# Enterprise Transformational Appld Research — Program Element 0602020F

**Program element:** 0602020F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602020F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding falls 43% to a $44.0M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), 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.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 65.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 77.4 |
| FY2027 | Request | 44.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 47.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 67.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 65.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 66.0 |

> 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 | 44.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 44.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 44.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 44.0 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 620200 | Enterprise Transformational Appld Research | 65.6 | 77.4 | 44.0 | −43% |

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

### Project 620200 — Enterprise Transformational Appld Research

This program element develops multidisciplinary applied research efforts to accelerate the technology pipeline of transformational capabilities by reducing risk and maturing technologies so they can transition in support of larger advanced technology development capability investments. These activities are selected to enable solutions to the Department of the Air Force's (DAF's) highest priorities. The Explore effort creates investments to buy-down risk and accelerate enabling technologies to understand feasibility for future integration into 6.3 Future AF Integrated Technology Demo program. The Seedlings for Disruptive Capabilities Program (SDCP) facilitates Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) cross-disciplinary applied research to provide leap-ahead, high-risk high-payoff technology development. Modeling, simulation, and analysis activities will continue to explore transformational research into analytic technologies to validate capabilities and provide solid foundations for future efforts. These activities focus on predicting future outcomes and technology needs, as well as looking for more seedlings to feed the transformational capability pipeline. Efforts advance future workforce development projects and broaden partnerships to deepen and expand the scientific and technology enterprise. Applied research efforts span a broad spectrum of activities, and established processes allow agility and flexibility to meet higher demand signals while ensuring proper technical and financial execution metrics are met. AFRL plans and manages these funds at the enterprise level to achieve high levels of collaboration executed across all the applicable Technology Directorates and applies the research toward disruptive capabilities. Building from the technology competencies and ecosystems of the Technology Directorates brings together the needed diverse expertise and components to develop the transformational capabilities. This program includes funding for the requisite DAF Science & Engineering (S&E) and mission enabling civilian workforce with the necessary technical competencies to develop, manage, and deliver science & technology capabilities.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explore | 33.9 | 39.1 | 27.6 |
| Seedlings for Disruptive Capabilities (SDCP) | 17.5 | 24.2 | 10.6 |
| Data to Decisions and Collaborative Learning | 14.2 | 14.1 | 5.9 |

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

## Related program elements

- [0205620N — Surface ASW Cmbt Sys Integr](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0205620N) (Navy)
- [0601103A — University Research Initiatives](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601103A) (Army)
- [0603597N — (u)automated TEST AND Re-test (ATRT)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603597N) (Navy)
- [1206601SF — Space Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206601SF) (Space Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0602020F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602020F")`.

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