# NTNF Capability Development

**R-2A activity** of project 040 — National Technical Nuclear Forensics  
**Program element:** 0603161D8Z — Nuclear Matters, Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 4  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603161D8Z/040/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603161D8Z/040

## Summary

This activity requests $17.9M in FY2027, 100% of project 040, down 25% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2025–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue RDT&E investments in the collection, analysis, and evaluation of ground and airborne post-detonation debris samples. -- Continue to support collection: Improve ground collection capabilities and tools to accelerate mission timelines. -- Continue to support analysis: Improve debris and prompt signals analysis capabilities and expertise development to accelerate analysis and attribution timelines. -- Continue to support evaluation: Expand the debris diagnostic and prompt evaluation capability to expedite the attribution process. Develop and design IT infrastructure system of tools to rapidly generate and disseminate nuclear forensic results across the Department and interagency leadership. - Continue to improve the Quality Assurance process for ensuring that the surrogate samples used in NTNF exercises best match anticipated real-world NTNF ground and airborne samples. - Continue to develop, design, and validate new speed of light sensor systems to increase the portability and scalability of prompt signals coverage. - Begin Windows 11 upgrade on Harvester particulate collection pods, as well as develop airworthiness package and conduct successful demonstration of Harvester particulate collection pods on an MQ-9A using Proliferated Low Earth Orbit satellite connectivity.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2026 to FY 2027 decrease reflects the transfer of funding to 0604161D8Z to further mature capability for eventual deployment.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - RDT&E investments in the collection, analysis, and evaluation of ground and airborne post-detonation debris samples. -- Collection Support: Improve ground collection capabilities and tools to accelerate mission timelines. Develop requirements documents and begin conceptual design prototypes for next generation unmanned airborne and autonomous ground collection systems. -- Analysis Support: Improve debris and prompt signals analysis capabilities and expertise development to accelerate analysis and attribution timelines. -- Evaluation support: Expand the debris diagnostic and prompt evaluation capability to expedite the attribution process. Develop and design IT infrastructure system of tools to rapidly generate and disseminate nuclear forensic results across the Department and interagency leadership. - Improve the Quality Assurance process ensuring that the surrogate samples used in NTNF exercises best match anticipated real-world NTNF ground and airborne samples. - Develop, design, and validate new speed of light sensor systems to increase the portability and scalability of prompt signals coverage. - Develop airworthiness package and conduct successful demonstration of Harvester particulate collection pods on an MQ-9A using Geo-synchronous Earth Orbit satellite connectivity.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - RDT&E investment in the collection, analysis, and evaluation of ground and airborne post-detonation debris samples. -- Collection: Improve ground collection capabilities and tools to accelerate mission timelines. Develop requirements documents and begin conceptual design prototypes for next generation unmanned airborne and autonomous ground collection systems. -- Analysis: Improve debris and prompt signals analysis capabilities and expertise development at DoD laboratories to accelerate analysis and attribution timelines. -- Evaluation: Expand the debris diagnostic and prompt evaluation capability to speed the attribution process. Develop and design IT systems of tools to rapidly generate and disseminate nuclear forensic results across the DoD and to interagency leadership. - Improve the Quality Assurance process for assuring that the surrogate samples used in NTNF exercises best match anticipated real-world NTNF ground and airborne samples. - Develop, design, and validate new speed of light sensor systems to increase the portability and scalability of prompt signals coverage. - Complete Airworthiness T2 Package for integrating Harvester particulate collection pods on an MQ-9A Block 5 GEO and conduct successful flight demonstration.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 29.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 23.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 17.9 |

> 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.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0603161D8Z project 040 (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.*