What project AH9 buys
This project explores multiple pathways to enhance lethal efforts for future warheads against emerging peer/near peer target sets and investigates synergistic effects of novel micro warheads using advanced materials. This project investigates innovative energetic materials and novel processing techniques for the next generation of explosives and propulsion applications to enable an increase in range, lethality, and utility of munitions. It also directly supports Army Modernization Priorities through researching and developing energetic (propellant) technologies and processes for increased performance, expanded operation temperature bounds, and improved safety and environmental compliance of missile systems. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) / Project BK5 (Adv Direct In-Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Tech) and PE 0603464A (Long Range Precision Fires Advanced Technology) / Project CE9 (Armaments Advanced Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Armaments Center.
Project AH9 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 25.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 27.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 26.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 28.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 29.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 35.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 35.7 |
5 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 1 of them describes FY2027 work in enough detail to have its own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Will design and develop novel pyrotechnic components and configurations to extend shelf life, improve safety, and enable aerial denial capabilities, while investigating advanced igniters and precision self-destruct components; develop and validate advanced modeling and simulation techniques to enhance shaped charge performance…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work Will develop an advanced physics and chemistry-based modeling tool by incorporating chemical kinetics modeling into the next generation computational fluid dynamics-based interior ballistics solver. Will conduct experiments to validate the ballistics solver tool in predicting blast overpressure.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase reflects the strategic realignment of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment within the project to Next Generation Energetics and Warheads Applied Tech effort.
FY2026 plans — current year Will investigate and develop novel pyrotechnic materials, components, and configurations to extend shelf life and operate in extreme temperatures; determine performance benefits, yield, and safety by maturing design components and operation of the automation of pyrotechnic processes and procedures; investigate the function of pyrotechnic primers for improved initiation and advanced igniters including alternate igniter formulations; determines performance of precision self-destruct pyrotechnic components.
FY2025 accomplishments Will design and develop novel pyrotechnic materials, components, and configurations to extend shelf life and operate in extreme temperatures; design and develop the automation of pyrotechnic processes and procedures to improve safety, performance, and yield. Mature pyrotechnic components for multi-point igniters, alternate igniter formulations, and precision self-destruct pyrotechnic components.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment within the project to Next Generation Energetics and Warheads Applied Tech effort.
FY2026 plans — current year Will conduct experiments of reactive materials for blast augmentation and increased lethality through novel material formulations and validation of performance characteristics for updated equations of state; mature advanced modeling techniques to enhance shaped charge performance, explosively formed penetrators, and advanced fragmentation lethal mechanisms; design and develop concepts for armor defeat, combined effects warheads, modular payloads, and behind armor effects for multiple payload sizes; design and develop warhead component designs for survivability in high-g and other extreme environments.
FY2025 accomplishments Will fund research of reactive materials for blast augmentation and increased lethality through investigation of novel materials and updated equations of state. Design and develop advanced modeling techniques to optimize shaped charges, explosively formed penetrators, and advanced fragmentation lethal mechanisms. Investigate concepts for armor defeat, combined effects, and behind armor effects scalable to multiple payload sizes; investigate modular payload concepts for use in both traditional and non-traditional carriers for desired effects. Mature warhead components for survivability in high-g and other extreme environments.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment within the project to Next Generation Energetics and Warheads Applied Tech effort.
FY2026 plans — current year Will further the design and development of enhanced explosive fills through gradients and novel high performing materials; design and develop distributed energetic initiation, novel gun propulsion, and embedded ignition for additive and advanced manufacturing technologies; increase lethal systems' capabilities through investigation of energetic materials, including\ high energy propulsion technologies and high energy explosives; further investigate energetic materials for extreme cold, extreme heat, high pressure, and extreme set-back conditions, validate benefits of applying continuous flow reactors and advanced mixing technologies for energetic materials.
FY2025 accomplishments Will design enhanced explosive fills, distributed energetic initiation, novel gun propulsion, and embedded ignition for additive and advanced manufacturing technologies; investigate energetic materials including high energy propulsion technologies and high energy explosives supporting lethal systems' capabilities; investigate energetic materials for extreme cold, extreme heat, high pressure, and extreme set-back conditions, funds research of continuous flow reactors and advanced mixing technologies for energetic materials.