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BAA Call N0001424SBC02 Special Program Announcement for Office of Naval Research (ONR) Research Opportunity: Fundamental Research Towards Expeditionary Air Warfare & Weapons

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, best known for his daring dive to the deepest spot on Earth, nearly 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, has died at age 92. Walsh was a co-pilot of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a deep submergence vehicle acquired by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1958. Two years later, on January 23, 1960, Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, son of the inventor of the bathyscaphe, became the first humans to descend into the Challenger Deep, located in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. “ONR sponsored the Trieste, but it was then-Lt. Don Walsh who made the very daring decision to make the first descent into the deepest spot of the earth’s ocean. Walsh was a Navy officer, a submariner, an adventurer, and an oceanographer. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences and gratitude for allowing him to explore, and share his extraordinary experiences and knowledge with us,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus.

The Office of Naval Research Global TechSolutions program recently demonstrated the latest advancement in surf observation (SUROB) technology at the Technical Concept Experiment 24.2 held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.

Three esteemed engineers with ties to the Office of Naval Research (ONR) have been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2025. NAE members are among the world’s most accomplished engineers from business, academia and government.

In January 2025, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) partnered with the 144th Airlift Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard, the U.S. Interagency Arctic Buoy Program (USIABP) and the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR) to deploy meteorological and oceanographic buoys across more than 5,000 nautical miles of the Arctic Ocean.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) will host an Innovation Industry Day (I2D) on Thursday, May 14, 2026, focused on their Power & Energy portfolio.

Special Notice N0001426SN003 Special Program Announcement for Office of Naval Research (ONR) Research Opportunity: ONR Innovation Industry Day (I2D): Power & Energy

The proposed topic will explore and exploit the lack of underwater propulsion systems that can efficiently work across a wide variety of speeds over long distances. In particular, this effort is interested in a propulsion system able to transition between low and high speeds, to include the ability to stop and re-start at any time. Other desired characteristics will be briefed at the event. The program will pursue technologies and systems that support development and demonstration of a system that can propel an underwater vehicle in the ways listed. Further mission profile details will be provided at the Industry Day.

The Littoral Geosciences and Optics program (ONR 322LO) supports basic and applied research for expeditionary warfare, naval special warfare, mine warfare and antisubmarine warfare in shelf, near-shore, estuarine, riverine and riparian environments, with a particular emphasis on robust 4D prediction of environmental characteristics in denied, distant or remote environments.

The Littoral Geosciences and Optics program (322LO) solicits informal planning letters or pre-proposals from prospective investigators as the first step in the proposal process.