About Us

DAYTON, Ohio — U.S. Air Force missions depend on Airmen’s ability to receive and retain skills as they advance in their career fields. Extensive training hours, equipment and funding have historically been vital to building confidence and qualifying warfighters before they perform live mission operations.

Traditional training methods face challenges that limit engagement, hands-on experience and the knowledge retention required to achieve optimal force readiness without extensive spending. Instructors also experience constraints because of location requirements, scheduling and asset availability. For specialized career fields, these delays can affect the Air Force’s ability to maintain mission readiness.

Limited access to aircraft and airspace for pilot training can restrict opportunities for pilot training, while damaged aircraft reduces fleet availability and disrupt operations supporting U.S. defense missions worldwide. For maintainers, diagnosing system faults and repairing complex aircraft requires technical proficiency, and errors can result in additional damage or extended maintenance timelines. Medical personnel and first responders also must develop and maintain critical skills to perform effectively in high-stress environments where mistakes can have operational consequences.

With support from AFWERX and the Department of the Air Force, Enduvo, a Peoria, Illinois-based company that develops immersive content creation software, is working to address these challenges by leveraging an AI-native no-code, collaborative virtual classroom.

Enduvo develops immersive training software used to support military training initiatives. The company’s platform enables trainers to develop immersive training content using no-code authoring environments. With this platform, users can develop interactive training scenarios for collaborative instruction that help warfighters retain information.

In 2019, Enduvo received an AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award to evaluate and adapt its augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) content authoring platform. It was designed to help military teams train pilots, medical practitioners, and maintenance crews with the goal of reducing training costs.

In 2022, Enduvo was awarded AFWERX Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract to scale its immersive, no-code AR/VR authoring platform.

In 2023, the company received an AFWERX SBIR Phase III contract to be a core element of the U.S. Air Force’s Discovery Analysis and Reporting Platform (DARP)/ Member Operations Training Analysis and Reports (MOTAR) program of record. Air Force trainers gained the ability to build immersive content within their digital classroom and connect with the MOTAR ecosystem.

Later that year, Enduvo won a $10 million enterprise wide Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Air Force for an immersive learning platform. The company is currently engaged in a second TACFI effort to deploy generative AI to the platform to decrease the time it takes instructors to create and modify training content.

This effort illustrates how AFWERX works with industry through the SBIR/STTR program to evaluate, mature and transition commercial technologies that address DAF mission needs. By incorporating an immersive training platform, the U.S. Air Force is refining the education and training process and supporting Airmen’s readiness.

*Disclaimer: References to non-federal entities do not constitute or imply Department of War or Air Force endorsement of any company or organization.

DAYTON, Ohio — In modern conflict, data silos can be dangerous. When sensors cannot ‘talk’ to each other, response times lag and assets remain vulnerable. To address this challenge, Picogrid is developing a vendor-neutral integration layer designed to merge data from multiple sensors into a single operating environment supporting installation security and force protection.

By utilizing AI-driven integration software for sensors, Picogrid has cut the time necessary to integrate new mission hardware from months to days or even hours, effectively bringing the ‘plug-and-play’ simplicity of commercial tech to the tactical edge.

Through the AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, Picogrid has developed Legion, software that connects sensors, command-and-control systems, and mission applications into a unified operational picture.

Protecting military installations requires bringing together radars, counter-drone systems, command-and-control networks, and other capabilities that were often bought separately and never designed to work together. When those systems cannot rapidly share information, troops have less time to detect and defeat incoming threats, putting personnel, aircraft, and critical infrastructure at greater risk. Faster integration helps defenders identify threats sooner, coordinate responses more quickly, and keep aircraft flying.

In August 2025, the U.S. Army awarded Picogrid a Phase III SBIR contract to unify the Army’s third-party signals intelligence (SIGINT) systems. This effort also leverages Picogrid’s Legion software platform to integrate radio frequency (RF) sensors and analytics tools from multiple vendors into a single, cohesive operational picture.

Legion creates this picture by automatically moving information between sensors and command-and-control systems. Expeditionary Command Nodes (ECNs) keep that information flowing in the field, so operators see it in the systems they already use without manually re-entering data.

In February 2026, the Department of the Air Force (DAF) awarded a $9.3 million Phase III contract to Picogrid. Under the contract, the company will work with the DAF to modernize security operations at certain Air Force installations.  Phase III awards support the transition of technologies that have completed earlier SBIR/STTR research and development efforts into operational use or commercialization.

This software is also being used in operational air defense missions. The technology has been integrated into military command-and-control environments and supports air defense operations.

Through ongoing SBIR/STTR efforts, Picogrid has adapted its platform to support U.S. Air Force Security Forces squadrons. Moving forward, the company plans to expand its efforts to additional military installations while extending its data fusion technology to support waterside security operations.

This partnership highlights how AFWERX continues to accelerate the transition of commercial technologies into operational capabilities that increase the speed, agility and readiness of the warfighter’s mission.

*Disclaimer: References to non-federal entities do not constitute or imply Department of War or Air Force endorsement of any company or organization.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The space domain is increasingly contested, congested and fast-moving, requiring the U.S. Space Force to field mission-critical technologies more rapidly than traditional acquisition processes allow. Commercial space activity continues to expand, yet many small businesses encounter challenges moving technologies from development to mission-ready systems.

The gap between development and adoption can slow the delivery of capabilities to warfighters. Although laboratory testing may demonstrate that a concept works, military organizations often require additional validation, performance data and technical assessments before considering a technology for transition. Companies without access to specialized facilities and expertise may face difficulties generating the evidence needed to advance their solutions.

Transitioning technology from a laboratory or development environment to operational conditions requires capital and verification of technical maturity. Without early and frequent technology readiness assessments, or TRAs, the Department of the Air Force risks investing in concepts that are not prepared to meet Space Force integration, launch or operational requirements.

SpaceWERX partners with The Aerospace Corp. 

In early 2024, SpaceWERX — the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force — partnered with The Aerospace Corp. to establish the Technology Readiness Level Bootcamp, or TRL Bootcamp. The initiative provides participating companies with access to technical experts and specialized test equipment to assess and mature their technologies.

The program also provides a structured process for evaluating whether commercially developed technologies funded by the government are prepared to advance through technology readiness levels. The resulting assessments help government program managers evaluate the costs, schedules and risks associated with potential transition into government programs.

SpaceWERX works with program executive offices and other government stakeholders to identify candidates for the Bootcamp. Participating companies typically spend two to six months in the program. Using NASA’s Technology Readiness Assessment Guidebook as its framework, the Bootcamp provides access to laboratory facilities and independent technical experts. These experts conduct hardware and software assessments and provide technical recommendations, analyses and testing support intended to address identified readiness gaps in relevant Space Force mission areas.

To date, the Bootcamp has focused on technologies related to in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing, or ISAM, and Tactically Responsive Space, or TacRS. The program works with participating companies to identify and address technical risks before they compete for potential Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, and Tactical Funding Increase, or TACFI, awards. Participation in the Bootcamp does not guarantee eligibility, selection or funding under those or any other government programs.

This assessment process supports the acquisition transformation memo issued by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The memo emphasizes restructuring acquisition to prioritize “speed to capability” and calls for acquisition executives to apply technology and manufacturing readiness assessments throughout system development.

The inaugural and 2025 TRL Bootcamp cohorts provide examples of how the assessment process has been applied. Participating companies included KMI, Turion, Thermasat and ASEI. The companies received technical assessments and recommendations intended to help align their development efforts with Space Force mission requirements. Some participants later received follow-on funding or became involved in other government programs through separate evaluation and selection processes.

The program also provides a structured process for evaluating whether commercially developed technologies funded by the government are prepared to advance through technology readiness levels. The resulting assessments help government program managers evaluate the costs, schedules and risks associated with potential transition into government programs.

SpaceWERX works with program executive offices and other government stakeholders to identify candidates for the Bootcamp. Participating companies typically spend two to six months in the program. Using NASA’s Technology Readiness Assessment Guidebook as its framework, the Bootcamp provides access to laboratory facilities and independent technical experts. These experts conduct hardware and software assessments and provide technical recommendations, analyses and testing support intended to address identified readiness gaps in relevant Space Force mission areas.

To date, the Bootcamp has focused on technologies related to in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing, or ISAM, and Tactically Responsive Space, or TacRS. The program works with participating companies to identify and address technical risks before they compete for potential Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, and Tactical Funding Increase, or TACFI, awards. Participation in the Bootcamp does not guarantee eligibility, selection or funding under those or any other government programs.

This assessment process supports the acquisition transformation memo issued by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The memo emphasizes restructuring acquisition to prioritize “speed to capability” and calls for acquisition executives to apply technology and manufacturing readiness assessments throughout system development.

The inaugural and 2025 TRL Bootcamp cohorts provide examples of how the assessment process has been applied. Participating companies included KMI, Turion, Thermasat and ASEI. The companies received technical assessments and recommendations intended to help align their development efforts with Space Force mission requirements. Some participants later received follow-on funding or became involved in other government programs through separate evaluation and selection processes.

Minimize image
Edit image
Delete image

When a participating company requires technical or laboratory support beyond its internal capabilities, the Bootcamp may draw from The Aerospace Corp.’s laboratory network. Support has included analysis by specialists in spacecraft mechanisms, integration assistance and laboratory testing using robotic platforms in the Collaborative and Autonomous Vehicle Ecosystem laboratory and equipment in the optical and photonic systems laboratory.

The TRL Bootcamp reflects an approach in which SpaceWERX provides participating companies with technical expertise, assessments and access to specialized resources. These activities are intended to help the government evaluate technical maturity and inform potential transition decisions.

As described in the 2025 Acquisition Transformation Strategy, moving from requirements-based to solutions-based acquisition may require the government to accept additional risk. Technical assessments can help government decision-makers evaluate that risk. By identifying technical gaps early, the TRL Bootcamp supports national security space missions and provides data to inform government acquisition decisions.

Additional information is available in the joint SpaceWERX-Aerospace Corp. paper titled “Bridging the Valley of Death: A DoD/FFRDC Partnership to Accelerate Low-TRL Commercial Space Technology for Military Programs.”

*Disclaimer: References to non-federal entities do not constitute or imply Department of War or Air Force endorsement of any company or organization.