# Vanguard Prospect - Payload Delivery System

**R-2A activity** of project 630320 — Air Force Vanguards  
**Program element:** 0603032F — Air Force Vanguards  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force · **Budget Activity:** 3  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a9  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F

## Summary

This activity requests $32.9M in FY2027, 12% of project 630320, up 7.7% 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.** - Complete studies of capsule payload environments and survivability, from spacedrop to payload delivery. - Complete analyses of re-entry communications and plasma black-out. - Commence testing to inform a quantitative S&T assessment of a multi-ton prototype capsule reentry aerodynamics, re-entry communications during hypersonic flight, and rapid atmospheric deceleration. - Commence testing to assess detectability, survivability, and ground operations for tactical payload delivery. - Commence analyses of capsule compatibility and integration with multiple vendor launch systems and multiple launch sites.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 funding increased compared to FY 2026 by $2.353 million due to commencement of ground testing and rapid atmospheric deceleration for capsule deployment and delivery concepts.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete design and development of a multi-ton prototype capsule for demonstration of spacedrop, re-entry, and cargo deployment concepts for air/land/sea. - Complete modeling and simulation of the capsule re-entry aerodynamics, stability, heating, and technologies for rapid hypersonic deceleration. - Commence studies of capsule payload environments and survivability, from spacedrop to payload delivery. - Commence analyses of re-entry communications and plasma black-out.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 30.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 32.9 |

> 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 630320

- [Vanguard Prospect - Ephemeral Paragon (E-Gon)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a5) — FY2027 45.9
- [Vanguard Pathfinder - Integrated Combat Effects](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a13) — FY2027 42.6
- [Vanguard Prospect - CRONUS](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a4) — FY2027 38.0
- [Vanguard Prospect - EO/IR Sensing Demonstration](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a10) — FY2027 36.5
- [Vanguard Prospect - Scabbard Rage](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a8) — FY2027 30.7
- [Vanguard Prospect - APEX GEAR](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a7) — FY2027 27.0
- [Vanguard Pathfinder - Integrated Electronic Warfare](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a11) — FY2027 13.1
- [Vanguard Pathfinder - Integrated Networks](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603032F/630320/a12) — FY2027 11.2
- WARTECH — FY2027 4.0
- Vanguard Prospect - Resolute Sentry — FY2027 0.0
- Vanguard Prospect - Area Effects Demonstration — FY2027 0.0
- Vanguard Prospect - Fight Tonight — FY2027 0.0
- Vanguard Prospect - Swift Hammer — FY2027 0.0

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0603032F project 630320 (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.*