Notice ID: DARPA-SN-26-120
Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Office: Tactical Technology Office (TTO)
Published: September 2, 2026
Registration Deadline: September 16, 2026
Industry Day: September 22, 2026
DARPA is giving industry an early look at a potential new hypersonic cruise missile program, and contractors interested in the opportunity have reason to pay attention before a formal solicitation arrives.
The agency’s Tactical Technology Office will hold an Industry Day on September 22 for its planned Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile (NGHCM) program. The event is intended to brief potential proposers on program objectives and comes ahead of the planned release of a Program Solicitation.
What DARPA is Exploring
According to DARPA, the NGHCM program would aim to design, build, and flight-test a fully integrated system demonstrator.
The effort is intended to establish the technical foundation for next-generation capabilities with significant advances in operational range, cruise speed, and altitude to address advanced threats in highly contested environments.
Another priority stands out: manufacturability.
DARPA says it intends to incorporate Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) from the beginning of the program, with the goal of creating a clear and realistic path toward affordable, high-rate production.
That is an important signal for industry. The technical challenge isn't simply demonstrating greater hypersonic performance. DARPA is also thinking about how an advanced design could ultimately be produced affordably and at scale.
That manufacturing language is the line worth reading twice. Raising producibility before a solicitation exists points at a program built to reach production. Demonstration efforts do not usually carry that emphasis this early. For companies weighing whether to spend capture money here, rate capacity and the supply chain behind it now matter alongside the technology. DARPA’s related RFI encourages prime and subcontractor teaming ahead of solicitation, and the September 22 attendee list is where those conversations start.
The Related RFI Offers More Clues
Industry Day isn't DARPA's only engagement with the market.
The related DARPA-SN-26-93 Request for Information is being used to help the agency refine technical requirements, validate program assumptions, and inform its acquisition strategy for a potential competitive Program Solicitation.
DARPA is specifically seeking industry input in areas including trade-space exploration and concept development, critical technology evaluation, and innovative test-and-evaluation technologies.
For system-level concepts, DARPA is examining an air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile architecture and asking industry to consider tradeoffs involving factors such as payload, range, speed, altitude, maneuverability, signature, launch-platform constraints, aerodynamic efficiency, and manufacturability.
The agency also makes its teaming interest explicit.
DARPA says one purpose of the RFI is to encourage innovative contractor/subcontractor teaming arrangements among before a formal solicitation.
Why the Industry Day Matters
DARPA's September 22 event is more than a briefing.
The agency says its Industry Days are designed in part to promote teaming arrangements between researchers and help potential performers understand whether and how they might respond to future R&D solicitations.
For NGHCM, DARPA will also host a dedicated poster and networking session. Attendees may submit posters describing company capabilities, technical expertise, or teaming interests, and DARPA plans to provide registrant contact information to attendees after the event unless individuals opt out.
That creates a tangible opportunity for companies to identify potential partners before the procurement strategy and competitive landscape are fully formed.
DARPA is also encouraging participation from non-traditional performers, small businesses, academic and research institutions, and first-time government contractors.
The Broader Hypersonics Context
NGHCM arrives after years of DARPA investment in air-breathing hypersonic technology.
DARPA and the Air Force's completed Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program demonstrated technologies including hydrocarbon scramjet propulsion, thermal-management approaches, advanced hypersonic vehicle configurations, and affordable system-design and manufacturing techniques.
DARPA subsequently continued technology maturation through the More Opportunities with HAWC (MOHAWC) effort.
NGHCM should not yet be characterized as a formal successor to those programs, but the new effort reflects many of the same fundamental challenges: increasing hypersonic performance while addressing the practical realities of developing and producing an operationally relevant system.
What Contractors Should be Doing Now
There is no NGHCM Program Solicitation to bid on today.
That makes this a capture-stage opportunity, not a proposal-stage one.
Companies with relevant capabilities should be reviewing the Industry Day notice alongside DARPA-SN-26-93, assessing where their technology or expertise aligns with DARPA's stated focus areas, and identifying potential teaming partners.
They should also avoid treating the eventual requirement as settled. DARPA is still gathering industry input, refining technical requirements, validating assumptions, and shaping its acquisition approach.
For companies attending Industry Day, advance registration closes September 16 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Attendance is capped at 120 participants, with no more than three representatives permitted per business entity.
The event takes place September 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET at Amentum Services in Arlington, Virginia.
The Takeaway
The most important signal here may be the timing.
DARPA hasn't released the competitive Program Solicitation yet. It is still talking to industry, examining technical approaches, encouraging teaming, and shaping what a future NGHCM effort could look like.
For contractors with relevant technology, that makes this the point in the acquisition cycle to assess fit, understand the emerging requirement, and start building the right team.
By the time an eventual solicitation hits the street, some of those conversations may already be well underway.
