EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Armament Directorate hosted a Weapons Pitch Day at the Doolittle Institute in Niceville, April 29.
The virtual event marked the second time the AD assembled a panel to expedite Small Business Innovative Research Phase II contract awards to candidates invited to present their technologies.
“This was our premier event to engage small businesses, tap into their innovative spirit and apply it to our Weapons Enterprise challenges,” said Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, AD director.
The panel members considered 23 five-minute virtual pitches. By the end of the event, 16 companies received $1 million contracts during the million-dollar moment concluding the WPD event.
“Pitch Days are a proof of concept we can expedite the contracting-award process. This is the beginning of a culture change for the Air Force and DoD,” said Maj. Madeline Jensen, Armament Directorate.
Each company brought technology capabilities across the following six innovation targets.
• Reach - the need for weapons with a significant range and propulsion solutions.
• Affordable mass - the ability to deliver multiple, cost-effective weapons in large amounts.
• Autonomous and collaborative weapons that think and talk to each other.
• Sensing and communication - weapons that see and transfer information to our bombers and fighter to ensure threat awareness.
• Non-kinetic effects - finding different ways to make targets inoperable.
• Digital engineering - advanced analytics and how to apply machine learning.
To get to this point, the AD sought proposals and received 213 proposals.
In November, more than 50 technical experts participated in a five-day proposal evaluation. As a result, 60 $50,000 three-month contracts were awarded. Eventually, 23 companies received an invitation to pitch.
“Awarding same-day contracts allows immediate collaboration between the units seeking the technology and the small businesses to get capabilities to the warfighter faster.”
The Air Force’s first pitch day in 2019 represents an ongoing change in how AF acquisitions conducts business.
To see a list of the Air Force’s new technology partners, visit https://airforceweapons.com/.