ZE Government Solutions announces Air Force SBIR Phase I Contract

ZE Government Solutions (ZEGS), a wholly owned subsidiary of AI-based gun detection leader ZeroEyes, was selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase I contract focused on new object classification to investigate its potential to fill capability gaps in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).

For this project, ZEGS will use its green screen lab to create a portfolio of models enabling the Air Force to proactively secure waterside installations against potential coastline threats. These might include small watercraft or fishing vessels conducting reconnaissance on U.S. operations at home and abroad.

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through a faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and losing bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering 'The Open Topic' SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and now in December 2023, ZEGS will continue its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

"This SBIR award is the start of an exciting venture to leverage ZEGS' cutting-edge object classification technology to strengthen the Air Force's defense capabilities at sea," says Mike Lahiff, CEO and co-founder of ZeroEyes, parent company of ZEGS. "Harnessing the power of our state-of-the-art green screen lab, we can create a dynamic portfolio of models to improve the security capabilities of waterside installations. We look forward to extending ZEGS use cases within the Air Force to ensure we remain vigilant and protect our citizens from potential coastline threats."