# Aircraft Technology

**R-2A activity** of project 0000 — Force Protection Applied Res  
**Program element:** 0602123N — Force Protection Applied Res  
**Component:** U.S. Navy · **Budget Activity:** 2  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602123N/0000/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602123N/0000

## Summary

This activity requests $30.2M in FY2027, 24% of project 0000, down 3.9% 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.** AERODYNAMICS Continue: - Advanced computational methods for fully coupled aerodynamic interface between ships and aircraft - Reduced-order modeling of complex flow fields enabling real-time, high-fidelity simulations of ship-based aircraft operations - Flow field manipulation and control for air vehicles in maritime environments - In situ diagnostics for ship airwake dynamics coupled to ship motions and environmental flow fields - Advanced weapons aerodynamics for increased range and maneuverability - Compact, highly-integrated inlets for air-breathing weapons - Aerodynamics of novel configurations including multi-rotor systems and operational environments - Revolutionary launch & recovery approaches for unmanned aerial systems FLIGHT DYNAMICS AND CONTROL Continue: - Experimental validation of fluidic effector control forces with free-body dynamics in extreme maneuvers - Validation of human/machine coupling mechanisms and physiological event signatures in flight - Multibody control systems with guaranteed performance relative to desired end states - Robust control in turbulent flow fields for ship-based operations - Control effectors enabling VTOL utility with fixed-wing efficiency - Control system interactions between piloted aircraft and human performance - Unconventional UAS plant models and controls for sea-based flight operations - Optimal trajectory planning algorithms for embedded applications POWER AND PROPULSION Continue: - Resin Transfer Molding for High Temperature Polyimide Composites - Cooling and thermal management for engines and auxiliary systems - Diagnostics, prognostics and control for Integrated Power, Propulsion and Thermal Management - Highly integrated propulsion inlets and exhausts - Sand, Salt and Dust Ingestion research including modeling, separation, deposition, coatings, and sensing - Next Generation Propulsion Enablers: advanced modeling, rotating detonation, casing treatments, high temperature materials, compression technologies, engine robustness in austere environments - Highly loaded efficient turbomachinery with improved operability - Advanced materials and coatings for austere environments - Hybrid propulsion for small to mid-size VTOL capable UAS - Research on Casing Treatments for fans and compressors Complete: - Understanding ice-adhesion origins for rational icephobic coating design - High Speed Inlet Bleed Research Initiate: - Integration of Rotating Detonation Combustors with gas turbine components - Advanced heat dissipation technologies - Lightweight compressor materials and protective turbine coatings - Compact, reliable engine materials for Naval UAV applications - Compact inlets with flow control and distortion reduction SCIENCE OF AUTONOMY Continue: - High confidence/safe autonomous single and multi-vehicle control in naval environments and human interaction with advanced autonomy for decentralized heterogeneous naval systems and interactive machine learning - Theory-based methods for rapid, safe adoption of autonomy capabilities including Verification and Validation, safety, risk management, human systems integration, and robustness in complex naval, adversarial environments - Safe perception-based autonomous control in complex naval environments with limited communications and autonomy supporting combined unmanned and manned air systems/units

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding decrease from FY2026 to FY2027 is due to completion of multiple efforts across Aircraft Technology programs including Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics & Controls, Power & Propulsion, and Structures & Materials.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** AERODYNAMICS Continue: - Advanced computational methods for fully coupled aerodynamic interface between ships and aircraft - Reduced-order modeling of complex flow fields enabling real-time, high-fidelity simulations of ship-based aircraft operations - Flow field manipulation and control for air vehicles in maritime environments - In situ diagnostics for ship airwake dynamics coupled to ship motions and environmental flow fields - Advanced weapons aerodynamics for increased range and maneuverability - Compact, highly-integrated inlets for air-breathing weapons - Aerodynamics of novel configurations including multi-rotor systems and operational environments - Revolutionary launch & recovery approaches for unmanned aerial systems FLIGHT DYNAMICS AND CONTROL Initiate: - Unconventional UAS plant models and controls for sea-based flight operations - Optimal trajectory planning algorithms for embedded applications Continue: - Experimental validation of fluidic effector control forces with free-body dynamics in extreme maneuvers - Validation of human/machine coupling mechanisms and physiological event signatures in flight - Multibody control systems with guaranteed performance relative to desired end states - Robust control in turbulent flow fields for ship-based operations - Control effectors enabling VTOL utility with fixed-wing efficiency - Control system interactions between piloted aircraft and human performance Complete: - Algorithms and sensors to enable precise ship-relative navigation in GPS-denied environments POWER AND PROPULSION Initiate: - Research on Casing Treatments for fans and compressors - High Speed Inlet Bleed Research - Understanding ice-adhesion origins for rational icephobic coating design Continue: - Resin Transfer Molding for High Temperature Polyimide Composites - Cooling and thermal management for engines and auxiliary systems - Diagnostics, prognostics and control for Integrated Power, Propulsion and Thermal Management - Highly integrated propulsion inlets and exhausts - Sand, Salt and Dust Ingestion research including modeling, separation, deposition, coatings, and sensing - Next Generation Propulsion Enablers: advanced modeling, rotating detonation, casing treatments, high temperature materials, compression technologies, engine robustness in austere environments - Highly loaded efficient turbomachinery with improved operability - Advanced materials and coatings for austere environments - Hybrid propulsion for small to mid-size VTOL capable UAS Complete: - High-Bandwidth Aeromechanical Identification Methodology (AIM) Technology for Military Turbomachinery - EMI mitigation for future electric generators - New Suite of Insulations for High Power Density Electrical Generators - Multifunctional Erosion Resistant, Icephobic, and Salt-Phobic Coating System for Inlet Applications - Development and Validation of a Fluidic Sweep Diverter SCIENCE OF AUTONOMY Continue: - High confidence/safe autonomous single and multi-vehicle control in naval environments and human interaction with advanced autonomy for decentralized heterogeneous naval systems and interactive machine learning - Theory-based methods for rapid, safe adoption of autonomy capabilities including Verification and Validation, safety, risk management, human systems integration, and robustness in complex naval, adversarial environments - Safe perception-based autonomous control in complex naval environments with limited communications and autonomy supporting combined unmanned and manned air systems/units

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 26.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 31.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 30.2 |

> 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 0000

- [Surface Ship and Submarine Hull Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602123N/0000/a3) — FY2027 68.2
- [Naval Research Enterprise](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602123N/0000/a4) — FY2027 12.6
- [Advanced Energetics](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602123N/0000/a2) — FY2027 10.9
- Fleet Force Protection and Defense Against Undersea Threats — FY2027 5.1

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0602123N project 0000 (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.*