# Missile Propulsion Technology Development

**R-2A activity** of project 625171 — Missile Rocket Propulsion  
**Program element:** 0602203F — Aerospace Systems Technologies  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force · **Budget Activity:** 2  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602203F/625171/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602203F/625171

## Summary

This activity requests $34.9M in FY2027, 100% of project 625171, up 2.1% 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 to devise, synthesize, scale-up, test, and characterize novel energetic ingredients for efficient propulsion capabilities for solid rocket motors, rocket engines and related propulsion systems. Activities include: -Integration of advanced propellant manufacturing techniques and components into tactical-size motors for validation through ground test. Continue to evaluate solid and liquid rocket propellants for propulsion capabilities for DoD. Activities include: -Evaluating and selecting chemical formulations that have demonstrated success for further testing in a scaled-up hot-fire test environment. Continue to identify, evaluate, and adapt 21st century automated formulation and production techniques to enable more rapid and agile munitions. Activities include: -Development and testing of chemical binder and energetic material in collaboration with mission partners for use in three-dimensional printing and curing of propellant. Continue research of high-temperature resins, insulators, and composite case fabrication techniques to enable high performance rocket motor cases. Activities include: -Refinement and scale-up of techniques for applying fiber motor casing for use in sub-scale and tactical-size rocket motors. Continue to apply the next generation of chemical and mechanical aging mechanism Modeling Simulation and Analysis (MS&A) tools supporting weapon lifetimes and fleet reliability. Activities include: -Refinement, verification, and validation of models evaluating service life for military utility. Continue development of advanced tactical propulsion hardware for efficient propulsion capabilities for solid rocket motors, rocket engines, and related propulsion systems. Activities include: -Scale-up to flight-weight demonstration testing of tactical solid rocket motors. Continue development, evaluation, verification, and validation of next generation of physics-based MS&A tools to enable rapid and agile missile propulsion design, analysis, and production. Activities include: -Optimizing digital tools using hot-fire test data Complete support of advanced component technologies for rocket propulsion applications enabling development of strategic and strike systems. Activities include: -Evaluation of propellant properties for strategic systems. Complete automated solid rocket motor production techniques and components to enable more rapid and agile munitions production and logistic support. Activities include: -Verification of automated, sub-scale manufacturing techniques and validation through hot-fire testing Commence research and development of advanced materials and components for strategic systems development. Activities include: -Design, testing, and build of test and evaluation systems supporting strategic system iterative development

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 increased compared to FY 2026 by $0.713 million due to additional propellant cost associated with larger batch sizes when increasing from sub-scale to tactical size motors, as well as additional test and evaluation of these propellants.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue to devise, synthesize, scale-up, test, and characterize novel energetic ingredients for efficient propulsion capabilities for solid rocket motors, rocket engines and related propulsion systems; -Activities include demonstration of propellant micro-reactors, binder testing for printed applications, and tactical-size motor hotfires to demonstrate integrated components. Continue to evaluate solid and liquid rocket propellants for propulsion capabilities for DoD; -Activities include applied chemical formulation, scale-up, and testing. Continue to identify, evaluate, and adapt 21st century automated formulation and production techniques to enable more rapid and agile munitions; -Activities include development of new chemical binder and energetic material for three-dimensional printing. Continue research in high-temperature resins, insulators, and composite case fabrication techniques to enable high performance rocket motor cases; -Activities include testing of grain-wound carbon fiber motor case. Continue to apply the next generation of chemical and mechanical aging mechanism Modeling Simulation and Analysis (MS&A) tools supporting weapon lifetimes and fleet reliability; -Activities include service life evaluation support for weapon systems. Continue the development of advanced tactical propulsion hardware for efficient propulsion capabilities for solid rocket motors, rocket engines and related propulsion systems; -Activities include support of flight demonstration tests of solid rocket motors. Continue the development, evaluation, verification, and validation of next generation of physics-based MS&A tools to enable rapid and agile missile propulsion design, analysis, and production; -Activities include digital performance evaluations supporting hotfire tests. Continue to support the advanced component technologies for missile propulsion applications supporting development of strategic and strike systems; -Activities include propellant testing and silo firing calculations. Continue automated solid rocket motor production techniques and components to enable more rapid and agile munitions production and logistic support. -Activities include evaluation and validation of on-site solid rocket motor material testing.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 34.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 34.9 |

> 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 625171

- Missile Propellant Research — FY2027 0.0
- Ballistic and Tactical Propulsion Technologies — FY2027 0.0

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0602203F project 625171 (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.*