# High Energy Laser Research — Program Element 0602890D8Z

**Program element:** 0602890D8Z  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602890D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide requests $50.4M in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 47.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 47.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 50.4 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 50.9 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 51.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 51.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 51.4 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 50.4 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 50.4 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 50.4 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 50.4 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 890 | High Energy Laser Development | 47.4 | 47.1 | 50.4 | +7% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 890 — High Energy Laser Development

This program is part of an overall Department of War strategy in Joint directed energy applied research. Efforts within will focus on the advanced technologies necessary to increase lethality, expand the mission set, and counter future adversaries. Advancements are essential to improve the performance of existing and new directed energy weapon systems. This builds upon other investments in directed energy applied research by the Services and Agencies and eliminates duplication. This work is executed via technical program managers within the Directed Energy Technology Development Program, which enables (1) applied research in high energy laser and high power microwave technologies that support eventual system-level integration and (2) proof of concept tech demonstrations in a laboratory environment with Joint-international participation.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directed Energy Applied Research | 47.4 | — | — |
| Directed Energy Technology Development | — | 47.1 | 50.4 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This program is executed via Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE) Science and Technology and in alignment with the Department of War Directed Energy Roadmap, as well as other strategic guidance. The goal of this program is to support the Department’s initiatives in directed energy to build a sustainable and long-term advantage. This program funds applied research in directed energy to enable future defense capabilities realized by the Services and Agencies. These efforts include studies, investigations, and component and subsystem design and development to further the knowledge base of high energy laser and high power microwave technologies.

## Related program elements

- [0604924D8Z — High Energy Laser Advanced Component Development & Prototype](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604924D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0603924D8Z — High Energy Laser Advanced Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603924D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0603925N — Directed Energy and Electric Weapon System](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N) (Navy)
- [0602605F — Directed Energy Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602605F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0602890D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602890D8Z")`.

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