# Advanced Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System — Program Element 0304240M

**Program element:** 0304240M  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304240M

## Summary

U.S. Navy funding falls 30% to a $2.0M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. NAWCAD leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 3.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 2.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 2.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 2.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 2.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 2.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 2.1 |

> 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 | 2.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 2.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 2.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 2.0 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3135 | USMC MUX | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.0 | −30% |

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

### Project 3135 — USMC MUX

Project 3135 - The Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Expeditionary (MUX) Family of Systems (FoS) project provides funding to address requirements identified in the October 2016 MUX Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) and April 2020 MUX Requirements Clarification document. This PE supports development, testing, experimentation, prototyping, concept refinement and risk reduction of advanced payloads, system architectures, mission control capabilities, ground control stations, advanced and interoperable networking and communications systems and infrastructure, and new unmanned aircraft systems Additionally this PE will develop CONOPS to integrate the MUX FoS into joint programs and operating concepts to mitigate technical risk through model-based systems engineering, analysis, simulation, test and evaluation, and partnership with industry. The MUX FoS provides Advanced Tactical UAS in support of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), Littoral Operations in Contested Environments (LOCE), and Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) to provide advanced, unmanned, multi-mission capability for the MAGTF and Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR). MUX FoS within this Program Element will continue Mission System Payload development and assessment efforts for future system within and external to MALE program. Future Mission System Payloads will support Mission Sensors and other critical technologies that support future planned FoS capability.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** NAWCAD (0.3, 17%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission System Development | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| MUX Program Support | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 |

> 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 | 17% | 0.3 |
| Other / unspecified | 83% | 1.7 |

**Top named industry performers:** NAWCAD ($0.3M, 17%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Project 3135 - The Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Expeditionary (MUX) Family of Systems (FoS) project provides funding to address requirements identified in the October 2016 MUX Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) and April 2020 MUX Requirements Clarification document. This PE supports development, testing, experimentation, prototyping, concept refinement and risk reduction of advanced payloads, system architectures, mission control capabilities, ground control stations, advanced and interoperable networking and communications systems and infrastructure, and new unmanned aircraft systems Additionally this PE will develop CONOPS to integrate the MUX FoS…

The MUX acquisition strategy leverages organic government resources, competitive and sole-source contract awards, and rapid acquisition approaches to conduct development, testing, experimentation, prototyping, concept refinement and risk reduction of advanced payloads, system architectures, mission control capabilities, ground control stations, networking and communications infrastructure, and new unmanned aircraft systems. Additionally, future MUX capabilities will leverage other services and government agencies with current technologies in development and will be available at a relatively mature technology.

## Related program elements

- [0206623M — MC Ground Cmbt Spt Arms Sys](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0206623M) (Navy)
- [0605520M — Marine CORPS AIR Defense Weapons SYS](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605520M) (Navy)
- [0204571J — Joint Staff Analytical Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0204571J) (Defense-Wide)
- [1206431SF — MILSATCOM Space Modernization Initiative (SMI)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206431SF) (Space Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0304240M (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0304240M")`.

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