ADVANCED AEROSPACE SYSTEMS
The efforts described in this Program Element (PE) address the Advanced Technology Development associated with the Advanced Aerospace Systems Program that is focused on exploiting high pay-off opportunities to provide revolutionary new system capabilities, as opposed to incremental or evolutionary advancements, in order to achieve undeterrable air presence at dramatically reduced costs. Rapid prototyping and experimentation of integrated system concepts, as well as enabling vehicle subsystems will be conducted. Programs will explore new architectural concepts that employ a mix of weapon technologies that achieve lethality through a combination of overwhelming performance and overwhelming numbers rather than through the use of singular and costly high value assets. Studies conducted under this program element include examination and evaluation of emerging aerospace threats, technologies, concepts, use of autonomy to minimize risk, and applications for missiles, munitions, and vehicle systems. Beginning in FY 2026, efforts in this PE will be funded in PE 0603468E, Advanced Complex Systems.
FY2025 accomplishments - Completed fabrication of the ground test vehicle and continued fabrication of flight test vehicles. - Began ground testing to characterize the system and exercise vehicle mechanisms. - Completed propulsion system integration testing. - Completed subscale wind tunnel testing. - Began fabrication and testing of suspension and release equipment. - Continued software integration testing. - Continued airworthiness certification and host aircraft integration.
FY2025 accomplishments - Continued simulations, component testing, subsystem testing, manufacturing planning, and flight test planning. - Conducted design and analysis activities leading to Preliminary Design Review (PDR). - Conducted air system ground tests, simulations, and analysis. - Initiated limited detailed design and critical design activities.
FY2025 accomplishments - Conducted extensive human-AI integration and evaluation in advanced simulation environments, where expert operators provided critical, real-time feedback to refine autonomous agent performance, tactical proficiency, and safety protocols. - Demonstrated modeling approaches that are significantly faster than baseline references. - Executed a high volume of AI agent evaluations across various operational scenarios using rapid iteration, continuous performance assessment, and active competition among algorithms. - Developed and implemented a pilot feedback tool during simulated flight exercises that improves the accuracy and reliability of AI agent training and enables informed iterative…
FY2025 accomplishments - Continued fabrication and subsystems integration of the demonstration aircraft. - Continued bench tests of major subsystems of the demonstration aircraft. - Continued airworthiness and ground/flight test approval processes.
FY2025 accomplishments - Completed Manufacturing Planning Review for demonstrator. - Conducted demonstrator subcomponent testing. - Completed technical data package and final reports reflecting program results for use in future efforts to maximize downstream impact of completed research. - Completed disposition of testing articles and other physical materials.
FY2025 accomplishments - Completed preliminary design of six concepts and associated risk reduction analyses and tests. - Conducted detailed design and analysis activities for multiple concepts. - Manufactured, assembled, and conducted ground and flight testing on the X-plane vehicle(s).
FY2025 accomplishments - Continued to develop software with a single baseline solution, integrated with performers, tested, refined and retested REMA solution in each spiral. - Increased the rate of spiral events from 2-month durations to 1-month duration.
FY2025 accomplishments - Performed laboratory demonstrations of technologies to enable cross-domain air dominance solutions.