# Novel Directed Energy Bioeffects and Mechanisms

**R-2A activity** of project 627757 — Bioeffects  
**Program element:** 0602202F — Human Effectiveness Applied Research  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force · **Budget Activity:** 2  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602202F/627757/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602202F/627757

## Summary

This activity requests $15.9M in FY2027, 39% of project 627757, up 74% 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.** -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 simulation components for collateral hazard analysis tools. -Continue experimental studies on near-to-mid infrared exposures by parameterizing injury thresholds for high-energy and emerging ultrafast laser systems to support tactical directed energy weapon development. -Continue developing methodologies to understand vulnerabilities and vision effects, including the impact of protective devices on color vision through experimentally validating new approaches for representing color shift and eye damage in a transition-ready virtual reality system. -Continue operational exposure assessments by completing a validation study supporting new acceptance standards for eye protection that account for inherent optical distortion in the eyewear. -Continue the laboratory validation of novel radio frequency bioeffects relevant to counter-electronic technologies and potential threats providing data for the validation of advanced predictive physics-level models of physiological outcomes aligned to parameter spaces deemed highest priority through intelligence sources and the directed energy science and technology enterprise. -Complete the prototyping phase of an improved retinal imaging instrumentation for laser bioeffects research to include fabrication of a brass-board demonstration. -Complete the assessment of non-linear optical damage associated with emerging laser threats and transition results to system developers and standard setting agencies. -Complete studies on dynamic tissue characteristics by finishing the study on deep tissue burn injuries from penetrating microwaves and transitioning data suitable for probabilistic model development. -Commence an experimental campaign using new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approaches to understand directed energy damage mechanisms and address data gaps in deep tissue injury. -Commence an experimental campaign to validate a new hypothesis and feasibility for disruptive counter-personnel directed energy applications through two rapid, proof-of-concept experiments.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 increased compared to FY 2026 by 6.732 million to commence high-priority experiments validating novel counter-personnel applications and radio frequency bioeffects, a critical effort directly aligned with intelligence-driven priorities. This increase reflects programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio for strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** -Continue collecting and transitioning in vivo experimental data to support modeling of high-peak-power microwave and high-energy laser near-term employment, including maturing instrumentation to evaluate realistic exposure conditions such as pulsed electric fields. -Continue studies on dynamic tissue characteristics to electromagnetic energy, informing outcomes in deep tissue burn injuries from penetrating microwave wavelengths and high energy lasers to validate risk-of-injury predictive models. -Continue in vivo investigations on near-to-mid infrared parameters to fill data gaps for mid-term laser system concepts to inform performance vs safety trade spaces. -Continue experimental characterization of high-energy pulsed laser bioeffects aligned with mid-term Department of War roadmaps for directed energy weapons development. -Continue developing methodologies to understand laser vision effects and vulnerabilities, including creating datasets from human-use experimentation to complete verification of computer models of mission performance impacts. -Continue research to enhance the assessment of battlefield directed energy exposures and update Department of War and international consensus safety standards for radio frequency and laser exposure as well as inform operational risk management. -Continue assessing non-linear optical damage from emerging laser threats by executing a critical in vivo experimental campaign to parameterize wavelengths where current exposure limits do not protect warfighters. -Continue mechanism-focused biological and behavioral investigations of novel waveforms to mitigate technological surprise, including maturing a directed energy synergistic response hypothesis and transitioning technology to the medical and counter-directed energy weapons communities. -Commence the design phase for improved retinal imaging instrumentation to increase the speed and fidelity of laser eye damage studies, with a proof of concept planned by the end of FY 2026. -Commence in-vivo experimental parameterization of novel radio frequency bioeffects providing data to validate advanced predictive models for dosimetry predictions and physiological outcomes aligned with intelligence-driven priorities.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 16.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 9.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 15.9 |

> 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 627757

- [Directed Energy Bioeffects Modeling, Simulation and Analysis](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602202F/627757/a1) — FY2027 25.2

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0602202F project 627757 (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.*