# Project 1503 — Directed Energy & Kinetic Systems

**Program element:** 0602750N — Future Naval Capabilities Applied Research  
**Project:** 1503  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N/1503  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N

## Summary

Project 1503 — Directed Energy & Kinetic Systems requests $31.5M in FY2027, 10% of the $305.4M requested for program element 0602750N, down 6.5% on FY2026. 6 R-2A activities decompose the request.

**Markets:** Directed Energy — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 33.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 31.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 24.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 24.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 25.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 25.7 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0602750N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 1503 buys

The Directed Energy & Kinetic Systems activity develops technologies to advance Naval applications of both directed energy (DE) and kinetic weapons. The main focus of DE weapons is to develop technologies that enable laser and high-power microwave (HPM) weapon systems, within Navy and Marine Corps size, weight, and power (SWAP) constraints, to strike enemy targets and to defend naval platforms and land bases from threats. Additionally, the DE activity develops technologies that enable defense against adversary DE systems. The main focus of kinetic weapons is to develop technologies that address the Navy and Marine Corps fires requirements for extended range; increased precision; decreased weapons fly-out times; greater destructive power and novel effects; autonomy, swarming, and human-machine teaming; mission planning and decision making; reduced production costs, and increased inventory and availability.

## Activities (R-2A) — 6

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinetic Weapons | 0.0 | 16.1 | 21.0 | +31% | [a2](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N/1503/a2) |
| Manned and Autonomous Teams (MATes) (INP) | 0.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | −3% | — |
| Directed Energy | 0.0 | 3.4 | 4.8 | +41% | — |
| Precision Fire Control (INP) | 0.0 | 4.9 | 0.9 | −81% | — |
| Expeditionary Directed Energy | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | −100% | — |
| Expeditionary Kinetic Weapons | 0.0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | −100% | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Kinetic Weapons

- Continue feasibility studies and possible development of terminal defense fire control architectures that support low cost and easy integration onto ships and into expeditionary forces for terminal defense suitable for multiple engagement weapons. - Continue investigation into advanced propulsion techniques for high speed weapons; main…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N/1503/a2

### Manned and Autonomous Teams (MATes) (INP)

**FY2027 planned work.** Complete the Applied Research for the MATes INP by: - Completing autonomy, perception, and command and control (C2) concepts for MATES conducting complex multi-domain operations in proximity to each other along a spectrum of missions. - Completing demonstration of multiple autonomy architectures across multiple domains conducting re-optimizing behaviors based on changing mission parameters and perception data. - Completing experiments to validate command and control with different levels of human oversight and trust. - Completing experiments to sequentially "phase" C2 of massed Super Swarm agents from close-in, dense, tightly controlled areas with continuous network coverage out to the maximum range where fully autonomous behavior is expected. - Completing experiments to test Super Swarm (PRJ 3459) agents in scenarios requiring AI-enabled perception of current manned blue teammate behavior states, derivation of anticipated future states, and evaluation of potential reactions to state changes.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding decrease from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to planned execution of the remaining BA2 activities in the final year of Applied Research for the MATes INP Activity in this Project.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue all activities from FY25 to include those focused on: - Autonomy, perception, and command and control (C2) concepts for Manned and Autonomous Teams (MATES) conducting complex multi-domain operations in proximity to each other along a spectrum of missions. Missions range from fully autonomous to highly supervised requiring an agile optimization as real-world factors change. - Autonomy, perception, and command and control (C2) concepts for MATES conducting complex multi-domain operations in proximity to each other along a spectrum of missions. - Demonstration of multiple autonomy architectures across multiple domains conducting re-optimizing behaviors based on changing mission parameters and perception data. Agents will be Super Swarm (PRJ 3459) agents, and efforts will mutually inform tactical behavior, perception, and autonomy schemas. - Experiments to validate command and control with different levels of human oversight and trust. Initiate: - Experiments to sequentially "phase" C2 of massed Super Swarm agents from close-in, dense, tightly controlled areas with continuous network coverage out to the maximum range where fully autonomous behavior is expected. - Experiments to test Super Swarm (PRJ 3459) agents in scenarios requiring AI-enabled perception of current manned blue teammate behavior states, derivation of anticipated future states, and evaluation of potential reactions to state changes.

### Directed Energy

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue advancement of High Power Microwave (HPM) tunable source technology to adapt to evolving threats via electronic attack methods. - Continue maturing and integrating technologies related to distributed arrays of HPM sources, enabled by improved phase control solid state modulators. - Continue investigating pulsed laser source development, utility and integration studies, propagation and lethality assessments for Naval applications. Developing technologies to fill the S&T gaps to enable the fielding of high energy laser weapons to defeat cruise missiles. - Continue investigation and development of novel laser source and thermal/cooling technology, standardized beam control components/systems, and evaluation of modular component concepts for decreased size, weight and power while maintaining efficiency. - Complete development of enabling technologies for accelerated DE weapon engagements in ship based terminal defense, including advanced tracking solutions, automated engagement algorithms and novel battle damage assessment methods. - Initiate investigation into new HPM sources that offer higher power and higher pulse repetition frequencies with the goal to counter multi-modal and multi-spectral threats, as well as threats at greater standoff ranges. Development of HPM lethality curves for use in modeling and simulation to better understand how HPM contributes to a layered ship self-defense as well as to provide requirements for source, antenna, and pulsed modulator designs for future HPM systems. - Initiate study the effects of High Energy Laser (HEL) at various powers against relevant target materials, to inform the requirements for HEL weapons for a variety of CONOPS.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding increase between FY26 and FY27 is due to greater investment in technologies related to improving Directed Energy system componentry and subsystems (in terms of size, weight, power usage, cost, power output, and efficiency). There is also increased investment in technology that forms an early baseline to enable investigation into structural and combat system integration options on host platforms.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue: - Advancement of HPM tunable source technology to adapt to evolving threats via electronic attack methods. - Development of enabling technologies for accelerated DE weapon engagements in ship based terminal defense, including advanced tracking solutions, automated engagement algorithms and novel battle damage assessment methods. - Mature and integrate technologies related to distributed arrays of HPM sources, enabled by improved phase control solid state modulators. - Investigate short pulsed laser source development, utility and integration studies, propagation and lethality assessments for Naval applications. Complete: - Development of compact High Power Microwave (HPM) antenna technology with reduced size, weight and cost to enable integration into Marine Corps tactical ground vehicles, and broaden effort for additional platforms. Initiate: - Developing technologies to fill the S&T gaps to enable the fielding of high energy laser weapons to defeat cruise missiles. - Investigation and development of novel laser source and thermal/cooling technology, standardized beam control components/systems, and evaluation of modular component concepts for decreased size, weight and power while maintaining efficiency.

### Precision Fire Control (INP)

**FY2027 planned work.** Complete Applied Research for the Precision Fire Control INP by: - Completing a fire control architecture that delivers high precision and update rate guidance solution to enable cruise missile defense with multiple low-cost interceptors (missiles and gun projectiles). - Completing the Modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and technical data package.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease in funding from FY 2026 to FY 2027 in the Precision Fire Control (PFC) INP is due to completion in FY 2027 of all PFC applied research efforts

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue - Integration of multi-function data link (MFDL) 2 fire control element. - Procurement of 5 Hypervelocity Projectiles (HVP) and 20 Low-Cost Terminal Defense Missiles (LCTDM) flight test units and test targets. - Interceptor guidance testing with HVP and LCTDM. - Combat systems integration studies. Complete - Combat systems integration studies. - Design and prototyping of Precision Fire-Control (PFC) Increment 2 fire control elements.

### Expeditionary Directed Energy

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease in funding from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to the realignment and consolidation of all expeditionary funding under PE 0602750N to the new Expeditionary Campaigns project number 1510 within this PE. Planned programs will continue under new Expeditionary Campaigns project number and have been updated to align to current expeditionary and marine corps priorities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Complete: - Research in the area of increased range and lethality for small form factor weapon systems in support of EABO. (Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW) and Combating Terrorism) - Develop flexible, intermediate force capability to defend against small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm attacks as well as civilian vehicles in congested urban environments for protection of relatively small, dispersed advanced expeditionary bases in the littorals operating within the operational engagement envelop of a potential adversary. (Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW) and Combating Terrorism) - Develop generalized technique for synchronizing compact, mobile amplifier-HPM nodes to form a scalable, distributed HPM (DHPM) source network that will determine, in real time, optimal coupling spectrum of the target(s) for increased target susceptibility and lethality. (Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW) and Combating Terrorism)

### Expeditionary Kinetic Weapons

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease in funding from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to the realignment and consolidation of all expeditionary funding under PE 0602750N to the new Expeditionary Campaigns project number 1510 within this PE. Planned programs will continue under new Expeditionary Campaigns project number and have been updated to align to current expeditionary and marine corps priorities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Complete: - Research to improve warfighter effectiveness in command, control, computers and communication, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the area of electromagnetic spectrum analysis and signature management. (Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW) and Combating Terrorism) - Research effort to provide a counter-swarm solution using a swarm of networked low-cost kinetic interceptors. (Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW) and Combating Terrorism)

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0602750N project 1503 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602750N")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*