# Kinetic Weapons

**R-2A activity** of project 1503 — Directed Energy & Kinetic Systems  
**Program element:** 0602750N — Future Naval Capabilities Applied Research  
**Component:** U.S. Navy · **Budget Activity:** 2  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N/1503/a2  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602750N/1503

## Summary

This activity requests $21.0M in FY2027, 67% of project 1503, up 31% 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 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 focus on air-breathing concepts. - Continue study and development of air-launched missile concepts in response to evolving requirements for both anti-air and anti-surface applications. Define the key component technologies and associated maturation roadmaps required to enable the transition of these weapon concepts to meet planned future weapons development. - Continue development and maturation of key enabling missile component technologies that are necessary to meet the Fleet's requirement to: engage both air and surface targets at greater ranges, reduce weapon size to increase launch platform carriage capacity, and introduce affordability to meet the need for weapon quantity. - Continue investigation of technologies needed for delivering autonomous weapons with complete kill chain coverage to both manned and unmanned surface vessels and airborne platforms. Emphasis will be on developing containerized, modular, and platform agnostic systems. - Continue investigating incorporation of additive manufacturing processes and novel materials into future weapons concepts in order to reduce weight and manufacturing complexity. - Complete investigation into varied technologies that could mitigate impacts of adverse navigational environments upon weapon systems employed in denied areas. - Complete investigation of technologies needed to increase capacity of shipboard launch systems in both numbers and types of weapons. Also, investigate possible application of industrial automation techniques to weapon handling and loading. Development of multi-objective optimization engine to coordinate shore-based fires with Naval Long Range Fires by air and surface shooters. - Initiate investigation into novel materials, energetics, and designs for development of advanced warheads, enabling increased effects with potentially reduced size and weight.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding increase between FY26 and FY27 is due to greater investment in technologies leading to broader, more affordable, and potentially more effective means for shipboard terminal defense. Offensively, there is increased investment in missile technology to achieve greater performance, affordability, and capacity.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** 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. - Investigation into varied technologies that could mitigate impacts of adverse navigational environments upon weapon systems employed in denied areas. - Investigation into advanced propulsion techniques for high speed weapons; main focus on air-breathing concepts. Study and development of air-launched missile concepts in response to evolving requirements for both anti-air and anti-surface applications. Define the key component technologies and associated maturation roadmaps required to enable the transition of these weapon concepts to meet planned future weapons development. - Development and maturation of key enabling missile component technologies that are necessary to meet the Fleet's requirement to: engage both air and surface targets at greater ranges, reduce weapon size to increase launch platform carriage capacity, and introduce affordability to meet the need for weapon quantity. - Investigation of technologies needed for delivering autonomous weapons with complete kill chain coverage to both manned and unmanned surface vessels and airborne platforms. Emphasis will be on developing containerized, modular, and platform agnostic systems. - Investigation of technologies needed to increase capacity of shipboard launch systems in both numbers and types of weapons. Also, investigate possible application of industrial automation techniques to weapon handling and loading. Complete: - Investigating advanced material and structural capabilities in aerodynamics for high-speed/hypersonic weapons. Initiate: - Development of multi-objective optimization engine to coordinate shore-based fires with Naval Long Range Fires by air and surface shooters. - Investigate incorporation of additive manufacturing processes and novel materials into future weapons concepts in order to reduce weight and manufacturing complexity.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 16.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 21.0 |

> 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 1503

- Manned and Autonomous Teams (MATes) (INP) — FY2027 4.8
- Directed Energy — FY2027 4.8
- Precision Fire Control (INP) — FY2027 0.9
- Expeditionary Directed Energy — FY2027 0.0
- Expeditionary Kinetic Weapons — FY2027 0.0

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0602750N project 1503 (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.*