By Eleanor Kent, Army FUZE 

WASHINGTON — The Army FUZE xTech Program is returning to the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting this October with an expanded xTech|Disrupt effort challenging industry to tackle two distinct Army needs: how Soldiers generate and store power and how the Army can defeat air and missile threats at a more sustainable cost. 

This year, xTech|Disrupt will bring two competitions to AUSA under a single banner. xTech|Disrupt Endurance will seek power generation and storage technologies through a live, walk-up competition at AUSA. xTech|Disrupt Fires, a partnership with the U.S. Army Capability Program Executive (CPE) Defensive Fires, will pursue affordable interceptor technologies through the largest prize pool in xTech history — up to $20 million. 

The two challenges reach different segments of the market, but both address problems with direct implications for how the Army fights. Reliable, deployable power underpins an increasingly technology-dependent force, while the proliferation of unmanned systems and other aerial threats is putting new pressure on the cost and capacity of air and missile defense. Through xTech|Disrupt, the Army is looking to industry for technologies that can shift those equations in its favor. 

xTech|Disrupt debuted at AUSA in 2025 as a single live competition spanning four technology areas. The competition drew 375 submissions with 40% of applicants self-reporting as new to working with the Department of War (DoW). Less than 30 days after eight winners were selected at AUSA, seven technologies were integrated into Army experimentation at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) in Hawaii, where one was recommended for fielding and four for further experimentation. Among them, power generation winner Mesodyne advanced its LightCell technology to TRL 7 through JPMRC testing with the 25th Infantry Division and has since secured additional DoW contracts, raised $7 million in private investment and begun scaling production. 

This year, xTech|Disrupt Endurance will bring back the live competition to the AUSA floor. Registration will take place entirely on site, with companies entering the competition with a one-minute pitch to Army and DoW evaluators. Up to 18 selected companies will advance to five-minute presentations on the xTech|Disrupt stage and compete for up to $500,000 in total cash prizes. 

The live format is intended to give the Army access to a broad commercial market for power technologies while giving companies an immediate entry point to a defined Army need. For companies that may not traditionally work in defense, the competition creates an opportunity to put an existing solution directly in front of the Army and demonstrate its relevance through live evaluation at AUSA. 

xTech|Disrupt Fires takes on a different challenge and a different scale of investment. 

Affordable interceptors have become an increasingly important part of the Army’s air and missile defense equation as the threat grows in both number and complexity. xTech|Disrupt Fires will seek technologies capable of supporting the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) mission while reducing interceptor costs and supporting integration with the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). The competition is open to small, medium and large U.S. businesses, including non-traditional defense companies and commercial technology providers. 

With up to $20 million in cash prizes available, the xTech|Disrupt Fires competition reflects both the urgency of the problem and the technical investment required to develop, integrate and prove credible interceptor capabilities. 

Companies will initially compete through concept white paper submissions, with nine semi-finalists down selected to present their solutions on the xTech|Disrupt stage at AUSA. Four will leave the event as finalists, each receiving $1 million to continue developing their technologies in preparation for a live Army demonstration planned for September 2027. That investment gives the finalists nearly a year to mature their technologies ahead of a formal demonstration, where the Army will evaluate performance, interoperability and readiness for its air and missile defense mission. 

Across three days at AUSA, both competitions will take the xTech|Disrupt stage at Booth #1617 in Exhibit Hall A: 

• xTech|Disrupt Endurance: Companies can register and compete live starting Monday, October 12 at 11:00 a.m., with competition continuing Tuesday, October 13 starting at 11:00 a.m. 
• xTech|Disrupt Fires: Nine semi-finalists will make their case for advancing into the next phase of interceptor development Monday, October 12 starting at 9:30 a.m.  
• Awards: xTech|Disrupt Endurance winners will be recognized Wednesday, October 14 at 10:30 a.m., with xTech|Disrupt Fires finalists recognized that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. 

For xTech|Disrupt, AUSA is not the endpoint. Winners from both competitions will have additional opportunities to demonstrate their technologies, engage with the Army, and continue proving their operational value. The imperative is to turn that progress into field-ready capability at the pace the mission demands, strengthening the technological advantage Soldiers need to fight and win.  

Companies interested in xTech|Disrupt can learn more about eligibility, competition requirements and participation for both competitions at the links below: 

• xTech|Disrupt Endurance  
•  xTech|Disrupt Fires