Optical Engines, Inc.

Optical Engines, Inc., doing business as Optical Engines, is a for-profit manufacturer of laser solutions and optical components headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company specializes in advanced fiber laser technologies, including fiber lasers, amplifiers, and directed energy systems for defense and scientific applications. Since its registration in the federal contracting system in March 2007, Optical Engines has established itself as a key supplier to multiple federal agencies through prime contract awards, grant awards, and subcontract work, leveraging its expertise in cutting-edge optical and laser technologies to support national defense and scientific research priorities.

Through federal prime contracts, Optical Engines has delivered a diverse range of specialized laser components and systems to the Department of Defense and its subordinate agencies. Most recently, the company received a $1.02 million Small Business Innovation Research Phase III Other Transaction Agreement from the Office of the Secretary of Defense in October 2025, running through September 2026, representing a commercialization phase for advanced laser technologies. Prior to this award, Optical Engines received a $1.39 million cost-plus-fixed-fee definitive contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory in September 2022 for the development and delivery of multi-kilowatt counter pump fiber pump/signal combiners supporting directed energy weapons research. In September 2022, the Army Materiel Command's Research Development and Engineering Command awarded the company a $130,230 firm fixed-price purchase order for three Power Engine 1000 high-brightness series units and one high-power beam combiner. The company also received two Small Business Innovation Research awards: a $750,000 Phase II contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory in July 2022 for an Ultra Low Size-Weight-and Power-Consumption Multi-kilowatt Directed Energy Laser Blade (LASERBLADE), and a $49,990 Phase I SBIR contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory in October 2021 for the same technology concept. Additionally, NASA awarded Optical Engines a $149,999 SBIR Phase I contract in July 2022 for the development of single mode ultra-large mode area fiber lasers with large energy storage. A $50,000 purchase order from NASA in March 2022 supported the development of a custom monolithic polarization-maintaining photonic crystal amplifier stage. Beyond prime contracts, Optical Engines has served as a subcontractor to major defense contractors including Leidos, Inc. (multiple awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024 for procured goods and services supporting contract statements of work) and BAE Systems Information & Electronic Systems Integration Inc. (May 2022 award for Series 6 Amplifier Engine Harness components), as well as Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. (September 2024). These contract awards carry no small business set-aside designations except for the two SBIR Phase awards and the NASA Phase I contract, which were designated as total small business set-asides.

Optical Engines has also pursued federal funding through grants, particularly from the Department of Energy's Office of Science, which supports advanced laser technology research and development. The company received a $200,000 Project Grant in February 2024 under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) to support research on path length matching and phase control for coherently combined fiber laser arrays, with completion targeted for November 2024. In June 2022, the Department of Energy awarded the company a $400,000 Project Grant for fiber amplifier technology development focused on ultra-large-mode-area ultrafast laser arrays, with a completion date of March 2023. The company also received a grant from the Office of Science in June 2021 for ULMA fiber laser harnesses designed for high-intensity ultrafast laser applications, with an extended completion date of August 2024. These grant awards reflect the Department of Energy's investment in Optical Engines' capabilities to advance fiber laser and amplifier technologies that support both basic energy science research and potential national security applications through enhanced laser systems capable of higher power and improved beam quality for scientific and operational purposes.

High Power Fiber Based Laser Systems