Navy picks two small firms for R&D effort

Two small businesses have won contracts to help the Navy develop new technologies for signal processing and detection.

While Out of the Fog Research of Mountain View, Calif., and Hypres Inc. of Elmsford, N.Y., have significantly different ceilings on their individual contracts, they will compete against each other for task orders.

Out of the Fog’s contract has a ceiling of $91.4 million if all options are exercised. Hypres’ ceiling is $67.7 million.

The companies will be providing systems acquisition support, systems engineering, project management, basic research, development and implementation services.

The technologies and platforms include cryogenic radio frequency systems and advanced cryogenic core digital and quantum memory technologies. They also will work on things called a superconducting quantum interference device, tactical signals intelligence systems, and other military platforms.

My understanding is that these devices are used to detect subtle shifts in energy. For example, a superconducting quantum interference device, also known as a SQUID, measures changes in magnetic fields and used for medical imaging.

There also are potential military applications such as detecting submarines from an aircraft.

Under this contract, the companies will be primarily working in San Diego with some work at Mountain View, Calif. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific in San Diego is the contracting activity.