Counter-Drone Task Force Taps Directed Energy Systems for December Shoot-Off

Overview

The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has selected four directed-energy systems from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord Technologies, and Boeing for a December counter-drone pilot shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground. This congressionally-mandated pilot program under the 2026 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) will test high-energy laser and microwave systems for defending military installations, with operational assessments planned at five military bases. The selection and prior award activity (including an Epirus Army contract and an AeroVironment production contract) signal expanding contract opportunities in the counter-UAS directed energy market. Contractors that design, produce, integrate, or support directed-energy, microwave, and counter-UAS systems should treat this as a near-term capture priority. Immediate focus areas are monitoring solicitations and OTA announcements, validating export-control and cyber compliance posture, and lining up teaming or subcontract arrangements. Use this period to lock down documentation, update capability statements, and prepare proposal building blocks. For capture and compliance playbooks, see the Winning Federal Contracts Guide and related compliance resources below.

Immediate Actions (This Week)

• [ ] Monitor for the official solicitation, OTA announcements, and program office notices related to the NDAA 2026 pilot program and Dugway shoot-off; subscribe to source lists and set alerts for JIATF 401 / DOD / Army releases.
• [ ] Map your product and service capabilities to the pilot’s mission scope (high-energy lasers, microwave/DE systems, installation defense, counter-UAS) and identify gaps and potential teaming partners or subcontractors.
• [ ] Run a rapid compliance and export-control triage for ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), EAR, DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement), NIST 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171), and CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) exposure; flag any required registrations, license determinations, or immediate remediation tasks needed to qualify as a prime or subcontractor.

Short-Term Actions (30 Days)

• [ ] Start capture planning: prepare a one-page bid/no-bid, update your capability statement and past performance highlights, and create a list of clarifying questions for the program office or solicitation Q&A.
• [ ] Assemble proposal building blocks (security/compliance narrative, systems integration approach, test & evaluation experience, manufacturing capacity) and collect required supporting artifacts (export licenses, subcontractor statements, CMMC/NIST evidence).

Long-Term Actions (90+ Days)

• [ ] Advance cyber and export-control remediation to close gaps identified in the triage (implement NIST 800-171 controls where missing, finalize ITAR/EAR classifications/licenses, and document DFARS flowdowns).
• [ ] Mature production and sustainment readiness: supply-chain vetting, manufacturing capacity planning, and test-support plans for operational assessments across the five bases.

Compliance Checklist

• [ ] ITAR — Confirm registration with relevant authorities if systems or components are U.S. Munitions List items; prepare commodity jurisdiction requests and license plans where required.
• [ ] EAR — Perform EAR classification and identify whether license exceptions or export licenses are required for microwave/laser components, software, or dual-use technical data.
• [ ] DFARS — Identify DFARS obligations and necessary flowdowns to subs; ensure ability to meet DoD (Department of Defense)-specific contract security and reporting requirements.
• [ ] NIST 800-171 — Assess current implementation posture against NIST SP 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171) controls for handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information)); produce a POA&M for any gaps.
• [ ] CMMC — Evaluate CMMC readiness and documentation for prospective prime or subcontract roles; track anticipated requirement level and certification status for team members.

Resources

• Regulation texts and guidance (review these primary sources as applicable): NIST SP 800-171, CMMC guidance, DFARS guidance, ITAR, EAR — (official regulation text links / agency guidance TBD pending source review)
• Agency guidance to monitor: Department of Defense releases, Army / Joint Interagency Task Force 401 notices — (agency guidance links TBD pending source review)
• Capture & compliance reading: Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts)
• Related compliance guides: CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide), CUI-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide)

How Cabrillo Club Automates This

Cabrillo Signals War Room — Already detected this event and delivered this briefing within minutes. War Room continuously monitors regulatory changes, contract vehicle updates, and policy shifts across federal sources so you never miss a development. For this event it will push updates on solicitation postings, OTA notices, and any program-office clarifications tied to the NDAA 2026 pilot program and Dugway activities.

Cabrillo Signals Match Engine — When this directed-energy pilot changes the competitive landscape, the Match Engine automatically rescopes and rescores your opportunity pipeline. It updates match scores, keyword relevance, and agency alignment in real time so capture teams immediately see which existing opportunities rise or fall in priority given the new pilot program.

Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub — The Intelligence Hub has already flagged affected agencies, contract vehicles, and relevant NAICS codes in your saved searches. Use the saved search and alert features to get notified when related solicitations, OTA calls, or sources-sought notices appear on SAM.gov (System for Award Management) matching this event’s profile.

Proposal Studio (Proposal OS) — Proposal Studio generates baseline compliance matrices, pulls relevant past performance snippets, and produces first-draft technical approaches tailored to high-energy laser and microwave system requirements using your stored win themes and historical content. It accelerates the first-draft submission and helps standardize required security and export-control narratives.

Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker — The Workflow Tracker enforces a consistent 9-gate capture process from opportunity identification through post-submission. It automatically routes compliance reviews to contracts and legal, tracks supplier/export-license evidence, and generates audit-ready documentation packages for DFARS, ITAR, and NIST/CMMC reviewers.

Next step: use your Cabrillo workspace to configure an alert for this event, kick off a capture in Proposal Studio, and assign the first compliance review in the Workflow Tracker so your team is ready when solicitations or OTA announcements publish.

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