Thermally Tolerant Optical Fire Detectors
STTR Opportunity Analysis
The Department of the Navy is seeking an STTR/SBIR effort to develop thermally tolerant optical fire detectors for aircraft engine nacelles, with the core goal of extending reliable fire detection to environments up to 400°F. The work calls for an AI/ML-enhanced detector that can improve false-alarm rejection while using material, packaging, and calibration approaches that withstand thermal cycling, vibration, and electromagnetic interference. Phase I is to develop and demonstrate a prototype that detects a hydrocarbon flame in a 400°F environment without false alarms from other light or heat sources, and Phase II is to produce a production-scalable drop-in replacement and evaluate it against MIL-F-23447 and MIL-STD-810H. The opportunity is identified as DON26TZ01-NV001, with applications due June 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC.