ERIS Shopping Notice: High Duty Cycle High Energy Lasers (HEL) for SWaP-Constrained Systems
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Strategic Technologies Office (STO) has issued an ERIS Shopping Notice (Special Notice) to identify innovative, post-competitive, and awardable solutions for High Duty Cycle High Energy Lasers (HEL). The focus is on moderate power (1-20 kW) HELs capable of high duty cycle operation within Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP)-constrained systems, such as Stryker vehicles or Collaborative Combat Aircraft. This is an active and immediate search, with submissions reviewed on a rolling basis and potential awards made prior to the closing date. Responses are due by November 30, 2026.
Purpose & Overview
This notice serves as a market research activity, not a formal solicitation for proposals, to actively "shop" the ERIS Marketplace. DARPA STO seeks solutions that prioritize maximizing duty cycle for sustained firing over simply maximizing output power. The goal is to advance HEL technology for tactical applications where SWaP limitations are critical.
Key Requirements / Deliverables
DARPA is interested in solutions addressing:
- Engineering designs for novel high-energy laser approaches.
- Cooling challenges for continuous operation.
- Innovations in heat exhaust and transport, while maintaining beam coherence and laser quality.
- Phase control of the laser for beam tuning.
- Architectures that can scale to 1-20 kW.
Contract & Timeline
- Opportunity Type: Special Notice / Market Research (not a solicitation for proposals).
- Agency: DARPA STO.
- Product Service Code: AC13 (National Defense R&D Services; Experimental Development).
- Set-Aside: None specified.
- Notice Period: June 4, 2026, to November 30, 2026.
- Response Due: November 30, 2026, at 12:00 PM (ET).
Submission & Evaluation
- Existing ERIS Solution Providers: Flag your current solution video by emailing
eris@darpa.mil. - Prospective ERIS Solution Providers: Submit a video solution through the standard ERIS submission process for the June-November 2026 collection periods.
- Submission Title: Must be
DARPA-SN-26-82: [Your Solution Title]. - A notification email to
eris@darpa.milis also required. - Submissions will be evaluated against criteria in the ERIS Master Solicitation, with specific interest in:
- Defining the problem and current state of the art.
- Technical innovation and advancement.
- Team capability and expertise.
- Potential impact on SWaP-limited tactical HEL systems.
Additional Notes
Relevant resources include the ERIS Master Solicitation, DARPAConnect resources, and the DARPAConnect ERIS Portal for submitting new solutions. The Government reserves the right to make one or more awards prior to the closing date.