# Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance — Program Element 0603261N

**Program element:** 0603261N  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603261N

## Summary

U.S. Navy funding ramps 45% to a $3.2M request 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. DLA leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 3.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 2.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 3.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 3.2 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 2.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 3.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 3.0 |

> 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 | 3.2 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 3.2 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 3.2 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 3.2 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2467 | UxS Common Standards, Interoperability and Integration | 3.4 | 2.2 | 3.2 | +45% |

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

### Project 2467 — UxS Common Standards, Interoperability and Integration

The Naval Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) leads the development and delivery of technical solutions to enhance Naval capabilities through improved UAS interoperability by creating standardized interfaces, common command & control systems, and seamless integration with Navy networks and platforms. Further developing sensors, communications, and networking systems to achieve seamless UxS integration. Conducts rapid development efforts to address Fleet capability gaps to include Full Motion Video (FMV), ISR, and exploitation tools. Specifically: -Conducts critical studies and operational demonstrations to develop and validate Naval UAS Family of Systems (FoS) Concepts of Operations that directly enhance warfighter capabilities and mission effectiveness. -Develops Naval Interoperability profiles that enable seamless integration across the Naval UAS Family of Systems, delivering critical unmanned capabilities to warfighters while reducing operational risk and accelerating capability delivery through shared resources and innovation. -Defines common, interoperable UAS standards for Department of Defense and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations, ensuring seamless coalition warfare capabilities and enhanced mission effectiveness across allied forces. -Provides targeting, weapons, sensor and payload employment capabilities with enhanced FMV exploitation tools and track data overlays, delivering actionable intelligence for improved situational awareness, faster decision-making, and enhanced operational effectiveness in contested environments. -Enhances warfighter capabilities by developing and delivering advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) tools, improving data collection methods, and increasing intelligence gathering capacity through interoperable unmanned systems and standardized platforms.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** DLA (1.9, 60%), NAWCAD (1.3, 40%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studies and Demonstrations | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Naval Interoperability & Standardization | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.9 |

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

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 100% | 3.2 |

**Top named industry performers:** DLA ($1.9M, 60%), NAWCAD ($1.3M, 40%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Naval Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) leads the development and delivery of technical solutions to enhance Naval capabilities through improved UAS interoperability by creating standardized interfaces, common command & control systems, and seamless integration with Navy networks and platforms. Further developing sensors, communications, and networking systems to achieve seamless UxS integration. Conducts rapid development efforts to address Fleet capability gaps to include Full Motion Video (FMV), ISR, and exploitation tools.

The department will leverage existing government facilities, resources, and engineering support while establishing strategic alliances with multiple Program Management Activities (PMAs), Systems Command (SYSCOMs), Type Commanders (TYCOMS), and Combatant Commands (COCOMs) to increase collaboration, share resources and talent, and develop common technical and interoperability standards for unmanned sensors, communications, networking capabilities, ISR and FMV exploitation tools.

## Related program elements

- [0603923D8Z — Coalition Warfare Program (CWP)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603923D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0601104A — University and Industry Research Centers](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601104A) (Army)
- [0604826J — Joint C5 Capability Development, Integration, and Interoperability Assessments](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604826J) (Defense-Wide)
- [1203164SF — Military Global Positioning System USER EQUIP](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203164SF) (Space Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603261N (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603261N")`.

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