Spectrum Photonics Inc.

Spectrum Photonics Inc., a small business headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, develops hyperspectral imaging and thermal sensing systems for defense and national security applications as a prime contractor under the Small Business Innovation Research program and related Department of Defense contracts, competing predominantly on total small business set-asides.

Spectrum Photonics specializes in compact, low-cost advanced detection technologies — primarily hyperspectral imaging systems across mid-wave infrared, long-wave infrared, and thermal bands — tailored for unmanned aerial systems, spacecraft, and tactical edge platforms. The vendor's portfolio centers on SBIR Phase I, II, and III awards from the Department of the Army, Air Force Research Laboratory, and Naval Air Warfare Center, with representative work including a $2.0 million Army SBIR Phase II contract (awarded September 2024, completing September 2026) for miniaturization of hyperspectral sensors for UAS applications; a $1.9 million Army SBIR Phase II award (April 2025) under the XTECHSBIR Pacific Finalist competition; a $1.25 million Air Force Research Laboratory purchase order (February 2026) for development of a hyperspectral mid-wave infrared sensor for attritable platforms; and a $2.79 million Naval Air Warfare Center SBIR Phase III delivery order (August 2024) extending research and development efforts through September 2025. Across its prime footprint, Spectrum Photonics competes exclusively on total small business set-asides, with the exception of one Naval Air Warfare Center Phase III delivery order ($890,282) designated as full-and-open.

Customer concentration is heavily defense-oriented. The top five customer organizations account for 100% of combined potential value, dominated by the Department of the Army Acquisition Support Center Joint PEO Chemical and Biological Defense (4 awards, $8.28 billion combined potential value), though this figure reflects a single large IDV ceiling rather than obligated volume. By award count, the Department of the Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command leads with 11 awards ($11.2 million), followed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (7 awards, $12.8 million) and Naval Air Warfare Center (5 awards, $6.6 million). Spectrum Photonics has served 15 distinct federal customer agencies across its award history, with nearly all work routed through SBIR contract mechanisms.

Recent activity shows volatility: three awards in 2022, one in 2023, six in 2024, two in 2025, and one in 2026 year-to-date. Three awards with combined potential value $5.1 million complete within the next twenty-four months, presenting moderate recompete exposure. The vendor operates as a prime on 95% of awards (42 of 44) and subcontracts on 5% (2 awards), both sub-awards placed under The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as prime — one JPEO Mission Support RDT&E Technical Data Package task and one Beholders Gaze research effort. The vendor holds a single-award Basic Ordering Agreement (N6833522G0018) with Naval Air Warfare Center carrying three task orders valued at $4.6 million combined. Service Contract Inventory data shows minimal SCI-reportable activity, with one sub-engagement record carrying 0.2 FTEs in FY2024, indicating that Spectrum Photonics' federal work is primarily R&D contract and product delivery rather than billable labor services above the SCI threshold.