# Aerial Targets — Program Element 0305116F

**Program element:** 0305116F  
**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/0305116F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding falls 66% to a $1.7M 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. Eglin AFB leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 5.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 1.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 1.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 1.9 |

> 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 | 1.7 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 1.7 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 1.7 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 1.7 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 675136 | Target Systems Development | 5.9 | 5.0 | 1.7 | −66% |

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

### Project 675136 — Target Systems Development

Full-scale Aerial Targets (FSAT), Subscale Aerial Targets (SSAT), and companion Target Control Systems (TCS) assure the effectiveness and currency of warfighter weapon systems to combat real-world enemy fighters and cruise missiles. Aerial targets support adherence to Public Law Title 10, Section 4172, which requires major systems and munitions programs to conduct live fire survivability and lethality testing before full rate production. Targets are used to validate operational missile/weapon system effectiveness and fighter Operational Flight Program (OFP) updates. Targets are required for developmental/operational testing for all surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles employed by the F-22A, F-35, F-18, F-16, F-15, among other aircraft. Funding supports simulator development and improvements on FSAT, BQM-167A SSAT, and updates of Target Control Systems and specialized target payload subsystems for requirements such as: missile scoring, electronic attack (EA), infrared (IR) countermeasures, radar/IR signature augmentation, and chaff and flare dispensing systems. Enables analysis, development and prototyping of threat emulations/ simulations, and presentation of evolving threat scenarios and target area environments to prepare for emerging weapons development activities. Development is required to evolve aerial targets and target control capabilities to meet current and future threats. Air Force is the executive agent for full-scale aerial targets. The Aerial Targets Program leverages and implements tenets of Open, Agile, and Digital acquisition for any new subsystem hardware or software development. Integrates the system in weapon portfolio tradespace studies by conducting trade studies, system engineering, test activities, and protype and concept development, supporting system modeling and simulation. Builds and refines a mission modeling framework by incorporating higher-fidelity weapon system designs and updates to the threat landscape to conduct ongoing assessment of weapon system performance against the authoritative threat. Invests in analytical, information management, data management, digital environments, and networks directly supporting development and sustainment of this program's capabilities, while leveraging DoD and DAF enterprise IT solutions. Leverages Digital acquisition tenets of open, agile and digital.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** Eglin AFB (0.5, 31%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AF Subscale Aerial Target (AFSAT) Development | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Target Control System (TCS) | 4.7 | 3.9 | 0.5 |

> 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 | 31% | 0.5 |
| Other / unspecified | 69% | 1.2 |

**Top named industry performers:** Eglin AFB ($0.5M, 31%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Full-scale Aerial Targets (FSAT), Subscale Aerial Targets (SSAT), and companion Target Control Systems (TCS) assure the effectiveness and currency of warfighter weapon systems to combat real-world enemy fighters and cruise missiles. Aerial targets support adherence to Public Law Title 10, Section 4172, which requires major systems and munitions programs to conduct live fire survivability and lethality testing before full rate production. Targets are used to validate operational missile/weapon system effectiveness and fighter Operational Flight Program (OFP) updates.

The AFSAT acquisition strategy is a sole source follow-on contract. The Target Control System acquisition strategy includes several small projects to provide enhancements to TCS (to include AATTCS) and will be accomplished with other government agencies and contracts as needed.

## Related program elements

- [0604602F — Armament/Ordnance Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604602F) (Air Force)
- [0207418F — TACP Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207418F) (Air Force)
- [0604231N — Command AND Control](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604231N) (Navy)
- [0603851D8Z — Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603851D8Z) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0305116F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0305116F")`.

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