WArHacker
16-19 June 2026 • San Diego, CA
It’s Warhacking Time!
Get Software to Warfighters.
Warhacker is a first-of-its-kind hackathon bringing together government, industry, academia, and non-profits to BUILD, PACKAGE, and DEPLOY software solutions to warfighter problems.
Warhacker is not a conference with a speaker lineup or vendor hall.
At Warhacker, we’re coming together to build, learn, and DELIVER.
Approved problems
Tychee research group
is tackling the fragmented world of satellite ground software, where bespoke, air-gapped networks create redundant work and inconsistent delivery across organizations. The goal: proven, reusable deployment stacks that bring delivery tools, system services, data sources, and GSW applications together.
HANGAR2APPS
is going after something that’s been broken for too long: military deployment health screening. Medical readiness data scattered across paper, spreadsheets, and legacy systems leaves commanders without visibility and service members at risk. The vision is a unified platform with automated workflows, real-time readiness dashboards, and mobile-optimized screening built for the field.
Cannonico
is solving the problem of AI oversight for autonomous drones. When a drone loses contact mid-mission, it’s running on its own with no human in the loop. The question that can’t yet be answered: is the AI still operating within its authorized parameters, or has it gone off script? There’s no independent system today that can monitor AI behavior in real time, catch the moment a line gets crossed, and back it up with a permanent, tamper-evident record.
Cyber rts
is bringing a lightweight visualization and assessment layer that can ingest any trajectory or orbit data and immediately put it in operational context, accelerating understanding on existing and new systems, without waiting for a bespoke integration.
raven tactical computing llc
is tackling AI at the tactical edge, purpose-built infrastructure that lets your software actually run where the mission happens.
Don’t Stop at Prototype.
Shoot for Prod.
You may build an exquisite software capability, but if it can’t be deployed and authorized on the mission systems that matter, it’s not doing any good.
At Warhacker, we take solutions across the finish line by packaging them with the open source UDS Core platform so they’re ready for rapid deployment and authorization anywhere – from cloud to edge.
Warhackers measure success by the number of apps in mission environments.
We’re on the hunt for problems to solve.
Come with problems.
Build the solution.
Tell us about mission problems you face that need a software solution.
Are you a software vendor with an existing capability that’s struggling to get deployed and/or authorized on DOW systems?
That’s a problem. BRING IT!
Are you a military member relying on an overly complicated and questionably constructed Excel spreadsheet for mission-critical tasks?
That’s a problem. BRING IT!
Are you a defense researcher or lab lead stuck managing classified experiments, test data, and export-control rules with a maze of shared drives, email chains, and legacy portals?
That’s a problem. BRING IT!
We’ll select the top problems to form Warhacking teams.
Ready to Warhack?
Apply Today.
Warhacker is free to attend, and we welcome Warhackers from Government, Industry, Academia, and Nonprofit organizations. We are limited to around 400 Warhackers for this inaugural event and will curate the attendee list to ensure equitable distribution amongst those groups aligned with problems.
Use the form below to apply. Describe the mission problem(s) you want to solve. We’ll follow up with additional registration information if you are selected.
FAQ
If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for here, reach out at warhacker@defenseunicorns.com.
We will continue to add FAQs to this page.
What is Warhacker?
Warhacker is a first-of-its-kind hackathon that brings together makers from government, industry, academia, and non-profits to build, package, and deploy software solutions to warfighter problems.
Warhacker is not your typical conference, with a speaker lineup and vendor hall. If you’re coming to Warhacker, you’re coming to build, learn, and deliver.
The difference between Warhacker and other defense hackathons is that we don’t stop at prototypes. Warhackers take their solutions across the finish line, packaging them with the open source UDS Core platform so they’re ready for rapid deployment and authorization in any environment – from cloud to edge.
When and Where is Warhacker?
Warhacker will take place 16-19 June 2026 in downtown San Diego, CA.
(Specific location and detailed agenda will be provided upon acceptance.)
High-Level Agenda:
• Day 0 (16 June): Travel to San Diego → Professional Networking
• Day 1 (17 June): Establish Teams → Commence Warhacking
• Day 2 (18 June): Continue Warhacking
• Day 3 (19 June): Complete Warhacking → Outbrief → Return to Base
When will I find out if my application is approved?
Applications will be processed on a rolling basis with reviews completed every two weeks. The current schedule is:
• Wave 1 approvals: 13 March 2026
• Wave 2 approvals: 27 March 2026
• Wave 3 approvals: 10 April 2026
Who owns the data rights for Warhacker solutions?
Open source is at the heart of Defense Unicorns, and our goal is to maximize Government access and rights to continue developing and using solutions started at Warhacker. We do what’s best for the warfighter.
Our default stance is to publish all new solutions originating from Warhacker as AGPL-3.0-licensed open source software. When an application cannot be publicly disclosed, we will pursue alternate licensing routes on a case-by-case basis to maximize access for the Government.
Commercial software vendors that bring their existing IP and extend its capability will retain full rights to the original IP and all enhancements built during Warhacker. (We are not here to steal your software.)
If you have additional questions about your specific situation, reach out at warhacker@defenenseunicorns.com. We have a brilliant lawyer who loves this stuff!