The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Texas-based Southwest Research Institute a contract to deliver distributable nodes that will be used to measure high frequency radio band in military applications.
The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is part of the Cancun program, which aims to improve warfighter situational awareness through scalable and secure communications, the Department of Defense said Friday.
DARPA is looking for nodes with low cost, size, weight and power that can support devices deployed more than 1,000 kilometers apart. Vendors may propose a wired or wireless technology that can record and communicate portions of the HF radio band. They must be designed for remote maintenance and software updates.
Southwest Research Institute was chosen to perform work for the first phase of the Cancun program, which is expected to be completed in Dec. 2024. The organization will carry out the tasks at its headquarters in San Antonio, as well as in New York, Washington and North Carolina.