What project 627757 buys
This Project enhances combat survivability and systems effectiveness through research that enable deployed forces to counter optical threats and exploit optical systems for offensive applications. In addition, basic biological investigations into the mechanisms associated with high peak power and high average power radio frequency exposure allow for the exploitation of directed energy systems for offensive capabilities while protecting the Department of the Air Force (DAF) warfighter from adversarial use of radio frequency technologies. The Project conducts applied research on the effects of human exposure to electromagnetic energy (direct current to radio frequency to optical, scalable directed energy weapons, and other novel weapons). The Project conducts laboratory experiments to provide fundamental knowledge of mechanisms of interaction of directed energy with molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and whole organisms in support of military directed energy systems. This research addresses mechanisms of interactions through fundamental physical principles, biological responses, and physiological outcomes. Research focus areas include novel directed energy bioeffects and mechanisms and directed energy modeling, simulation, and analysis. Novel directed energy bioeffects mechanisms research examines the physical, physiological, behavioral, and neural interactions of electromagnetic energy with tissues to understand dose-response effects as well as reveal the means to cause or prevent a specific effect. This work assures valid assessments of real-world concerns and manages the risks associated with technological surprise. The project includes laboratory experiments to understand the mechanistic and behavioral effects of novel weapon incidents to Airmen and Guardians and to understand the effects of protection strategies on DAF warfighter performance. Directed energy modeling, simulation, and analysis research focuses on new software components that represent and optimize concepts of novel system employment from the Airman standpoint. These components are matured for future transition and application for engagement-to-mission level simulations in which directed energy weapons are employed.
Project 627757 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 | 43.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 33.3 |
| FY2027 | Request | 41.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 42.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 43.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 47.7 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 47.2 |
2 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. Each describe FY2027 work in enough detail to have their own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
-Continue advancing dose-response models by incorporating experimental findings on high-pulse-energy injury and investigating machine learning techniques to expand applicability across parameter spaces. -Continue advancing 3-dimensional digital anatomical models by validating adaptive meshing techniques, which optimize computational…
Read the FY2027 plan →-Continue mechanism-focused in vitro and in vivo experimental studies on laser and radio frequency applications aligned to emerging Department of War technology roadmaps for directed energy weapons. -Continue supporting directed energy weapon deployment and use by transitioning prior-year experimentation findings into modeling and…
Read the FY2027 plan →