What project DE3 buys
This project researches and develops advanced beam control technologies to enable new sensors, illuminators, deformable mirrors, wavefront sensors (WFS), optical components, and acquisition and tracking concepts. Design and develop an advanced large-aperture off-axis beam expander, incorporating innovative, cost-saving component research. Develop algorithms for WFS and laser-quality tracking. This effort will increase effective range for multi-domain missions, including counter-cruise missile operations and strategic missions. Work in this Project complements (PE) 0602150A (Air and Missile Defense Technology)/Project DC1 (Next Generation Directed Energy Concept Development and Analysis) and PE 0603466A (Air and Missile Defense Advanced Technology)/Project IB1 (Integrated Beam Control Systems Demonstration for Counter-Cruise Missile). The cited work aligns with the 2026 National Defense Strategy of Protecting the Homeland borders and skies and the Modernization of Missile Defense both priority lines of effort. The work also aligns with the Army Modernization Priority of Air and Missile Defense in developing advanced systems to protect against aerial threats. Research is performed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command - Technical Center (USASMDC-TC) in coordination with Program Acquisition Executive (PAE) FIRES.
Project DE3 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 | 5.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 11.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 10.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 10.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 10.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 10.5 |
1 accomplishment / planned program
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. Each 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.
Continue to enhance strategic capabilities, commence with the design and development of advanced beam control technologies and algorithms. This effort will prioritize the development of critical component-level concepts to facilitate integration into larger aperture systems. Simultaneously, establish a stabilized pointing environment…
Read the FY2027 plan →