Near Earth Autonomy, Inc.

Near Earth Autonomy, Inc. is a for-profit small business manufacturer headquartered in Homewood, Pennsylvania, that specializes in autonomous flight solutions and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technologies. The company has established itself as a critical supplier to the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies through its expertise in autonomous drone navigation, sense-and-avoid systems, advanced autonomous inspection technologies, and autonomous operations capabilities. Since registering with SAM.gov in March 2012, Near Earth Autonomy has secured a robust portfolio of federal contract awards across multiple agencies, demonstrating its technical capabilities and reliability as a prime contractor and subcontractor for research, development, test, and evaluation initiatives.

Near Earth Autonomy's work through federal contract awards reflects a diverse range of autonomous systems development and demonstration activities. The company has received multiple Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards from the Department of the Army, Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Defense Health Agency, and NASA. Notable contract efforts include development of the CAPTAIN autonomy core with integrated human-machine interface ($2,998,966 STTR Phase III with Washington Headquarters Service), the Rotorcraft Uncrewed Conversion Kit for Contested Logistics and Sustainment or RUCK ($999,839 delivery order with Army), autonomous aircraft inspection demonstrations and commercialization initiatives ($354,880 and $1,999,969 with Air Force and NASA respectively), precision automated drone landing solutions ($1,599,948 with Army), emergency blood delivery via UAS ($1,099,940 with Defense Health Agency), and subsurface aircraft corrosion detection capabilities ($109,839 with Air Force Research Laboratory). The company has also provided technical services as a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp and served as a subcontractor under Alutiiq Information Management, LLC contracts for laboratory equipment upgrade, repair, and maintenance. A significant portion of Near Earth Autonomy's awards are designated as total small business set-asides, reflecting its qualification and competitive position within the small business industrial base, though several larger research efforts operate under non-set-aside designations.

Near Earth Autonomy currently holds two substantial Indefinite Delivery Vehicles that structure its engagement with federal customers. The first is an $11,499,839.02 SBIR Phase II single-award IDC with the Department of the Army running through April 14, 2028, focused on research, development, test, and evaluation services for the Rotorcraft Uncrewed Conversion Kit for Contested Logistics and Sustainment program under total small business set-aside designation. The second is a $31,072,732.19 Other Transaction IDV awarded by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on June 4, 2024, supporting the development of rapid prototypes for the Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program under the Middle Tier Acquisition pathway, in partnership with Consortium Management Group, Inc. This non-set-aside vehicle provides flexibility for Navy and Marine Corps units to issue task orders for autonomous UAS technologies and associated services. Both IDVs leverage Near Earth Autonomy's core competencies in autonomous navigation, sense-and-avoid systems, autonomous landing precision, and flight control operations in GPS-denied environments, positioning the company as a key enabler for military autonomous systems modernization across the Department of Defense.