Ground-Based Affordable Mass (G-BAM)

This federal solicitation announcement outlines a Direct-to-Phase II (DP2) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) opportunity under the Department of War (DoW), titled Ground-Based Affordable Mass (G-BAM) (ARM26BX04-DV010). The initiative addresses the United States' critical shortage of cost-effective, long-range strike weapons by funding innovative research into low-cost, rapidly manufacturable, ground-launched payload delivery systems. To achieve "affordable mass" against peer adversaries, the G-BAM system targets a "flyaway" unit cost of under $2 million (a tenth of the price of high-end munitions) and a ground-launched threshold range exceeding 300 nautical miles. Prototypes must be user-friendly for Soldiers, integrate seamlessly with existing Army transport, targeting, and situational awareness systems, and be producible at a scale of at least 500 units annually. Crucially, eligibility is restricted to small businesses selected as winners of the corresponding Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) G-BAM Challenge. Non-winners of the DIU Challenge will not have their SBIR DP2 proposals evaluated. Selected companies will receive up to $2,000,000 for an 18-to-24-month period of performance to develop and test prototypes in realistic field environments. Beyond military use, developed technologies in AI, autonomous navigation, and additive manufacturing offer significant commercial dual-use potential for cargo delivery drones, maritime logistics, and domestic manufacturing.