PROMETHEUS FLAME
Ignite the open ecosystem
Accelerating mission systems and autonomy through 3-month competition cycles and fly-off trials, with prize awards and follow-on Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements.
DRAFT CONTENT: This website represents the government's current intent for the Prometheus Flame challenge. All materials are in draft form and subject to change. We welcome feedback. Please reference the official sam.gov postings for the only authoritative source of truth on a solicitation!
What Exactly is Prometheus Flame?
Prometheus Flame is a recurring, rapid-fire competition where software developers, engineers, mission systems, and autonomy experts compete to solve specific mission challenges. Instead of lengthy, traditional defense contracts, we host 3-month competition cycles where teams bring their open-architecture solutions to the table, test them in rapid fly-offs, and get paid for their success.
The Challenges
Every three months, we release new, specific mission systems and autonomy challenges. These aren't hypothetical whitepapers—they are tangible problems that need working code and functional systems.
The Fly-Offs
Teams develop their solutions using essential open standards—specifically AMS GRA and A-GRA—and bring them to our challenge trials. You build it, you bring it, we test it in a rapid, rigorous environment.
The Funding
We have a dedicated funding pool. If your solution meets the challenge metrics and adheres to modular, open standards, you win a share of the prize pool—plus, successful participants are eligible for Other Transaction Authority (OTA) awards.
The End Goal
Bootstrap a vibrant ecosystem around open-source, standards-compliant autonomy and mission systems product lines. Identify and partner with world-class vendors to tackle our toughest operational challenges head-on.
IS THIS FOR YOU?
Prometheus Flame is looking for elite developers, mission experts, and bold innovators ready to shape the future of open-source mission systems and autonomy.
Leader in modern software?
Bring your expertise to the mission.
Seeking recurring funding?
Secure long-term support for your open-source innovation.
Ready to shape the future?
Define next-gen autonomy and mission systems.
Program Timeline
A rapid path from solution to mission-ready capability.
Draft Request for Solutions (RFS) #1 Release
Initial release for industry feedback and collaborative refinement.
VIEW ON SAM.GOVDraft Request for Solutions (RFS) #2 Release
Refined solicitation documents based on industry feedback.
Official Solicitation (Trial I)
Final Request for Solutions published on SAM.gov.
Trial I: The Spark
Initial live-fire competition and modular benchmarks.
Trial II: The Forge
Advanced autonomy and multi-system orchestration.
Trial III: The Hearth
Full-scale mission capability and architectural hardening.
Trial IV: The Beacon
Extended mission capability and architectural hardening.
Continuous Competition
Fly-off trials continue every 3 months.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Details on eligibility, evaluation, and participation in the Prometheus Flame challenge.
Can teams enter after Trial I?
Yes. The challenge is structured as an open competition. Offerors may enter at any time, and participation in a prior trial is not required.
What criteria will be used to evaluate solutions?
What are early-trial deliverables?
Competitive early-trial solutions should include open-source implementations, turn-key example projects, public repositories or websites, getting-started guides, documentation, and instructional videos. Once the Trials produce robust open-source implementations of AMS GRA and A-GRA, then subsiquent trials will increasingly focus on specific autonomy and mission systems applications (e.g., weather avoidance).
Who is eligible to participate?
We welcome all participants, ranging from non-traditional defense contractors, academia, commercial entities, and others from US or allied countries. The goal is to leverage the best of the global open-source ecosystem.
How is funding awarded?
Funding is awarded from the program's central pool based on performance in each cycle, typically utilizing Prize awards and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements.
What is the cadence of the competition cycles?
The competition operates on 3-month cycles. This allows for rapid iteration, continuous evaluation, and frequent opportunities for new entrants to join.
What is the scope for follow-on contracts?
We welcome vendors' feedback to shape the scope for follow-on contracts. Examples could include: expanding open-source code base for full compliance for the full AMS GRA and A-GRA standards, fleshing out training/documentation materials, migrating implementation to the CUI or classified level code bases, supprting adopting weapon system impelementations, etc.
Ready to Ignite?
The final Prometheus Flame solicitation is coming soon. In the interim, look out for the AMS GRA and A-GRA standards public release (which all solutions must leverage) alongside an upcoming draft solicitation for your feedback--all to be released in early-to-mid May.
PARTICIPANTS
This is not a typical solicitation. Offerors may enter at any time, whether they are bringing a fresh idea or an existing prototype. Participation in a prior phase is not required.
1 Apply
Send entry information, organization details, proof of U.S. or allied ownership/headquarters, and official GitLab account names.
2 Build
Build AMS GRA and/or A-GRA-compliant open-source software, example projects, documentation, and public-facing resources.
3 Perform
Demonstrate mission performance, usability, technical implementation, standards compliance, and a credible path to follow-on work.