What project ACX-01 buys
The Advanced Complex Systems project 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 and space 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. Efforts 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. Prior to FY 2026, efforts in this Project were funded in PE 0603286E, Project AIR-01, and PE 0603287E, Project SPC-01.
Project ACX-01 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 | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 243.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 500.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 702.2 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 761.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 768.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 763.2 |
14 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. 7 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.
- Continue flight demonstrations validating vehicle release from a host aircraft. - Continue flight demonstrations validating vehicle performance, stability and control through all phases of flight. - Conduct analysis and flight testing to expand flight envelope. - Continue analysis and development of integrated mission systems to mature…
Read the FY2027 plan →- Initiate research approaches for technologies that enable decisive military effects at distances from the tactical to the strategic. - Explore new insertion routes and cost/fuel efficient range improvements. - Research technologies for pervasive persistence for observation and constant low-level engagement, supporting blue force and…
Read the FY2027 plan →- Finalize flight test planning and airworthiness certification. - Complete structural proof load test to verify the built aircraft matches structural design predictions. - Complete final software integration lab verification testing to ensure the system operates as intended including the proper vehicle responses in the presence of…
Read the FY2027 plan →- Enhanced Propulsion Efficiency: Analyze new propulsion technologies, such as Rotating Detonation Engines (RDE) among others, that offer the potential for increased fuel efficiency in flight, leading to longer range and reduced operating costs. - Improved Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: Design a higher thrust-to-weight ratio that could enable…
Read the FY2027 plan →- Continue to conduct flight hardware acceptance testing for the propulsion system. - Continue to integrate the developed propulsion systems with the air harvesting inlets. - Continue conducting environmental qualification tests for the air harvesting inlets. - Finalizing ground software build and testing. - Finalizing flight software…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work - Conduct propulsion system risk reduction testing. - Conduct avionics system risk reduction testing. - Mature missile designs based on early risk reduction activities. - Develop missile manufacturing plans and cost assessments based on missile designs.
FY2026 to FY2027 change The FY 2027 increase reflects the shift from initial design to risk reduction testing and manufacturing plans development.
FY2026 plans — current year - Initiate missile designs and develop modeling and simulation validation tools.
- Expand operational testing into increasingly complex and contested environments, including electronic warfare scenarios, to rigorously evaluate system robustness and adaptability. - Advance multi-platform collaboration by integrating heterogeneous teams, such as manned-unmanned formations, to assess the scalability of the autonomous…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work - Execute multiple flight tests. - Complete flight test data analysis and final program review.
FY2026 plans — current year - Execute multiple flight tests. - Complete flight test data analysis.
- Execute end-to-end validation testing on novel energetic materials developed from diverse materials. - Conduct a system readiness review based on outcomes from sub-scale demonstrations and validation tests on modular platforms. - Demonstrate pilot scale production capability on modular platforms.
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work - Conduct final mission design planning and verification testing of spacecraft subsystems. - Verify spacecraft and integrated sensor performance through full fidelity Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) simulations.
FY2026 to FY2027 change The FY 2027 increase reflects the shift from applied research activities in PE 0602023E, Project ACS-01 to advanced technology development in this PE/Project.
FY2027 planned work - Iterate sounding rocket design trials with more diverse, impure, and complex mixed material inputs. - Conduct a critical design review evaluating the performance of the systems based on demonstrations. - Demonstrate and validate adaptively redesigned pressure vessel formed from government-provided scrap material inputs of increased complexity.
FY2026 to FY2027 change The FY 2027 increase reflects the shift from applied research activities under Materials for Extreme Environments in PE 0602025E, Project MSL-01 to advanced technology development in this PE/Project.
FY2027 planned work - Conduct on-orbit demonstrations of satellite servicing capabilities.
FY2026 to FY2027 change The FY 2027 decrease reflects the shift from hardware testing to flight operations.
FY2026 plans — current year - Complete combined testing of integrated robotic payload and spacecraft bus. - Perform training of commercial partner and conduct mission operations rehearsals. - Conduct launch, on-orbit checkout, and calibration of integrated robotic payload.
FY2026 to FY2027 change The FY 2027 decrease reflects program completion.
FY2026 plans — current year - Initiate challenge logistic set up following public announcement. - Conduct challenge event including set up, competition, award announcement, and tear down.
FY2026 to FY2027 change The FY 2027 decrease reflects program completion.
FY2026 plans — current year - Complete demonstrator production and subsystem integration. - Complete ground-based testing. - Execute flight test campaign. - Complete flight-testing review and data delivery.