News & Success Stories

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Department of the Air Force relies on satellite capabilities to execute missions worldwide. Space-based missile warning systems provide warfighters with real-time intelligence and secure communications to help defend against adversaries.  Infrared sensors operating in high-altitude orbits detect heat signatures associated with ballistic missile launches and nuclear detonations.  This capability provides early warning and enables military leaders to make timely operational decisions.

Satellite systems also support mission planning by providing environmental data used across the joint force. Accurate assessments of environmental conditions, including weather patterns, are essential to mission success.  Satellite systems provide atmospheric data that support both ground and air combat readiness. Without this information, warfighters may be more vulnerable to adversary actions.

Despite their importance, Air Force and Space Force missions face operational limitations due to the finite lifespan of satellite systems. Increased global threats demand effective mission planning and reliable access to advanced technology throughout all phases of operations.

Meeting those mission requirements depends, in part, on the reliability and longevity of satellite power systems.

Extreme temperatures, radiation exposure and eclipse conditions can degrade system performance over time.  Conventional satellites rely heavily on solar energy and conventional battery technologies that gradually lose capacity, reducing mission endurance.

Current satellite power systems typically support operations for approximately 10 to 15 years. When satellites reach the end of their service life, replacement and redeployment efforts can create capability gaps. These gaps increase national security risks and may limit access to critical intelligence, communications and mission-essential data.

Advancing long-duration power systems 

With support from SpaceWERX, City Labs Inc., a Florida-based developer of nuclear-powered energy technologies, is developing tritium-powered betavoltaic power technology intended to address these challenges.

According to the company, the tritium-powered betavoltaic power source is designed to serve either as a primary power source for long-duration autonomous systems or as a secondary or auxiliary power source for higher-power platforms. The technology is intended to provide continuous power for more than 20 years without recharging, routine maintenance or dependence on solar illumination.

In 2023, SpaceWERX awarded City Labs a $1.7 million SBIR Direct-to-Phase II contract to adapt tritium-powered batteries for Communications Security (COMSEC) systems. According to the company, the batteries operate at the nanowatt power level and are intended to provide more than 20 years of circuit-board standby power, reducing the need for replaceable lithium batteries.

In 2025, City Labs was awarded a $1.9 million SpaceWERX Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract to enhance a tritium power source for autonomous sensing systems. This effort is intended to support long-duration sensing applications and improve operational endurance.

Designed for long-duration operations, the tritium-powered betavoltaic power source can maintain critical functions, including health monitoring, communications, memory retention, and other essential subsystems, during power interruptions, eclipse periods, or degradation of primary power systems.

The battery is applicable to a broad range of systems, including satellites, unattended sensors, remote monitoring devices, defense systems, infrastructure monitoring, and other applications where long-life, resilient power is required.  The continuous generation of power allows energy to be accumulated and used periodically for higher-power activities. This enables duty-cycled operation of payloads and sensors while maintaining long-term autonomous operation, even after conventional batteries would have reached the end of their service life.

The increased frequency of satellite replacement and launch operations increases operational costs and creates gaps in critical intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and secure communications.  By providing decades of power generation without recharging, the technology could reduce the need for battery replacement, maintenance visits, logistics support, and system downtime. For space systems, technology can help extend mission life and is intended to reduce the risk that a mission will end prematurely due to power system limitations.

The primary transition partner identified under the TACFI effort is Lockheed Martin Space, which is expected to support future integration and demonstration activities for space-based applications. The project is currently progressing through the remaining TACFI technical milestones required to demonstrate a higher-power tritium-powered betavoltaic system capable of supporting autonomous sensing applications for decades.

Near-term efforts include completing device fabrication, tritium integration, system assembly, and performance validation activities required to demonstrate a resilient, maintenance-free power source for SDA, ISR, and other persistent sensing missions. Resources needed include continued TACFI funding for semiconductor fabrication, tritium loading and testing infrastructure, integration activities, environmental testing, and future flight demonstration opportunities.

AFWERX and SpaceWERX support the Department of the Air Force’s efforts to identify, mature and transition emerging technologies that address future mission needs. Through programs such as SBIR and TACFI, they provide pathways to evaluate commercial technologies with potential defense applications.

*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 – Military aircraft are designed and built to fly under grueling, dangerous circumstances. Pilots rely on radar arrays not only to maintain situational awareness, but also for tracking and targeting capabilities. Radomes – enclosures made of fiberglass or other materials – cover and protect critical equipment, while allowing signals to pass through.

The radomes house the Airborne Weather Radar (AWR) that scans the atmosphere for turbulence, storms, and other dangerous meteorological conditions. Fighter jets use radomes built of highly specialized composite materials that allow radar waves to pass through without distortion, enabling aircraft to guide weapons, map terrain and lock onto targets.

Foreign objects, bird strikes and trapped moisture can damage these parts, leaving the enclosed systems vulnerable. Aircraft maintainers routinely check them for damage using non-invasive inspection tools such as manual X-ray equipment. Though generally effective, manual tools can introduce the possibility for human error. Damaged radomes impede aircraft readiness, hampering the DAF’s ability to generate combat power and deter aggression.

Improving inspection accuracy supports broader DAF readiness goals. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink has stressed readiness and modernization as necessary to maintain the country’s air and space dominance.

“With the X-ray process, a source is placed on one side of the aircraft structure, and the film is placed on the other,” said Shane Groves, a robotics and automation engineer at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. “When a nondestructive inspection (NDI) technician positions the source and film, it creates two opportunities for positional error to be introduced and leads to inconsistent results.”

Positional errors during the X-ray process increase the risk of radar degradation during flight and may affect mission execution.

Developing an improved inspection process

With support from the AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, Compass Technology Group is working with the Air Force to address this problem. Through the SBIR/STTR program, AFWERX provides companies with funding to advance high-risk, high-reward concepts from feasibility studies to fielded systems aligned with Department of the Air Force (DAF) operational requirements.

Compass Technology, an Alpharetta, Georgia, firm, in conjunction with the Air Force Sustainment Center at Warner Robins Air Force Base, has used SBIR funding to check aircraft radar covers (radomes) using digital twin software. This system was tested on F-15 fighter jet radomes at Robins Air Force Base and produced results comparable to current inspection methods. Preliminary testing suggests the capability can be adapted for additional aircraft. Air Force officials are evaluating its potential to reduce maintenance costs.

Compass Technology adopted an existing radome diagnostic capability for Air Force applications to create the Radome Operational Performance Evaluation (ROPE) software. The ROPE system uses an augmented reality (AR) headset with a robotic system to help inspectors accurately position the film. The AR system shows the operator where to position the film and then double-checks the location and orientation, reducing positioning variability.

In 2024, Compass Technology received a Phase III AFPIT contract totaling $10 million for radome operational performance evaluation and tuning with machine learning methods.  The contract provided for a robotic system that collects radome and radar data paired with a data processing system and extended reality tool.

The system is designed to measure radome performance metrics such as transmission efficiency, beam deflection errors, and sidelobe levels. This system uses an advanced microwave mapping probe (AMMP) for data and computational methods in place of a traditional indoor or outdoor radome measurement range.

In 2025, Compass Technology received a $2 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) to advance underlying computational capabilities through the refactoring of RayCalc simulations into a high-performance, GPU-accelerated Rust library, supporting additional digital twin capabilities and performance metric calculations.

The project also expands sensor integration and data collection capabilities by designing and manufacturing new end-of-arm tooling for cobot-mounted sensors and integrating them into the ARDS platform.

The effort updates the original ROPE software to utilize these new Rust-based libraries, extending the methodology for additional Air Force applications.

The future

Phase III work will include the adapting the technology for radomes used in the F-15 Radar Modernization Program, along with applications for C-130, F-16, and KC-135 aircraft.

As developments continue, Air Force officials plan to expand testing and fielding at additional maintenance locations. In addition to its use at the Robins Air Logistics Complex, plans call for its use at depots at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Hurlburt Field, Florida, and a Navy installation in San Diego.

*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 — Carrying out the precision work required to keep the Air Force’s aging fleet of cargo planes, fighters and bombers in the air demands not only skill and technical knowledge, but also significant time when tasks are performed manually.

Shaped components made of titanium, steel, aluminum and other alloys or composite materials make up an aircraft’s skin, or exterior surface. As with other parts, the aircraft’s outer skin can experience cracking from stress, corrosion and fatigue and must eventually be replaced. Similarly, rivets securing the skin to the frame can rust or become disfigured, making them more difficult to remove.

Traditionally, maintainers remove rivets manually using a twist drill. This approach is not only expensive and labor-intensive, consuming an estimated 3 million hours of Air Force technician time each year, but also physically demanding. It can also result in defect rates of up to 20 percent.

Complicating the process, drill-hole patterns on replacement skins must exactly match those on the original structure. Replicating patterns drilled by hand decades ago increases both the complexity and cost of repairs.

With support from AFWERX and the Department of the Air Force (DAF), Wilder Systems, an Austin, Texas-based aerospace company, is working to address these challenges by leveraging robotics, software and artificial intelligence.

In fiscal 2024, the DAF spent $17 billion on depot-level aircraft maintenance, including replacing structural components, repairing engines and upgrading communications systems on platforms such as the B-1B, B-52 and F-16. Based on customer discovery interviews and Government Accountability Office data, Wilder Systems estimates rivet removal alone costs DAF depots roughly $1 billion annually.

Wilder Systems and AFWERX

Before founding Wilder Systems, Will Wilder worked as a controls engineer in the aerospace industry, where he gained insight into the challenges of maintaining aircraft fuselages.

In 2019, the company began working with AFWERX and the DAF to explore applications of robotics in aircraft sustainment. In 2021, Wilder Systems received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract to develop an automated process for removing rivets and replicating drill-hole patterns on sheet metal.

The effort progressed to Phase II, during which the company developed a prototype in collaboration with the Rapid Sustainment Office. In 2022, Wilder Systems received a nearly $1.8 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) to further mature the technology in partnership with the 509th Bomb Wing and Air Force Global Strike Command.

The company has since tested its Agile Manufacturing Robot system at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. During testing on B-52 engine cowlings, the system was used to remove rivets and drill new holes as part of scheduled maintenance.

A technical order allocated 108 hours for the repairs, including defastening and drilling as well as corrosion mitigation. While 91 hours were designated specifically for rivet removal and drilling, the system completed those tasks in 59 hours, a 35 percent reduction in time compared to manual methods.

The system successfully removed 4,639 of 5,514 fasteners, or 84 percent. The remaining fasteners were intentionally left in place due to access limitations. In additional testing, the system demonstrated the ability to remove undamaged steel fasteners on a B-1 aircraft component without requiring rework.

The company has since tested its Agile Manufacturing Robot system at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. During testing on B-52 engine cowlings, the system was used to remove rivets and drill new holes as part of scheduled maintenance.

A technical order allocated 108 hours for the repairs, including defastening and drilling as well as corrosion mitigation. While 91 hours were designated specifically for rivet removal and drilling, the system completed those tasks in 59 hours, a 35 percent reduction in time compared to manual methods.

The system successfully removed 4,639 of 5,514 fasteners, or 84 percent. The remaining fasteners were intentionally left in place due to access limitations. In additional testing, the system demonstrated the ability to remove undamaged steel fasteners on a B-1 aircraft component without requiring rework.

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Building on these results, the Phase II effort led to a three-year, $32.5 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) to deliver 10 systems and associated process engineering support. The company is also developing artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities for tasks such as rivet removal and non-destructive inspection.

Since first engaging with AFWERX, Wilder Systems has received eight Phase I contracts totaling $672,014 and seven Phase II contracts worth $8.6 million, not including the STRATFI award. The company has grown to 125 employees with operations in California, Oklahoma and Texas.

Wilder Systems’ work highlights how AFWERX programs support collaboration between the Department of the Air Force and industry to address maintenance challenges. Through phased funding and partnerships with operational units, the effort demonstrates an approach to developing and transitioning technologies aimed at improving efficiency and readiness across the force.

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

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. Headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, AFWERX employs military, civilian and contractor personnel executing an annual $1.4 billion annual budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.

DAYTON, Ohio – Through the AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the Department of the Air Force partners with small businesses to develop technologies that address operational and training challenges. One example is work by Disruptive Electronic Warfare Machines (DEWM) on its Attritable Radar Target, or DART, system, which supports electronic warfare training by increasing target density and mobility.

DART is a man-portable radar threat system designed to replicate modern adversary signals. It can be set up in about 10 minutes and operated remotely, including beyond line of sight. Unlike legacy fixed training emitters, DART can be repositioned and reprogrammed, allowing instructors to create dynamic threat scenarios that reflect real-world conditions. Its software-defined open architecture supports a range of training requirements and has been demonstrated on truck-mounted, waterborne and autonomous platforms. The system has been tested with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35 Lightning II, F-15EX Eagle II and EA-18G Growler. It also received Joint Frequency Allocation Panel, or JF-12, approval.

DART is a man-portable radar threat system designed to replicate modern adversary signals. It can be set up in about 10 minutes and operated remotely, including beyond line of sight. (Courtesy of Disruptive Electronic Warfare Machines)

DEWM, a U.S. Air Force veteran-founded small business, reached a key milestone in 2025 with the delivery of its 50th DART unit. AFWERX supported this progress through a Direct-to-Phase II (D2P2) SBIR award, which allows companies to advance technology development more quickly when prior work demonstrates readiness. In September 2025, AFWERX awarded the D2P2 SBIR to expand DART’s capabilities to X-band frequencies, building on earlier C-band development and proven S-band performance.

In October 2025, DART units were delivered for operational training use at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Mississippi. The deliveries marked a transition from test and development activities to operational training integration. The mobile systems allow instructors to replicate mobile surface-to-air missile threats, compared with fixed legacy emitters used in traditional training.

In 2025, DART advanced into Phase III SBIR contracts, representing the transition from research and development into production, delivery or sustained use with funding from operational organizations. Department of the Air Force organizations funding Phase III DART contracts included:

• 301st Operations Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, $1.1 million.
• U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces in Africa, $403,750.
• 99th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, $120,400.
• 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, $101,200.

AFWERX’s SBIR program accelerates the transition of technologies like DART from early development into operational use. By aligning small business innovation with DAF needs, AFWERX fosters more adaptable and effective capabilities for today’s and future missions.

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