What project DK2 buys
This project enhances Army aviation mission capability and addresses operational energy challenges. Includes the maturation, system integration, and demonstration of technologies including advanced engines, hybrid and electric systems, power and control allocation, propulsive power delivery, electric actuation, structures, and other technologies that enhance performance, efficiency or are critical to implementation up to the aircraft system level. Work in this project is fully coordinated with PE 0602183A (Air Platform Applied Technology) / Project DK1 (Air Vehicle Integrated & Alternative Tech (AVIATe)). Work within this effort is jointly performed by the Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC) and the Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (C5ISR Center).
Project DK2 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 1.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 9.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 10.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 32.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 31.2 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 27.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 23.4 |
2 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 1 of them describes FY2027 work in enough detail to have its own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Will optimize lightweight lithium battery solutions for increased aviation system survivability by establishing a family of standardized batteries and/or cells to power advanced electronics; initiate integration of standardized connectors and interfaces into a common battery form factor; and assess interoperability of a standard battery…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects the delay of this effort to FY 2028 and the strategic reallocation of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.
FY2026 plans — current year Will partner with one or more Industry vendors to demonstrate critical technologies that enable military-suitable hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft at the system level; determine exact phase of entry into the design-build-test cycle during source selection; system level technology demonstration ground test systems, surrogate aircraft, or flight test articles will be identified; conduct initial design and risk mitigation activities.
FY2025 accomplishments Will begin scaled hybrid-electric system and integration laboratory efforts as a means to train, expand knowledge base, mitigate technical risk, calibrate models, and integrate and optimize hybrid-electric systems to inform and plan future transition efforts for the Army aviation fleet.