# Project 675183 — Common Development (Airborne SIGINT Development - Common Development)

**Program element:** 0304260F — Airborne SIGINT Enterprise  
**Project:** 675183  
**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/0304260F/675183  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304260F

## Summary

Project 675183 — Common Development (Airborne SIGINT Development - Common Development) requests $55.0M in FY2027, 56% of the $98.3M requested for program element 0304260F, up 81% on FY2026. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request, 1 new this cycle. L3Harris is the largest named R-3 performer at $17.1M, 31% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 30.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 30.3 |
| FY2027 | Request | 55.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 49.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 26.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 29.9 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 19.3 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0304260F; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 675183 buys

The Common Development project supports airborne SIGINT design studies, engineering analysis, non-recurring engineering (NRE), program management, risk reduction, and other efforts to field SIGINT sensors and their associated air and ground components. The Common Development project also supports the development and integration of new sensor capabilities, quick reaction capabilities, and capabilities to address emerging needs as identified by the SIGINT Capabilities Working Group (SCWG). Finally, the Common Development project supports replacement components affected by Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS). Future SIGINT sensors are being developed through the implementation of open architecture (OA) concepts that enable the rapid integration of new signals of interests. Future SIGINT sensor efforts will address needs identified in the ISR Planning and Programing Guidance (IP2G) in order to sustain SIGINT operations in a highly contested environment. The efforts include, but are not limited to, demonstrating the Phoenix OA software on a CI-6 family of systems sensor on a current USAF platform with USAF ground station integration (e.g. Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS)); conducting CI-6 family of systems sensor improvements through Phoenix OA software; expanding Phoenix OA software beyond the CI-6 family of systems; developing Low-Cost UAS Sensor Technology (LOCUST) for inclusion into small UAS; and furthering the development of CRESTONE to counter emerging threats. This project also addresses ACC Tier 1 and 2 exploitation needs by hosting signals of interest exploitation software on scalable SIGINT sensors to support rapid deployment on a variety of USAF platforms by developing NORTHSTAR. This project will develop RANGERS to further miniaturize the form-factor of tactical aircraft roll-on/roll-off collection systems. This project also supports overarching Airborne SIGINT Enterprise (ASE) common development to include, but not limited to SIGINT modeling and simulation efforts and technology development and risk reduction through the Air Force Research Lab managed Open Architecture Technology Lab (OATL). Capability improvements needed to exploit service identified signals of interest will be identified as priorities by the SCWG. This project provides the warfighter increased SIGINT combat capability via rapid acquisition.

**R-3 lines of work:** Product Development; Management Services.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| L3Harris | 17.1 | 31% |
| BAE Systems | 14.0 | 25% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common SIGINT Development | 30.5 | 30.3 | 37.9 | +25% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304260F/675183/a0) |
| RC-135 SIGINT Development | 0.0 | 0.0 | 17.1 | new | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Common SIGINT Development

- Will continue to develop new signals capabilities and enhancements. Details are classified. - Will continue to enhance OATL infrastructure to support future SIGINT sensor development and testing. - Will pursue new capability development and risk reduction and necessary follow-on Phoenix OA support to CI-6/SP-5 Family of Systems…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304260F/675183/a0

### RC-135 SIGINT Development — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Reference RC-135 effort, project 675180 (RC-135).

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding increased due to a database error. Reference RC-135 effort, project 675180 (RC-135). Once corrected, N/A.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304260F.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0304260F project 675183 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0304260F")`.

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