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Sentinel Swarms II: Adaptive Threat Mapping for Austere Airfields

AFWERX · AFWERX STRATFI · AFWERX

AI-Readiness Score
18/25
Pathway Speed
5/5
Timeline Realism
2/5
Problem Framing
3/5
AI / ML Fit
5/5
Award + Transition
3/5

Award

$1,249,818
Award ceiling
Mazer Intel
Awardee
Posted August 1, 2025

Description

Mazer Intel proposes the continued development of Sentinel Swarms II, a next-generation AI-enabled ISR platform that uses graph-based reinforcement learning and swarm autonomy to secure austere airfields in contested environments. Designed for Air Mobility Command’s Contingency Response Wings (CRW), the system integrates Graph Control Barrier Functions (GCBF+), Airborne Optical Sectioning (AOS), Kimera-based onboard SLAM, and InforMARL to enable safe, scalable, and adaptive surveillance without GPS or centralized control. The upgraded system generates real-time ISR maps with threat annotations, fuses multi-agent data, and streams situational intelligence to TAK/ATAK for seamless operator integration. Compared to traditional manned ISR or static surveillance, Sentinel Swarms II increases perimeter coverage by 60%, reduces operator workload by 70%, and operates autonomously under DDIL conditions. Phase II will include hardware-in-the-loop testing, AI behavior tuning, and simulation of contested airfields. With direct support from AMC, alignment with the $1B Replicator initiative, and proven dual-use potential in critical infrastructure security and disaster response, the platform is poised for TACFI/STRATFI transition and DoD Program of Record adoption. This effort strengthens U.S. airfield resiliency and enables persistent force protection in Indo-Pacific theaters where traditional ISR systems fail.

Score Rationale

AFWERX STRATFI is a top-tier fast-track instrument scoring maximum on pathway speed, and the AI/ML fit is genuinely strong — graph-based RL, swarm autonomy, SLAM, and multi-agent fusion are core AI-shaped problems with named architectures (GCBF+, InforMARL, Kimera), not grafted buzzwords. The timeline realism scores low because no response deadline is listed and the Phase II scope (HIL testing, AI behavior tuning, contested airfield simulation) is ambitious relative to the $1.25M ceiling, which sits just above the $1M threshold but well below the $5M bar for a top award-transition score — the transition narrative name-drops Replicator and Program of Record but lacks a concrete follow-on mechanism or ceiling.

Source

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