Nokia Federal Wins DoW RAPID Contract for 5G and 6G Threat Detection

On November 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of War (DoW) announced a contract for Nokia Federal Solutions under the Real-World Application Prototyping for ISAC Demonstration (RAPID) project. Managed by the FutureG Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, RAPID is intended to prototype integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) applications using commercial cellular infrastructure. The effort reflects DoW interest in adapting commercially developed wireless technologies for mission-critical environments rather than relying exclusively on purpose-built defense systems.

Nokia Federal will develop, build, and test ISAC capabilities and demonstrate an end-to-end solution using 5G and future 6G networks. Built on Nokia’s AI-RAN platform, the project will integrate Nokia and third-party applications for sensing and spectrum threat awareness. The company says the work will combine multiple sensing modalities and sensor fusion to provide a more comprehensive picture of potential unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) threats. The intended operational applications include object detection and tracking, force protection, spectrum awareness, and protection of critical infrastructure.

The award is part of a $50 million pool distributed among 11 awardees, awarded through the National Spectrum Consortium in partnership with the FutureG Office. Nokia’s individual contract value was not disclosed, so the program-wide total should not be treated as Nokia’s award amount. This is an awarded contract, not a new open bid opportunity. For contractors, the announcement is best read as a technology and teaming signal: firms in wireless networking, RF sensing, spectrum analysis, AI-enabled communications, and defense integration may find opportunities to participate in related demonstrations or through ecosystem partnerships, but no new solicitation is identified here.

The named supporting subcontractors are Nokia affiliates, Texas Tech University, DeepSig, Hidden Level, and Future Technologies. Nokia Federal Chief Technology Officer Steve Vogelsang said, “The unmanned system threat is real. Integrated sensing and communications provides the opportunity to help protect critical infrastructure by leveraging the existing cellular networks to identify the threat. This project in partnership with Department of War is helping to advance the technology and the ecosystem to make that a reality.” FutureG Office Deputy Principal Director Marlan Macklin described ISAC as at the forefront of the office’s effort to adapt commercial wireless technologies to DoW requirements, emphasizing an “open ecosystem” to support force protection and defense of critical assets against evolving UAV threats. For potential suppliers, the practical takeaway is to track RAPID and related FutureG activity, assess complementary technical capabilities, and distinguish follow-on market opportunities from this already-awarded work.

• Awarding customer: U.S. Department of War; the contract is managed by the FutureG Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.
• Project: RAPID means Real-World Application Prototyping for ISAC Demonstration and focuses on integrated sensing and communications.
• Technology scope: Nokia Federal will develop, build, and test an end-to-end solution using commercial 5G and future 6G infrastructure, built on Nokia’s AI-RAN platform.
• Mission applications: The demonstration targets UAV object detection and tracking, spectrum threat awareness, force protection, and critical-infrastructure security.
• Technical approach: Nokia plans to integrate its own and third-party applications, multiple sensing modalities, and sensor fusion for broader situational awareness.
• Program funding context: The award is one of 11 awards from a $50 million total pool; Nokia’s individual contract value was not disclosed.
• Named subcontractors: Nokia affiliates, Texas Tech University, DeepSig, Hidden Level, and Future Technologies are identified as supporting the effort.
• Procurement status: This is an awarded contract, not an open solicitation; suppliers should not treat the announcement as an immediate bid opportunity.
• Teaming insight: Companies with wireless, sensing, RF spectrum, AI-RAN, or defense-integration capabilities can evaluate ecosystem partnerships and monitor related FutureG demonstrations for potential follow-on work.