sufficient quantities. The effort will achieve this objective by planning and coordinating virtual, live, constructive modelling and simulation in conjunction with in-theater demonstrations and experimentation to help orient programs on acute warfighting problems. Additionally, the effort will establish industry and policy-oriented working groups, host technical exchanges and exercises, conduct research, and develop analytic tools that will explore systemic options to speed time to field and ramp production to relevant volumes to support national security objectives. The effort will probe the boundaries of the current institutional processes through rapid experimentation, novel transition frameworks, and technology analysis to provide proof points that rationally challenge existing process boundaries and identify ways to complement, adapt, or replace institutional processes in order to deliver operationally relevant capabilities on strategically relevant timescales. Time-definite Capability Delivery will create frameworks to evaluate technology investment, policy changes, and other government levers to generate competitive advantage. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-01.

The Autonomy Standards and Ideals with Military Operational Values (ASIMOV) program will develop autonomy benchmarks to objectively and quantitatively measure the ethical readiness of future autonomous systems and the ethical difficulty of proposed use-cases in support of military operational values (e.g., international humanitarian law, rules of engagement, etc.) in increasingly complex and changing scenarios. In order to accelerate the development and eventual use of ethical autonomous systems, an implementable measurement and benchmarking framework of military autonomy must be developed. ASIMOV's benchmark will enable future autonomous systems that undergo the intensive testing to be evaluated and scored with autonomy readiness levels (ARL) much like how technology readiness levels (TRL) and manufacturing readiness levels (MRL) are used to describe the maturity of technology and manufacturing processes, respectively. ASIMOV will decompose the five Department of Defense's Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethical Principles (Responsibility, Equitability, Reliability, Traceability, and Governability) in a structured, observable, and independently verifiable manner to measure the readiness of specific autonomous systems to perform ethically within those scenarios. Technology developed under ASIMOV will be transitioned to the demonstration and operational testing (DT/OT) community, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), and the Services. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-01.

The Willow program will develop innovative payloads to conduct Acoustic Warfare (AW) to counter active surface sonars using a unique combination of acoustic hardware and waveforms provided by advanced sonar signal processing algorithms. Willow will provide a robust capability to help the Navy respond to active sonar threats. No current method exists to challenge adversary active sonars. Willow will use advanced hardware-in-the-loop simulations, Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V), and stressing at-sea testing to create this capability. Technology developed under this program will transition to the Navy. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-02.

EEI pairs top technical talent from DARPA programs with experienced business leaders to accelerate the transition of breakthrough technologies to market. The program provides hands-on go-to-market support, equipping teams with the tools, expertise, and strategies needed to succeed in both government and commercial sectors. By fostering strong commercialization roadmaps, EEI helps DARPA awardees attract U.S. investment and scale their innovations.

FLexible networking Using Intelligent Dialecting (FLUID) will enable command and control (C2) under extremely challenged internet protocol (IP) networking environments, including those networks with capacities in the 100s to 10s of bits per second. To do this, FLUID will research technologies that reduce network and user communications with semantically correct but condense data, application, and/or protocol information. Like many elements of information related technologies, the power of software is impacting the ability to customize design. However, not much focus has been given to adapting application, transport, and network layers in the protocol stack holistically to meet the capacity constraints of their operating environment. FLUID will apply intelligent mechanisms to reduce the capacity required for C2 applications to operate at scale. FLUID research will focus on extracting and communicating only the operationally relevant data from user data, application messages, and network protocol messages to fit within the network capacity constraints; thus, creating the potential for greatly increased efficiency at and across the tactical edge. Software developed under the program will transition to the Services. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-01.

The Box Kick program is developing a capability to engage and defeat raids of adversary subsonic cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems at low cost while preserving more capable and expensive weapons for higher-end threats. The program will integrate this capability into existing platforms with little-to-no platform modifications required. Technology developed under this program is planned for transition to the Services. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603739E, Project MT-15.

The Pulling Guard program will revolutionize Freedom of Navigation escort operations. The program will create semi-autonomous, modular, point-defense overwatch/escort systems, and an ecosystem that commercially delivers these escort services in partnership with the DoD. Pulling Guard will dramatically reduce risk and insurance costs for logistics platforms in peacetime (piracy and terror) and wartime (blockades), while increasing large combatant availability for other critical missions. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-02.

The Archer program will enable the production of a new cross-domain resilient effector capability to provide a strategic advantage over adversaries. Current capabilities rely on high-value capital assets to employ. The Archer program will provide an alternative solution which will enable capital assets to perform their other critical taskings. Building on technologies developed in various domains, Archer will produce hardware, conduct Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V), and perform iterative testing to create this capability. Technology developed under this program will be transitioned to the Services.

Current submarine propulsor and propeller designs have reached the technical limits of achieving significant improvements, constrain ship layouts and maneuvering capabilities. The Advanced Propulsor, Experimental (APEX) program is developing and demonstrating a new generation of submarine propulsor designs enabling revolutionary improvements in submarine design, maneuverability, speed, and quieting that will transform future submarine designs. The anticipated transition is to the Navy. Prior to FY 2026, this program was funded in PE 0603766E, Project NET-01.