Smart signaling device to be developed for AFWERX by Faradine Systems, goTenna, Bunker
NewsJanuary 07, 2025
LEXINGTON, Kentucky. Faradine Systems won a $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from AFWERX to develop a mesh-networked signaling device for air-to-ground friendly force identification in collaboration with goTenna and Bunker Supply, the company announced in a statement.
The project aims to create a device that combines multiple signaling capabilities into a single smart system that can operate in contested environments, according to the statement. The technology will integrate with the Team Awareness Kit (TAK), the Air Force's standard platform for shared situational awareness.
"Faradine, goTenna, and Bunker Supply will leverage their combined past performance to successfully execute the development and production of this cutting-edge technology in hopes of eliminating the risks to human life when attempting to distinguish friendly forces from opposing ones in contested environments," the statement reads. "The technology will deliver a higher degree of situational awareness for the Air Force and satisfy the mission-critical need to identify and assist troops quickly in high-pressure situations."
The device is designed to replace traditional signaling methods like smoke grenades and chemlights with a multispectral system that can transmit both visible and non-visible signals, according to Ari Schuler, goTenna's chief executive officer.
"All of these things [grenades and chemlights] an operator has to carry on their kit," he said. "With this, you're able to take all of those different signaling devices and combine it into a single smart device -- so it's not just blue smoke or red smoke, you can do a variety of multispectral missions."
The 147th Air Support Operations Squadron in Texas serves as the end-user sponsor for the program, which could expand beyond special operations into conventional Department of Defense applications, Schuler says.
While the system will be subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), non-ITAR versions may be developed for rescue operations and allied forces, the company says.
The system, which uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology, could be ready for the field by the end of 2025, Schuler says. Faradine and goTenna have been working on the technology since 2023.
