# Project 127 — Nuclear Prototyping

**Program element:** 0603838D8Z — Defense Innovation Acceleration (DIA)  
**Project:** 127  
**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/0603838D8Z/127  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603838D8Z

## Summary

Project 127 — Nuclear Prototyping requests $90.0M in FY2027, 29% of the $311.0M requested for program element 0603838D8Z — a new start, with no prior-year and no current-year money. 1 R-2A activity decomposes the request, 1 new this cycle.

**Markets:** Nuclear Modernization — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 90.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 90.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 90.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 90.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 90.0 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603838D8Z; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 127 buys

(U) The primary objective of this effort is to prove technological feasibility and assess the operability of key technologies to meet the most pressing operational needs identified in the 2026 National Defense Strategy and to provide response options to unique deterrence challenges. The near-term focus will be on the identification, maturation, and demonstration of subsystems and components. This effort prioritizes the rapid integration of these components into system demonstrators for field experiments and tests within simulated operational environments. This approach is designed to quickly prove the military utility of the technology and provide actionable data for future acquisition decisions. (U) In parallel, this program will develop a strategic roadmap to guide long-term technology maturation, consistent with the Department of War's vision. This ensures a comprehensive strategy that balances immediate technology demonstrations with the development of enduring capabilities. The goal for these projects is to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, making the technology available for transition out of the Science & Technology (S&T) phase and into a formal acquisition program within the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). Upon successful completion, the technology will be transitioned to a service partner to address validated requirements. (U) Further details are available at higher classification levels.

## Activities (R-2A) — 1

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (U) Nuclear Prototyping | — | — | 90.0 | new | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603838D8Z/127/a0) |

> 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.

### (U) Nuclear Prototyping — NEW START

(U) The program will conduct engineering feasibility studies and analysis to inform the development of system prototypes. The effort will prioritize technology solutions that demonstrate general military utility and can be rapidly integrated into form, fit, and function prototypes. Concurrently, this program will establish a strategic…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603838D8Z/127/a0

## 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/0603838D8Z.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603838D8Z project 127 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603838D8Z")`.

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