What project CZ8 buys
This project directly supports Precision Fires capabilities by maturing and demonstrating critical technologies for autonomous, Cluster Munition policy compliant, enhanced lethality payloads deployed from Precision Strike Missile to autonomously and cooperatively find and engage the full spectrum of deep moved, moving, dispersed, and poorly located targets in areas with contested access at extended ranges. Direct Support Fires Technology effort matures and demonstrates cost-effective rocket technology to increase the ability to mass fires to achieve lethal effects against artillery targets with initial volley fires to minimize logistics tail and maximize organizational structure, while achieving reduced cost per kill. Tactical Overmatch Missile Technology effort will provide technology maturation to support a ground launched extended range anti-armor maneuverable missile capable of defeating current and future advanced armor threats, active protection systems, and field fortification from both line of sight and beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) cooperative and simultaneous engagements. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602147A (Long Range Precision Fires Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC).
Project CZ8 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 38.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 74.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 224.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 80.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 82.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 50.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 49.7 |
3 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 2 of them describe FY2027 work in enough detail to have their own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Will continue to optimize GMLRS dispense mechanism, submunition design, simulations, sensors, and warhead technologies by performing multiple component and system-level demonstrations to include three separation demonstrations delivered by a GMLRS, one flight demonstration with integration of full seeker package and datalinks, and…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work Will perform initial demonstrations of low-cost rocket design integrated into an expendable rocket canister with a reloadable pod; mature electrical design of reloadable pod interfaces with the launcher; conduct first guided flight demonstration; collaborate with industry partners to mature, fabricate, and demonstrate DSFT rockets leveraging the AvMC reference design.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase reflects additional industry demonstrations
Will mature submunition guidance, targeting, and collaboration algorithms through Hardware-in-the-loop testing, validate submunition dispense mechanism from PrSM with two dynamic dispense demonstrations, refine the high-fidelity six-degree of freedom model, and conduct design reviews. Mature Tactical Overmatch Missile Technology (TOMT)…
Read the FY2027 plan →