# Complex Materials and Structures

**R-2A activity** of project 613002 — Aerospace, Chemical and Material Sciences  
**Program element:** 0601102F — Defense Research Sciences  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force · **Budget Activity:** 1  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613002/a2  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613002

## Summary

This activity requests $31.1M in FY2027, 37% of project 613002, down 8.1% 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 investigating multifunctional materials and structures composed of different classes of materials, both organic and inorganic, that can adapt to environmental constraints or mission requirements. - Continue to explore hierarchically-designed materials, microsystems, and structures to achieve dynamically functional and controlled material properties enabling predictable and adaptable performance characteristics.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 decreased compared to FY 2026 by $2.739 million due to decreased emphasis on Complex Materials and Structures. This reduction reflects programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio for strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency. This will result in approximately 11 fewer grants awarded in Complex Materials and Structures.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Investigate multifunctional materials and structures composed of different classes of materials, both organic and inorganic, that can adapt to environmental constraints or mission requirements. - Explore complex materials, microsystems, and structures that incorporate hierarchical design and functionality from the nanoscale through the mesoscale, ultimately leading to controlled, well-understood material or structural behavior capable of dynamic functionality and/or performance characteristics to enhance mission versatility.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 35.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 33.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 31.1 |

> 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 613002

- [Aero-Structure Interactions and Control](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613002/a0) — FY2027 28.3
- [Energy, Power, and Propulsion](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613002/a1) — FY2027 24.4

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0601102F project 613002 (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.*