Pentagon prize challenge seeks ‘ready-now’ uncrewed systems

In a push to get military kit to the field more quickly, the Defense Innovation Unit is launching a prize challenge called Project G.I. to help the military services test and scale uncrewed systems.

DIU on Monday released a solicitation for the effort, calling for companies to proposed “ready-now” uncrewed systems that can help increase the effectiveness of small military cells operating in low-bandwidth environments with disrupted communications.

“Solutions should fundamentally improve how tactical formations sense, decide and strike, independent of consistent communication or extensive logistical support,” DIU said.

DIU is establishing a $20 million prize pool for Project G.I., and the solicitation will stay open through the end of the year on a rolling basis.

Companies whose systems are selected will participate in a live demonstration with military operators. Based on user feedback, DIU will choose vendors to move into the next phase where they’ll either receive cash prizes to invest in maturing their systems, be awarded procurement contracts to deliver their capabilities to military units for further testing and training or be issued a contract for further prototyping.

Speaking Monday at the Special Competitive Studies Project’s AI Expo in Washington, D.C., DIU Director Doug Beck said the intent of Project G.I. is to get systems to operators more quickly by testing them in a live operational test environment. The project gives users a chance to “test, plan and learn” and provide feedback that can be quickly implemented and re-tested, he said.

Project G.I. also allows the services to take advantage of DIU’s flexible funding and bypass a budget cycle that can take years to wade through.

“DIU is laser focused on getting best-of-breed technology in the hands of the warfighter today and scaling it for training, adoption, and readiness,” Beck said in a statement. “Doing this at speed will in turn help catalyze the necessary scaling and readiness through major acquisition and training efforts across the services that will deliver strategic impact — and will simultaneously support the flywheel of American private sector dynamism in delivering against that strategic need.”

The first Project G.I. demonstration will be with the Army in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, but Beck said DIU is partnering with the other services as well.

Pentagon prize challenge seeks ‘ready-now’ uncrewed systems

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