# Advanced Complex Systems Studies and Concepts

**R-2A activity** of project ACX-01 — ADVANCED COMPLEX SYSTEMS  
**Program element:** 0603468E — Advanced Complex Systems  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 3  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a11  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01

## Summary

This activity requests $62.3M in FY2027, 12% of project ACX-01, up 61631% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** - 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 allies. - Evaluate life extension and upgrading existing systems with new technologies to confound adversary advances. - Explore novel engineering, technology, and systems approaches that have the potential to change the traditional calculus for military advantage. - Investigate low-cost mass/volume in quantity to overwhelm defense and deliver effects. - Explore decoy denial of service attack and new sensing modalities that change the game for defense operations. - Research capabilities to create doubt among adversaries and strengthen resolve of allies. - Further investigate other innovative ideas to disrupt adversary perceived advantages.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The FY 2027 increase reflects studies and concepts initiations including, but not limited to, the advancement of new technologies to enable pervasive persistence for observation and constant low-level engagement, to develop decoy denial of service attack and new sensing modalities, to evaluate life extension and upgrading of existing systems and to explore new insertion routes and cost/fuel efficient range improvements.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Explore and refine advanced platform concepts to deliver integrated, cross-domain dominance solutions at disruptive scale and unprecedented penetration capabilities. - Evaluate innovative architectures, operational concepts, and propulsion technologies spanning chemical rocket, airbreathing, and hybrid air vehicle systems to effectively counter and penetrate advanced Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environments.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 62.3 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Other activities in project ACX-01

- [Longshot](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a1) — FY2027 151.5
- [SPeed and Runway INdependent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane Demonstration Project](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a2) — FY2027 62.1
- [Scaled Hypersonics Studies and Concepts](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a10) — FY2027 56.0
- [Otter](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a3) — FY2027 47.7
- Valley Forge — FY2027 37.1
- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) Reinforcements (AIR)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a4) — FY2027 32.2
- More Opportunities with HAWC (MoHAWC) — FY2027 20.0
- [Process Intensified Energetics (PIE)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603468E/ACX-01/a7) — FY2027 13.0
- Lunar Assay via Small Satellite Orbiter (LASSO) — FY2027 8.9
- Rubble to Rockets (R2) — FY2027 7.5
- Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) — FY2027 1.7
- DARPA Lift Challenge — FY2027 —
- Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) — FY2027 —

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0603468E project ACX-01 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

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