# Project 2912 — Force Protection Advanced Technology

**Program element:** 0603123N — Force Protection Advanced Technology  
**Project:** 2912  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603123N/2912  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603123N

## Summary

Project 2912 — Force Protection Advanced Technology requests $50.9M in FY2027, 100% of the $50.9M requested for program element 0603123N, up 17% on FY2026. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request, 2 new this cycle.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 44.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 43.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 50.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 66.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 59.5 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 44.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 44.1 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603123N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 2912 buys

This project addresses advanced technology development associated with providing the capability of Platform and Force Protection for the U.S. Navy. This project supports the development of technologies associated with mission capable, persistent and survivable Naval platforms (surface, subsurface, terrestrial, and air) in the areas of Manufacturing, Naval Engineering (formerly Platform Design & Engineering), Power and Energy (formerly Power, Energy & Propulsion), Undersea Systems and Naval Aerospace. This project develops technologies for enhanced capability of Naval aviation aircraft platforms in terms of mission effectiveness, platform range, responsiveness, survivability, observability, readiness, safety and life cycle cost. It also develops new Naval air vehicle concepts and high impact, scalable Naval air vehicle technologies. The FY 2026 request for Mission Capable and Survivable Force includes $0 thousand of discretionary and $2,000 thousand of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of $2,000 thousand. The mandatory funds support the development of advanced technologies that provide resilient mission capabilities and improved survivability under asymmetric attack. Research includes full spectrum advancements to characterize complex threats; perform proactive cyber shaping with decision advantage in response; enable resilience and survivability through maneuver and protection of mission critical infrastructure and operational forces; and reconstitute and sustain mission critical capabilities throughout the timeline of events. Further information for this reconciliation request is provided in Section 20005 (Low-Cost Weapons) of the Reconciliation Exhibit.

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Ship and Submarine Hull Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) | 25.6 | 24.5 | 30.2 | +23% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603123N/2912/a0) |
| Weapons Technology | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.0 | new | [a3](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603123N/2912/a3) |
| Aircraft Technology | 18.7 | 19.0 | 6.3 | −67% | — |
| Mission Capable and Survivable Force | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.4 | new | — |

> 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.

### Surface Ship and Submarine Hull Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E)

Continue: - Development of Advanced Naval Power Systems: Crewed and Uncrewed Naval Platforms demand high power/energy density, integrated modular power systems that require very low maintenance (people and cost), low fuel consumption, and highly resilient operation for extended mission duration. - Efforts associated with Next Strategic…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603123N/2912/a0

### Weapons Technology — NEW START

Initiate: - Evaluation and integration of rotating detonation engine (RDE) technology in propulsion systems for next-generation Naval strike systems. - Preliminary design, prototyping, and testing of an RDE test article with a supersonic inlet, diffuser, and nozzle to assess integrated propulsion system performance. - Conceptual design…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603123N/2912/a3

### Aircraft Technology

**FY2027 planned work.** Continue: - Conduct technology development and maturation through Next Generation Propulsion Enablers (NGP-E) with major engine manufacturers on the highest priority, long lead propulsion, power and thermal management technologies. - Rotating Detonation Augmentor (RDA) Research and Military Utility Studies - Durable CMAS-Resistant Coating - Development of advanced casing treatments - Advanced Fan and Stator Technology Development Complete: - Advanced Fan Flow Control - Development of advanced, adaptive, and modular controls. - Adhesion Promoter for thermal barrier coatings (TBC)/polymer matrix composites (PMC) Interface - structured multi-faceted warfighter interaction to establish a concept of operations and a high level system requirement set. Periodically revisit these products by engaging additional warfighter input to the developing prototype system during the planned iterative experimentation events. - development of a prototype system capability realized as a network of shipboard weapons with integrated enhanced autonomy to address the urgent threat from unmanned vehicles. Survey currently available weapons and sensors, and establish an early architecture definition. Conduct experimentation, both in a simulated environment, and via live-fire testing, with the intent to facilitate early validation of this architecture and to identify aspects that require additional technology maturation. Iteratively execute follow-on development and experimentation cycles to achieve a TRL6 capability. - the development of autonomy algorithms specifically suited to the hardware elements comprising the prototype system. Integrate these algorithms into the system to fully enable the concept of operations. Leverage best-of-breed algorithms from government, academia, and industry; tailor and mature these capabilities to fully meet system operational performance requirements. - planning and execution of a shipboard event to demonstrate the effectiveness of the prototype system against unmanned surface and air systems within a relevant operational environment. Initiate: - Development of Compact Combustor Technology - Organic Matrix Composite Technology

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to the completion of Warhead down selects within the CAAM Compact Air-to-Air Missile project.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue: - Conduct technology development and maturation through Next Generation Propulsion Enablers (NGP-E) with major engine manufacturers on the highest priority, long lead propulsion, power and thermal management technologies. - Development of advanced, adaptive, and modular controls. - Development of advanced casing treatments Complete: - Evaluation of additively manufactured turbine components - More thermally efficient variable displacement fuel pumps - Naval Electrical Systems EMI Mitigation - Warhead down selects of fragmentation, initiation systems and required form factor based on experimental testing for transition to advanced program of record. - Rocket motor trade studies and initial concept design for transition to advanced program of record. - Technology transition of CAAM energetic components to industry vendor(s) to support program of record. Initiate: - Rotating Detonation Augmentor (RDA) Research and Military Utility Studies - Durable CMAS-Resistant Coating - Adhesion Promoter for thermal barrier coatings (TBC)/polymer matrix composites (PMC) Interface - Advanced Fan Flow Control - Advanced Fan and Stator Technology Development - structured multi-faceted warfighter interaction to establish a concept of operations and a high level system requirement set. Periodically revisit these products by engaging additional warfighter input to the developing prototype system during the planned iterative experimentation events. - development of a prototype system capability realized as a network of shipboard weapons with integrated enhanced autonomy to address the urgent threat from unmanned vehicles. Survey currently available weapons and sensors, and establish an early architecture definition. Conduct experimentation, both in a simulated environment, and via live-fire testing, with the intent to facilitate early validation of this architecture and to identify aspects that require additional technology maturation. Iteratively execute follow-on development and experimentation cycles to achieve a TRL6 capability. - the development of autonomy algorithms specifically suited to the hardware elements comprising the prototype system. Integrate these algorithms into the system to fully enable the concept of operations. Leverage best-of-breed algorithms from government, academia, and industry; tailor and mature these capabilities to fully meet system operational performance requirements. - planning and execution of a shipboard event to demonstrate the effectiveness of the prototype system against unmanned surface and air systems within a relevant operational environment.

### Mission Capable and Survivable Force — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** - Initiate characterization of emergent threats through modeling and simulation to inform capability development. - Initiate development of proactive full spectrum cyber shaping capabilities that enable fleet maneuver and protection in response to asymmetric attack. - Initiate component validation in laboratory and/or relevant environment.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding increase from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to program initiation in 6.3 PE 0603123N. These are follow-on efforts that have matured and progressed from prior basic and applied research programs that have shown promised technology maturation. This is not a new start.

## 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/0603123N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603123N project 2912 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603123N")`.

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