# SEEK EAGLE Certifications — Program Element 0207590F

**Program element:** 0207590F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 7 — Operational System Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207590F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $36.7M in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full while the Senate funded it in full. 96th Test Wing leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 35.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 33.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 36.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 38.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 38.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 39.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 40.3 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 36.7 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 36.7 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 36.7 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 674037 | SEEK EAGLE Certifications | 35.0 | 33.7 | 36.7 | +9% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 674037 — SEEK EAGLE Certifications

The Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO) is designated by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) as the center of expertise for aircraft-store compatibility activities and as the primary source of technical analysis and test support, as well as the central data repository, for the SEEK EAGLE process. The SEEK EAGLE process is a rigorous analysis of many factors to assure the safe and acceptable carriage and release (employment and jettison), safe escape, and ballistics accuracy of all stores on Air Force and foreign military sales aircraft. Thus, the AFSEO's mission as an accelerator is to ensure that every aircraft type is capable of employing the weapons and stores needed to meet Combatant Commander requirements, directly supporting the Secretary of the Air Force's (SECAF) and Secretary of War (SECWAR) operational and acquisition priorities. The Air Force operates a variety of combat and other aircraft that carry numerous and varied stores: bombs, missiles, rockets, palletized munitions, chaff/flare, fuel tanks, cargo pods, targeting pods, electronic countermeasures pods, etc. Stores are carried in many different loading combinations determined by operational and training scenarios, missions, tactics, and weapon development programs. Additionally, aircraft-store configuration (carriage and employment) requirements change as operational plans and tactics are updated and/or as new stores are developed and fielded. Aircraft program managers must provide SEEK EAGLE certifications for all aircraft-store configurations within their user-established carriage and employment parameters before they may be used for operations, test, or training. The AFSEO completes flight clearance and certification recommendations through any combination of engineering analysis, wind tunnel testing, modeling and simulation, and ground/flight test and evaluation. These AFSEO recommendations are key artifacts for aircraft program managers demonstrating MIL-STD compliance for airworthiness and safety. AFSEO's efforts within the SEEK EAGLE process primarily encompass these eight engineering disciplines: Fit and Function, Flutter, Aircraft and Store Structural Integrity, Stability and Control, Electromagnetic Compatibility/Interference (EMC/EMI), Separations, Ballistics, and Safe Escape.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** 96th Test Wing (15.4, 42%), ERC (14.2, 39%), Arnold Engineering Dev Complex (4.3, 12%), Lockheed Martin (0.8, 2.1%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft-Store Certification | 3.9 | 3.1 | 4.1 |
| Operations Baseline and Mission Support | 22.8 | 22.5 | 23.8 |
| Advanced Capability Development | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| Tools, Equipment, and Capability Sustainment | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.6 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 96% | 35.1 |
| Other / unspecified | 4.4% | 1.6 |

**Top named industry performers:** 96th Test Wing ($15.4M, 42%), ERC ($14.2M, 39%), Arnold Engineering Dev Complex ($4.3M, 12%), Lockheed Martin ($0.8M, 2.1%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO) is designated by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) as the center of expertise for aircraft-store compatibility activities and as the primary source of technical analysis and test support, as well as the central data repository, for the SEEK EAGLE process. The SEEK EAGLE process is a rigorous analysis of many factors to assure the safe and acceptable carriage and release (employment and jettison), safe escape, and ballistics accuracy of all stores on Air Force and foreign military sales aircraft.

The SEEK EAGLE program is not an acquisition program in itself; instead it supports other acquisition programs, for both aircraft and weapons or other stores. For initial aircraft-weapons integration, the aircraft or weapon program office is responsible for budgeting and providing the test assets to the Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO) for the store certification requirements. For post-integration certification requirements, AFSEO funds are used to obtain the non-inventory test assets. In addition to the above highlights, budgeting responsibilities for AFSEO are delineated in Air Force Instruction 63-101/20-101, paragraph 5.4.22.1.3, dated 30 June 2020.

## Related program elements

- [0305232M — RQ-11 UAV](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0305232M) (Navy)
- [0604214M — AV-8B Aircraft - Engine Dev](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604214M) (Navy)
- [0604222F — Nuclear Weapons Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604222F) (Air Force)
- [0605024A — Anti-Tamper Technology Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605024A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0207590F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0207590F")`.

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