The latest round of awards for the U.S. military’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program is worth more than half a billion dollars in total, including more than $70 million for software capabilities, according to a list of deals announced Tuesday.
These totals do not include secret procurements, a Defense Department press release said.
The APFIT initiative, launched several years ago and under the Pentagon’s Research and Engineering Directorate, aims to accelerate the delivery of new technologies to the armed forces and combatant commands and strengthen the defense industrial base through partnerships with small and non-traditional providers and venture capital-backed companies. According to the ministry, the program has already helped provide the military with more than 100 capabilities.
“By aligning funding with near-term operational needs, APFIT has enabled the rapid deployment of mission-critical systems across all mission domains, including autonomous systems, electronic warfare, expeditionary manufacturing, unmanned defense systems (c-UAS), resilient communications, contested logistics and resilient energy,” officials wrote in a Pentagon news release issued Tuesday.
Software tools were an important part of the latest round of deals.
“This award cycle further expands APFIT’s reach into software-only capabilities and reflects the Department’s focus on delivering adaptable, continually improving systems. By enabling the rapid deployment of updates and improvements, these efforts equip commanders with tools that evolve at the speed of relevance to ensure dominance in all areas of warfare,” the release said.
The program’s “initial” software procurements include the ARCHER AI decision advantage tool platform for U.S. Pacific Command, $10 million; Cybergenome AI binary analysis software for US Cyber Command, $10 million; an intelligence and operational threat planning tool for the Air Force, $15.2 million; a machine-based information exchange system (MAIS) for rapid intelligence disclosure for the U.S. Space Command, $10 million; an Operator Tactical Intranet Systems (OTIS) tactical attack kit for U.S. Special Operations Command, $17 million; and SCEPTER AI-based action generation for U.S. Southern Command, $10 million.
Other solutions procured in the latest round of investment include various unmanned platforms, autonomous systems and counter-drone capabilities, such as the Liberty autonomous low-profile vehicle (ALPV) for the Marine Corps, $32.58 million; Drake Drone Defense System for the Navy, $11.35 million; Low-collateral interceptors and multi-mission unmanned aerial systems for the Air Force, $17.5 million; Highly maneuverable Mira spacecraft for Spacecom, $19.75 million; Persistent Subsea Autonomous Profiler (PSAP) for the Navy, $30.8 million; and “Unruly” disposable attack drones for SOCOM, $31 million.
The full list of unclassified procurements for the latest round of APFIT, which brings the total value of awards made by the program since its inception to over $2 billion, can be found here.
“APFIT has fundamentally changed the way the War Department accelerates the transition of innovative technologies to combat aircraft,” Pentagon CTO Emil Michael said in a statement. “Our adversaries are not waiting, and neither will we. By scaling the APFIT program to over $2 billion, we are equipping the Joint Force with the lethal capabilities to guarantee battlefield dominance.”
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Written by Jon Harper
Jon Harper is Editor-in-Chief of DefenseScoop. He leads an award-winning team of journalists who provide breaking news and in-depth analysis of military technology and the way it influences the way the Department of Defense operates and modernizes. You can also follow him on X: @Jon_Harper_
https://defensescoop.com/2026/07/14/pentagon-announces-new-apfit-procurements-software/
