# Project BG1 — Sensors for Auto Oper and Survivability Adv Tech

**Program element:** 0603462A — Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology  
**Project:** BG1  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603462A/BG1  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603462A

## Summary

Project BG1 — Sensors for Auto Oper and Survivability Adv Tech requests $13.8M in FY2027, 12% of the $118.2M requested for program element 0603462A, up 54% on FY2026. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request, 2 new this cycle.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 9.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 8.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 13.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 15.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 16.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 18.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 18.4 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603462A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project BG1 buys

This project matures, optimizes, and demonstrates automated, advanced multi-function sensors and integrates threat cueing capabilities for operations in full spectrum, complex environments, for next generation manned, optionally manned, and robotic platform applications. This Project will deliver sensor payloads which provide greatly increased situational awareness (e.g., pre-shot and hostile fire detection, threat classification) in all environments for manned and unmanned ground vehicle systems. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-mission Sensors and Processing for Expanded Maneuver | — | — | 12.7 | new | [a2](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603462A/BG1/a2) |
| Sensor Protection Advanced Technology | — | — | 1.1 | new | — |
| Advanced Sensors with Embedded Processing | 5.8 | 5.4 | — | −100% | — |
| Multi-Mission Payload | 3.8 | 3.6 | — | −100% | — |

> 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.

### Multi-mission Sensors and Processing for Expanded Maneuver — NEW START

Will mature and demonstrate day/night electro-optic infrared (EO/IR) aided target detection and recognition (AITDR) threat detection capabilities using imagery collected in both temperate and sub-tropical environments, supporting expanded maneuver of ground platforms against remotely deployed mines; will demonstrate integrated air/ground…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603462A/BG1/a2

### Sensor Protection Advanced Technology — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Will mature novel, spectrally agile sensor protection measures for selective targeting and situational awareness while under attack from current and emerging laser threats.Mature integrated sensor signature reduction and self-protection technologies to enhance the resilience of tactical infrared imaging sensors against detection, dazzling, and damage from new and proliferated adversary threats, including wavelength-agile and ultra-short pulsed high-energy lasers.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** This is not a new start. FY 2027 this effort is realigned from Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BI3 (Sensor Protection Advanced Technology) to streamline and optimize the Science and Technology portfolio.

### Advanced Sensors with Embedded Processing

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding decrease reflects realignment to Multi-mission Sensors and Processing for Expanded Maneuver within this project to continue the maturation of advanced processing capabilities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Will demonstrate advanced targeting while on-the-move with optimized far target location (FTL) components and systems in permissive and denied environments; will exploit novel boresighting techniques to demonstrate precision FTL with reduced user workload; will demonstrate sensor automation and platform-level target fusion from multiple sensing sources on a tactical vehicle to validate reduced user interactions and improved target fidelity; will optimize the sensor and display used for vehicle navigation in a laboratory environment to improve driver situational awareness, obstacle avoidance, and reduce risk to platform and mission.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Will develop advanced sensor components to inform future maturation of a common, modular multispectral sensor system with low power processing and reduced SWaP; mature and demonstrate precision far target location for on-the-move performance and reduced crew workload for legacy and next generation targeting and surveillance systems; exploit targeting and threat detection sensors with embedded processing in a laboratory environment to validate reduced user interactions and improved crew performance; optimize sensor-to-shooter timelines through automation of low-level sensor tasking and smart fusion of sensor data outputs.

### Multi-Mission Payload

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding decrease reflects realignment to Multi-mission Sensors and Processing for Expanded Maneuver within this project to continue the maturation of advanced sensing capabilities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Will demonstrate Aided Target Recognition (AiTR) enabled sensors by exploiting data and imagery from low-cost electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payloads and small unmanned aircraft system platforms to quantify AiTR limitations, performance, and target location accuracies which will be used to inform size, weight, and power and sensor payload specifications for tethered platforms. Will expand and demonstrate AiTR capabilities using imagery collected in both temperate and sub-tropical environments.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** FY 2025 Plans: Will optimize polarized sensors and demonstrate with embedded detection algorithms and a ground penetrating radar sensor with synthetic aperture radar processing to accurately identify locations of near peer threats from small UAS systems. Will provide threat data and their precise locations onto the tactical network from the sUAS in real time to support maneuver decisions for improved survivability of US combat vehicles.

## 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/0603462A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603462A project BG1 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603462A")`.

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