ASCA Missions — Active Call-Outs
Helps research teams and institutions for ASCA Missions Active Outs in aerospace, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), a body within Australia's Department of Defence, runs time-limited Missions to rapidly pull disruptive technologies into operational Australian Defence Force (ADF) capabilities. Each Mission is endorsed by the Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF), responds to a strategically directed defence priority, and typically runs for three years with clear performance targets, defined off-ramps, and dedicated program leaders who manage partnerships with Australian industry and universities. ASCA's model emphasises co-development with Defence scientists, military end-users, and acquisition specialists to deliver minimum viable capabilities in compressed timelines.
Missions are funded through Other Transaction-style flexible procurement contracts rather than conventional grants; award amounts and terms are not published at the program level and are negotiated per call-out. Opportunities are published exclusively as closed call-outs — Requests for Information (RFIs) and Approaches to Market (AtMs) — on asca.gov.au/opportunities and via AusTender. ASCA does not accept unsolicited proposals. As of May 2026, six active Missions include Ghost Shark (extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles), Mission Black Thorn (air defence penetration), Mission Indra, Mission Sea-Spear, Mission Syracuse, and Mission Talon-Strike (long-range land force capability). The Ghost Shark program has a separate $1.7 billion production announcement from September 2025.
Eligibility for ASCA Missions is restricted to Australian industry (for-profit companies) and Australian universities or research institutions; overseas entities are not eligible under standard Mission terms. Respondents must engage with a published RFI or AtM to participate — there is no open application portal. Organisations seeking to position for future Missions should monitor asca.gov.au/opportunities and AusTender regularly, as new call-outs are published without advance notice.
Defence priority capability needs as endorsed by the Vice Chief of the Defence Force; current missions include autonomous undersea vehicles, air defence penetration, long-range land force, and battlespace awareness.
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