The Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is seeking fully commercialized, rechargeable battery cells that meet the performance needs of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to include Group 1 and 2, with diverse mission requirements (FASTBAT-U).

The DoD seeks proven (TRL 7+, MRL 7+) solutions with recurring commercial revenue, transparent materials sourcing, and at minimum, a manufacturing pilot line and roadmap to onshore, friendshore, or scale domestic/Allied production in the 10s-100s of MWh/yr, relative to the company’s business plan.

DIU’s FAStBat initiative helps meet the National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries 2021-2030 objective to develop form-fit-function battery standards across a varieaty of formats for defense, electric vehicles, and grid applications as well as a 2030 objective to meet critical defense battery demand.