Emil Michael, under secretary of defense for research and engineering. Photo: Defense Department

The Defense Department on Tuesday announced 30 awards totaling $548.1 million for companies to help companies transition their innovative solutions into production, marking the final fiscal year 2026 round of contracts under the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program. The new awards, which include the first ever for software solutions under APFIT, bring the value of all contracts under the program to more than $2 billion since launch during the Biden administration. APFIT typically targets small…