# EXTERNAL HEAVY-STORES PYLON:

**R-2A activity** of project 675344 — B-1B Modernization  
**Program element:** 0101126F — B-1B Squadrons  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force · **Budget Activity:** 7  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101126F/675344/a3  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101126F

## Summary

This activity requests $96.1M in FY2027, 35% of project 675344, up 93% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Continue airworthiness analysis, and test activities to support ground and flight test events. Finalize hardware design to include changes to Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) and wiring. Order Group A and Group B hardware for on-aircraft testing. Conduct software testing and ground testing. Each Group A Kit (Install Kit) includes an aircraft wiring harness kit and a hardware kit. Each Group B Kit (Equipment Kit) is a Load Adjustable Modular (LAM) Pylon and associated Group B equipment. Expand external carriage opportunities to Advance 5,000-pound (A5K) Guided Bomb Unit (GBU-72) to include Software and Hardware development.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The External Heavy-Stores Pylon Program is operating to an accelerated program schedule with Initial Operating Capability (IOC) targeted for Q1 FY 2029. In order to support these schedule commitments, the program requires increased funding to support FY 2027 activities.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Conduct Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) and wind tunnel testing of pylon/weapon combinations. Begin hardware design to include changes to aircraft Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) and wiring. Each Group A Kit (Install Kit) includes an aircraft wiring harness kit and a hardware kit. Each Group B Kit (Equipment Kit) is a Load Adjustable Modular (LAM) Pylon, External Multi-purpose Rotary Launcher (E-MRPL) and associated Group B equipment.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 49.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 96.1 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Other activities in project 675344

- EXPANDED WEAPONS INTEGRATION: — FY2027 71.7
- [Bomber Supplemental Trainer Aircrew Readiness (BSTAR )](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101126F/675344/a6) — FY2027 56.3
- RESILIENT POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND TIMING (PNT) GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) MILITARY CODE (M-CODE) AND DIGITAL ANTENNA ELECTRONICS (DAE): — FY2027 22.0
- LONG-RANGE ANTI-SHIP MISSILE (LRASM) C-3 INTEGRATION: — FY2027 12.2
- B-1B Test Jet Maintenance (MX) — FY2027 8.2
- HYBRID SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS (SATCOM): — FY2027 7.0
- RADIO-CRYPTO MODERNIZATION (RCM) — FY2027 0.0

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0101126F project 675344 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*