Optonica LLC

Optonica LLC is a woman-owned small business based in Spring Valley, Ohio, specializing in advanced optics, photonics, and sensing technologies for defense and aerospace applications. Registered with SAM.gov since May 2021, the company focuses on atmospheric monitoring, predictive modeling, and adaptive optics systems. As a sole proprietorship structured as a limited liability company, Optonica has established itself as a seasoned performer on defense research contracts, demonstrating sustained competency in delivering cutting-edge prototype development and research solutions for national defense priorities.

Optonica's federal contract portfolio reflects deep expertise across multiple specialized technology domains. The company has secured significant awards from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and Missile Defense Agency (MDA), with total contract values exceeding $4.1 million. Recent marquee awards include a $1.8 million SBIR Phase II contract from DARPA, awarded in September 2025, to develop GIPAT (Gimbal-Integrated Phased-Array Transceiver), an advanced tactical communications system utilizing phased-array transceiver technology. Additionally, Optonica received a $1.25 million STTR Phase II contract from AFRL in September 2024 for an Integrated Sensing Module for atmospheric path characterization and forecasting utilizing deep machine learning techniques. The company has also performed work on atmospheric propagation basic research and coherent beam combination modeling and simulation, as evidenced by a $317,496 STTR Phase III contract modification awarded by DARPA in December 2024. Earlier contracts included STTR Phase I awards from both DARPA and AFRL, as well as advanced wavefront aberration sensation and adaptive optics control development for AFRL, totaling $268,807. These contract awards have been structured primarily as firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee definitive contracts under small business set-aside programs, with performance taking place at the company's Spring Valley facilities.

Optonica holds an Other Transaction Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDV) contract with the Missile Defense Agency, awarded on June 30, 2022, with a ceiling value of $800,225.00. This prototype Other Transaction IDV enables the MDA to procure innovative prototype products and services from Optonica as needs arise in support of the agency's mission to develop and field an integrated, layered ballistic missile defense system. As an Other Transaction arrangement, the IDV affords the Missile Defense Agency flexibility to structure procurement outside normal Federal Acquisition Regulation protocols, allowing for accelerated delivery of experimental hardware, software, and services for evaluating new missile defense technologies. This vehicle positions Optonica to provide prototype solutions on an as-needed basis through individual task orders issued throughout the IDV's period of performance.