What the FY2027 request buys
Verbatim from the R-2A exhibit for project 622401 of PE 0602203F. This is the budget justification's own description of work that has not happened yet — the one thing no other level of the budget carries.
Continue integration of affordable manufacturing considerations in air vehicle design for collaborative platform capability via manufacturing design. Activities include: -Refining techniques for design manufacturing of a braided single piece wing box structure for ground structure testing demonstration. Continue the development of a modeling and simulation approach to the design and integration of embedded propulsion systems for next generation capabilities via relevant energy efficient engine configurations across various size classes of platforms. Activities include: -Engine inlet compatibility studies for multiple configurations and development of multi-fidelity efficient coupled design toolsets. Continue the design of integrated propulsion for next generation air vehicle conceptual design for next generation capabilities with increased air vehicle survivability. Activities include: -Integrating higher fidelity (e.g. unsteady aerodynamic predictions via surrogate models) into multi-system design and assessment. Complete the development of aerodynamic prediction methods for next generation capabilities with design guidelines for proximate flight of multiple air vehicles. Activities include: -Studies of air vehicle stability and control requirements of multiple bodies of relevant aerospace vehicle size classes, to include short field performance of affordable collaborative platforms and take-off and landing of reusable strike vehicles -Interoperability studies for aerial refueling operations for extended reach. Complete the development of innovative weapons integration technologies to yield affordable collaborative platforms with enhanced weapon payload and release that avoid traditional volume considerations. Activities include: -Aerodynamic validation and development of surrogate models to inform the design process for safe payload release, flexible loadouts, and low-cost, novel approaches which maximize mission effectiveness in higher speed regimes. Complete clean sheet design for next iteration of collaborative platform yielding groundbreaking affordable mass via configurations of flight to increase speed while also enhancing lift. Activities include: -Aerodynamic analysis, structural design, and systems integration for conceptual design. Complete technology maturation for cost and weight efficient designs of thermal airflow impinged structures for next generation capabilities with embedded engine configuration across a broader range of classes of platforms. Activities include: -Durability stress load analysis and testing of a thermally exposed air vehicle structure, using physical test article validation experiments. Complete development of air vehicle airframe low-cost, high-rate and agile manufacturing approaches to realize a low-cost unmanned aerospace system in development of future variants. Activities include: -Refinement of an in-situ manufacturing process optimization for press-based thermoplastic parts. Stop fatigue analysis and demonstration for large aircraft bonded unitized composite wing and fuselage structures for next generation capabilities via efficient structural designs with increased structural reliability. Activities include: -Analytical modeling and development for critical composite structural configurations validated through structural load testing. Commence technology development for the design of future affordable autonomous aircraft structures. Activities include: -Incorporating emerging manufacturing methods and producibility in design; modeling and experimental validation; and advanced structural design methods capturing airframe scale design criteria.
FY 2027 decreased compared to FY 2026 by $10.393 million due to programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio. This reduction reflects a strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency.
FY2026: the year under way
Prior-year accomplishments and current-year plans from the same exhibit. Context for the FY2027 plan, not a series — an activity partitions its project exactly in the request year, but can under-cover it in earlier years.
Continue integration of affordable manufacturing considerations in air vehicle design for collaborative platform capability via manufacturing design. -Activities include design for manufacturing of a braided single piece wing box structure for demonstration via ground structural testing. Continue development of air vehicle airframe low-cost, high-rate and agile manufacturing approaches to realize a low-cost unmanned aerospace system in development of future variants. -Activities include developing an in-situ manufacturing process optimization for press-based composite parts fabrication. Continue fatigue analysis and demonstration for large aircraft bonded unitized composite wing and fuselage structures for next generation capabilities via efficient structural designs with increased structural reliability. -Activities include analytical model(s) development for critical composite structural configurations validated through structural testing. Continue the development of a modeling and simulation approach to the design and integration of embedded propulsion systems for next generation capabilities via relevant energy efficient engine configurations across various size classes of platforms. -Activities include engine inlet compatibility studies for multiple configurations Continue the design of integrated propulsion for next generation air vehicle conceptual design for next generation capabilities with increased air vehicle survivability. -Activities include integrated multi-system design and assessment. Continue the development of aerodynamic prediction methods for next generation capabilities with design guidelines for proximate flight of multiple air vehicles. -Activities include studies of air vehicle stability and control requirements of multiple bodies of relevant aerospace vehicle size classes. Complete the assessment of fuel and energy saving techniques for next generation capabilities via sustainable aerial logistics delivery and weapons platforms in deployed environments. -Activities include active flow control techniques with advanced configurations. Commence the development of innovative weapons integration technologies to yield affordable collaborative platforms with enhanced weapon payload and release that avoid traditional volume considerations. -Activities include aerodynamic validation technique development for safe payload release and low-cost, novel approaches which maximize payload weapons loadout. Commence clean sheet design for next iteration of collaborative platform yielding groundbreaking affordable mass via configurations of flight to increase speed while also enhancing lift. -Activities include aerodynamic analysis, structural design, and systems integration for the conceptual design of a 3rd generation unmanned air vehicle platform. Commence technology maturation for cost and weight efficient designs of thermal airflow impinged structures for next generation capabilities with embedded engine configuration across a broader range of classes of platforms. -Activities include durability analysis for thermally exposed air vehicle structure and physical test article validation experiments.
Three years, and no five-year plan
An R-2A activity publishes the prior year, the current year and the budget year. The FYDP outyears exist at project and program-element level and are deliberately absent here rather than inferred. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 39.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 29.5 |
This activity is 53% of project 622401's FY2027 request and 7.4% of PE 0602203F's. In the request year the activities under a project sum to it exactly; in the current year they under-cover it in about 9% of cases, so an activity's delta can legitimately exceed its parent's and the two must not be compared row to row.
7 activities in project 622401
Every R-2A line of this project, largest FY2027 request first. Linked where the activity has enough of its own narrative to carry a page; the rest are shown in full on the project page.