Jamie Bennet 
- The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has awarded Riptide Technology a C4ISR research and development contract
- The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract has an initial price of $27 million, with a potential to increase to $148 million
- The contract is expected to be completed by August 2031
Riptide Technology has secured a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide research and development support to the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in the area of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the Department of War said Monday.
The effort will focus on optimizing and integrating operational space and ground systems in support of NRL’s C4ISR requirements.
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What Are the Details of Riptide’s NRL Contract Award?
The contract has a base value of $27 million, but the total value could grow to $148 million if the Navy exercise all included options. The Navy is obligating $2.5 million in fiscal year 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funding at the time of award. The funds are structured so they will not expire at the close of the current fiscal year.
The NRL in Washington, D.C., is serving as the contracting activity for the agreement, which was awarded through a competitive process as a small business set-aside, with five offers submitted. Work under the award will be carried out at the laboratory’s facilities in Washington, D.C., with a projected completion date of August 2031.
What Other Ongoing Projects Does the Naval Research Laboratory Have?
Three months before the contract award to Riptide Technology, the NRL selected Applied Research Associates for a $111.5 million contract to conduct research and development related to its Center for High Performance Computing. ARA is also expected to design high-performance computing and network protocols, develop cryptographic capabilities and perform performance analysis of concepts and systems.
In July, the laboratory announced that it was ramping up its quantum information science and technology portfolio as part of a broader federal push to keep the U.S. at the forefront of quantum innovation. The lab’s expanded work centers on four pillars that track closely with the order’s goals: sensing, positioning, navigation and timing; computing; networking; and the foundational science underpinning future systems. The initiative supports the Department of War’s broader Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance priority, with the ultimate aim of giving sailors and U.S. Marines a technological advantage in environments where traditional systems may be compromised or unavailable.
