Phase two sbir: Solid-state circuit breaker

Project Vista

Project Vista is an initiative by the U.S. Army aimed at bridging the gap between small business innovation and actual fielded capability. Here are the key points:

Objective: The goal of Project Vista is to encourage larger defense contractors to incorporate technology developed by small businesses into competitive development programs.
Incentives: Starting in fiscal year 2024, the Army will insert specific language into requests for proposals (RFPs). This language will encourage prime contractors to utilize technology that has already been funded and developed through SBIR dollars but has not yet been integrated into a program of record.
Source-Selection Credit: Under Project Vista, lower-tier acquisition programs will receive source-selection credit if prime contractors incorporate Pentagon-funded technologies from small businesses into their proposals. Essentially, this incentivizes integrators to pick up where SBIR-funded development left off.

Challenges Addressed: While large contractors already collaborate with small businesses, the Army has faced challenges in transitioning SBIR-funded technology into operational use. Project Vista aims to leverage existing investments and accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions.

See below for SBIR's that DES has been working on!

Phase two sbir: Solid-state circuit breaker

4/8/2024

DES has been working on a direct to phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the Army. Valued at $1.7M, DES will develop and demonstrate an advanced solid-state circuit breaker technology for Army Aviation platforms. Advanced power management systems are needed to handle the increase in demands and complexity of platform and payload electrical loads. These power management systems require the capability to turn loads quickly and reliably on and off without requiring pilot input.

DES is partnering with UEC Electronics to support this project with their expertise in the design of solid-state circuit breakers by leveraging similar technology developed for vehicle platforms used by the Marines.