# DARPA Advanced Technology Development — Program Element 0603467E

**Program element:** 0603467E  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603467E

## Summary

Defense-Wide requests $1.57B in FY2027 — the program's peak. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate cut 5.9% (to $1.48B); House appropriators added 0.6% (to $1.58B).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 1,528.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 1,568.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 1,142.2 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1,198.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1,126.7 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 1,068.9 |

> 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 | 1,568.1 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 1,568.1 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 1,475.1 | −93.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 1,578.1 | +10.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (4)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAT-06 | DARPA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT | 0.0 | 974.0 | 919.6 | −6% |
| DAT-01 | ADVANCED SYSTEMS | 0.0 | 357.5 | 407.3 | +14% |
| DAT-02 | ISR AND SENSORS | 0.0 | 104.8 | 127.0 | +21% |
| DAT-07 | DARPA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT | 0.0 | 91.8 | 114.2 | +25% |

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

### Project DAT-06 — DARPA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

This project funds classified DARPA programs that are reported in accordance with the SAP Annual Report to Congress. Prior to FY 2026, efforts in this Project were funded in PE 0603760E, Project CCC-06, PE 0603766E, Project NET-06, and PE 0603767E, Project SEN-06.

### Project DAT-01 — ADVANCED SYSTEMS

The Advanced Systems project will create enabling technologies for seamless all domain operations, from strategic planning to tactical and urban operations. All Domain Warfare Systems leverage current and emerging network, robotic, and information technology and provide next generation U.S. forces with greatly increased capability, lethality, and rapid responsiveness. Critical issues facing this project are: (1) U.S. opponents using systems that are flexible, robust, and difficult to neutralize; and (2) U.S. doctrine that limits the use of firepower to lessen the impact of operations on noncombatants. Meeting these challenges places a heavy burden on joint war planning. Understanding opponent networks is essential so that creative options can be developed to counter their strategies. Synchronization of air, sea, space, and ground operations to apply force only where needed and with specific effects is required. This project supports all levels of the force structure including: (1) the strategic/operational level by generating targeting options against opponents' centers of gravity that have complex networked relationships; (2) the tactical/operational level by managing highly automated forces with tight coupling between air, seas, space, and ground platforms; and (3) the focused tactical level by developing platforms and tools, which acquire targets of opportunity and cue network-based analysis of likely enemy operations. Prior to FY 2026, efforts in this Project were funded in PE 0603766E, Projects NET-01 and NET-02, and PE 0603739E, Project MT-15.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Propulsor, Experimental (APEX) | — | 61.8 | 73.4 |
| Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative (EEI) | — | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| Archer | — | 24.0 | 20.8 |
| Pulling Guard | — | 38.4 | 19.9 |
| Midway | — | 7.0 | 39.6 |
| Deep Thoughts | — | 4.1 | 15.8 |
| Time-definite Capability Delivery | — | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Resilient Supply-and-Demand Networks (RSDN) | — | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| FLexible networking Using Intelligent Dialecting (FLUID) | — | 13.1 | 2.0 |
| Box Kick | — | 39.0 | 20.0 |
| Advanced Systems Studies and Concepts | — | 80.4 | 178.7 |
| Goblin | — | 4.0 | — |
| No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) | — | 4.0 | — |
| Scorpionfish | — | 13.1 | — |
| Trenton | — | 2.9 | — |
| Willow | — | 28.6 | — |

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

### Project DAT-02 — ISR AND SENSORS

The ISR and Sensors project develops technologies to improve surveillance and targeting systems for improved battlefield awareness, strike capability and battle damage assessment, and demonstrates these technologies and system concepts against emerging threat scenarios to support rapid technology adoption by the warfighter. Leveraging technology advancements in size, weight, power and cost and enabling with the practical application of mature machine learning and artificial intelligence, these efforts are also packaged in novel ways for rapid deployment and adoption for operational use. Capabilities are intended to overcome an adversary s intent to deny and deceive sensing and ISR systems in order to provide all-weather continuous coverage over areas of interest. This project will exploit recent advances in multispectral target phenomenology, signal processing, low-power high-performance computing, and low-cost microelectronics to develop advanced surveillance and targeting systems. Prior to FY 2026, efforts in this Project were funded in PE 0603767E, Projects SEN-01 and SEN-02.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track at Big Distances with Track-Before-Detect (TBD2) | — | 11.3 | 4.0 |
| Cancun | — | 23.9 | 1.7 |
| Frosty | — | 14.2 | 18.2 |
| ISR and Sensors Studies and Concepts | — | 35.6 | 103.1 |
| Large Area Photocathode (LAP) | — | 11.3 | — |
| Dynamic Optimization for Defense of Ground bases with Electromagnetic warfare (DODGEball) | — | 8.5 | — |

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

### Project DAT-07 — DARPA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

The DARPA Advanced Technology Development Support project contains management costs in support of DARPA functions and activities across the entire DARPA Advanced Technology Development PE. These costs include: DARPA classified and unclassified network support and equipment; contractor support; classified program security; building security; commercial transition services that increase the likelihood that DARPA-funded technologies remain in the U.S. and provide new capabilities for national defense; DARPA outreach to universities and industry; external contracting, financial and support fees; Program Manager Intragovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Funding; Program Managers from other Government Agencies; and similar operating expenses. Agency support is allocated on a pro-rata basis across the Agency's BA1, BA2 and BA3 PEs and, therefore, fluctuates per PE by fiscal year based on the total Agency budget in that fiscal year. Prior to FY 2026, support requirements in this Project were funded in PE 0603766E, Projects NET-01 and NET-02, and PE 0603767E, Projects SEN-01 and SEN-02.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The efforts described in this Program Element (PE) address the Advanced Technology Development associated with Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Sensors that addresses high payoff opportunities to develop and rapidly mature advanced technologies required for today's warfare concepts. It is imperative that future U.S. forces operate seamlessly in all domains with improved battlefield awareness, strike capability and battle damage assessment. This PE also supports innovation and robust transition and experimentation planning in the technology cycle to increase the likelihood that DARPA funded technologies take root in the U.S.

## Related program elements

- [0603766E — Network-centric Warfare Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603766E) (Defense-Wide)
- [0303126K — Long-Haul Communications - DCS](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0303126K) (Defense-Wide)
- [0207249F — Advanced Targeting Pod](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207249F) (Air Force)
- [0207444F — Tactical Air Control Party-Mod](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207444F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603467E (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603467E")`.

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