DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Army invites interested entities to participate in the xTechSoldier Fire Control competition, a competition for eligible small and large businesses across the globe to showcase their innovative concepts for a Next Generation Squad Weapon Fire Control Module-X (NGSW-FC M-X), engage with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), earn prize money and potentially receive a contract award or agreement of up to $5 million.

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is partnering with the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier to deliver the xTechSoldier Fire Control competition. The U.S. Army recognizes that the U.S. DoD must enhance engagements with industry by (1) understanding the spectrum of ‘world-class’ technologies being developed commercially that may benefit U.S. DoD; (2) integrating the sector of non-traditional innovators into the U.S. DoD Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem; and (3) providing expertise and feedback to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies of interest to U.S. DoD in support of the Solider.

The xTechSoldier Fire Control competition will consist of three rounds:

1. Call for concept white papers;
2. Technology pitch event; and
3. Final proof-of-concept demonstration.

The competition will award up to $300,000 in cash prizes to selected participants throughout the competition. Up to three (3) finalists will receive a cash prize of $50,000 each and an invitation to conduct an in-person proof-of-concept demonstration with a panel of U.S. Army and DoD subject matter experts (SMEs) in January 2026. One (1) final winner will be selected and awarded a cash prize of $100,000 and will have the opportunity to submit a follow-on contract proposal worth up to $5 million. Details on the prize structure are listed in the announcement below.

In addition to non-dilutive cash prizes, participants will have an opportunity to engage with experts within PEO Soldier and across the U.S. DoD during each phase of the competition.

The efforts described in this notice are being pursued under the authorities of 10 U.S.C. § 4025 to award cash prizes and 10 U.S. Code § 4023 for potential follow-on contracts or agreements to only those eligible and selected entities as described in this announcement.

While the authority of this program is 10 U.S.C. § 4025, the xTechSoldier Fire Control competition may generate interest by another U.S. Army, DoD or USG organization for a funding opportunity outside of this event. Interested organizations may contact the participant to provide additional information which may or may not result in partnership opportunities. Finalists of the prize competition may be invited to submit a separate proposal for further development of their proposed technology solution based on the needs of the Army. The Army may use a contract mechanism of their choice and will notify participants accordingly.

All xTechSoldier Fire Control competition submissions are treated as privileged information and contents are disclosed to government employees or designated support contractors strictly for the purpose of evaluation and program support.

The xTech Program will provide feedback from evaluators to participants during each part of the competition. The purpose of providing this feedback is to help accelerate the transition of the technology to a U.S. Army end-user by providing insight into the best applications for the technology, suggestions for product improvement for U.S. Army use and recommended next steps for development. However, the Government will not respond to inquiries regarding this feedback.

Topic and Problem Statement

Imagine a Soldier in a real-world battlefield scenario with limited visibility and bad weather while experiencing extremely high physical and mental stress. Soldiers in this scenario require capabilities that enable them to quickly aim, fire, and engage their targets with a weapon system solution that provides overmatch. We’re looking for a small, lightweight system solution that can plug into our existing fire control system, called the XM157, which is used on our NGSW.

Think of it like a high-tech scope that can help our Soldiers defeat their targets more easily and effectively, similar to how the advanced targeting systems on our Abrams tanks work. However, instead of being a large and heavy system, we need something that weighs about as much as a small apple, is cost effective, improves upon current capabilities, scalable, and can be easily mounted and paired to our XM157 fire control system.

The NGSW-FC M-X shall pair and mount to the XM157 NGSW-FC and/or be a separate software solution package. The NGSW-FC M-X shall provide scalable capabilities that increase first round probability of hit and enhance lethality to the warfighter during favorable and unfavorable weather conditions such as adverse weather, obscured visibility, and dirty battlefield conditions. Desirable capabilities include but are not limited to one or more of the following: Reduced weight, multi-spectral imagery, passive (range finding; targeting; pointing), live atmospherics (including wind), weapon orientation, spectral conversion and/or hyperspectral imagery, aim augmentation, aided target detection, aided (target tracking; threat recognition). The NGSW-FC M-X concept is anticipated to integrate with emerging Army weapon requirements.

We’re looking for innovative solutions that can provide features like:

• Improved targeting in adverse weather conditions and obscured visibility
• Enhanced accuracy and probability of hit
• Ability to detect, identify, range, and track targets
• Integration with our existing XM157 fire control system

If you have an idea for a system solution that can help us achieve these goals, we want to hear from you. Your solution should be small, lightweight, and easy to use, with the potential to make a big impact on our Soldiers’ ability to engage targets effectively in operational environments.

Key Requirements:

• Must be able to mount and pair into the XM157 fire control system
• Must provide improved targeting capabilities in various environments
• Must be easy to use while under physical and mental duress

If you couldn’t attend the xTechSoldier Fire Control Webinar, watch the recording here.

SCHEDULE AND PRIZES

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible entities include nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations (i.e., large and small businesses) both domestic and foreign.

Each eligible entity:

• Must be able to obtain a CAGE code (U.S. businesses) or NCAGE code (international businesses) to process payments;
• Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the U.S. or a foreign country;
• Shall not be a U.S. Federal Government entity, foreign government entity or employ a U.S. Federal Employee acting within the scope of their employment;
• Shall not be currently under contract, agreement or other providing similar capabilities to the Government for work described in the problem statement;
• Shall be at the sole discretion of the Government.