Melbourne, Florida – January 12, 2026 – Critical Frequency Design (CFD), a growing aerospace and defense photonics technology company based in Melbourne, Florida, today announced the award of two new government defense contracts totaling $1.8 million. These awards reflect the increasing demand for CFD’s microwave photonics expertise and continued innovation of technical solutions for missions in contested and congested communication environments.
The first award is a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract issued by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). This contract accelerates development of a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) aimed at transforming the Jammer Hammer benchtop chassis into a ruggedized, circuit card-level solution with enhanced interference suppression. The Phase III designation is significant as it allows other Department of Defense organizations to leverage this contract vehicle to rapidly access CFD’s proven innovation. This proof-of-concept hardware will integrate advanced photonics into a compact, power-efficient footprint enabling use on a wider range of defense platforms, including airborne and shipborne systems.
The second contract focuses on advancing an ultrahigh-dynamic range photonic-assisted direct digitization receiver that significantly outperforms the commercial state of the art in both Effective Number of Bits (ENOB) and dynamic range. The innovative design will enable direct digitization across very wide bandwidths and is able to be packaged in a miniature hybrid opto-electronic module that is expected to deliver several orders of magnitude improvement in dynamic range over conventional systems—setting a new benchmark for signal processing performance.
“These awards demonstrate the continued trust our customers place in our ability to take cutting-edge technologies from concept to mission-ready capability,” said Johnathen Warren, CEO of Critical Frequency Design. “The Phase III SBIR award is particularly important as it validates our progress on the Jammer Hammer program and creates a pathway for broader adoption across the defense community. By miniaturizing high-performance microwave photonic systems and redefining wideband digitization, we’re delivering practical innovations that support operational advantage for defense missions.”
Together, these contracts strengthen CFD’s portfolio of advanced photonics solutions and reinforce its position as a leading provider of technologies that enable secure, high-performance communications in the most challenging defense environments.
###
Critical Frequency Design (CFD) provides advanced photonics communications and sensing solutions for warfighters in contested environments. Led by an agile, innovative team of experts across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and program management, CFD possesses the knowledge and expertise to rapidly deliver mission-critical solutions to the warfighter. Learn more at www.criticalfrequency.com.
CONTACT:
Eddie Myers, Chief Growth Officer
321-343-5611