# High Speed Systems Test (HSST)

**R-2A activity** of project 091 — High Speed Systems Test  
**Program element:** 0603941D8Z — Test and Evaluation Science and Technology  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 3  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603941D8Z/091/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603941D8Z/091

## Summary

This activity requests $1.47B in FY2027, 100% of project 091, up 1792% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2025–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** In FY 2027, HSST will continue to support the Department’s strategic goals of modernizing ground test facilities to “fly” hypersonic missions on the ground and accelerating the ability to conduct flight testing anywhere in the world. Highlights include: - Test the protype HAPCAT variable Mach nozzle in order to evaluate its performance - Initiate full capability development and acquisition of the Minnesota Aerospace Complex, a new hypersonic ground test complex with private industry to address growing demand for aerodynamic, aerothermal, and propulsion test needs - Significantly expand the SkyRange fleet with additional aircraft and sensor packages - Continue progress on hypersonic wind tunnel upgrades, resulting in throughput increase for aerodynamic testing - Increase aeroshell testing throughput and capability to include transition of “fly the mission” capability - Continue development of a research scale, high temperature material test wind tunnel - Initiate alternate approaches to propulsion and braking system protypes for lethality testing leveraging high speed sled test capability

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The increase from FY 2026 to FY 2027 will support the accelerated conversion of additional RQ-4 and MQ-9 aircraft into the SkyRange RangeHawk and RangeReaper configurations, establishment of new SkyRange forward operating locations, acquisition and integration of additional test data collection sensors integrated onto SkyRange platforms; the development and implementation of the mission control element of SkyRange for both the RangeHawk and RangeReaper configurations. It also supports the development of a hypersonic ground test complex with private industry to address growing demand for aerodynamic and propulsion test needs, in increase in hypersonic aeroshell and propulsion test capability and throughput transitioning prototype “fly the mission” capability to large scale test facilities.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** In FY 2026, HSST continues to support the Department’s strategic goals of modernizing ground test facilities to “fly” hypersonic missions on the ground and accelerating the ability to conduct flight testing anywhere in the world. Highlights include: - Demonstrate at the HAPCAT facility the performance of radars and radomes systems that are critical to various Department hypersonic efforts - Test the protype variable Mach nozzle in order to evaluate its performance - Continue conversion of additional RQ-4 and MQ-9 aircraft into the SkyRange RangeHawk and RangeReaper configurations - Develop a prototype capability to support the mission control element of SkyRange for both the RangeHawk and RangeReaper configurations - Demonstrate range safety capability for the SkyRange RangeReaper configuration - Leverage SkyRange to reduce risk of space-based telemetry sensor development

**FY2025 accomplishments.** In FY25, HSST will continue to support the Department’s strategic goals of modernizing ground test facilities to “fly” hypersonic missions on the ground and accelerating the ability to conduct flight testing anywhere in the world. Highlights include: - Further mature SkyRange capabilities while simultaneously supporting DoD flight tests - Develop a fourth generation of SkyRange telemetry antennas, providing additional capability and versatility for hypersonic telemetry collection - Continue development of SkyRange RangeReaper flight termination capability and terminal scoring system - Continue conversion of additional RQ-4 platforms into the SkyRange RangeHawk configuration - Complete SkyRange RangeHawk integration and testing of a prototype optical data collection and instrumentation system incorporating EO/IR sensors capable of producing high spatial resolution optical imagery of hypersonic vehicles in flight - Develop and demonstrate new test techniques for the HAPCAT facility, taking advantage of the clean-air, long-duration run-time capability - Demonstrate at the HAPCAT facility the performance of radars and radomes systems that are critical to various DoD hypersonic efforts

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 154.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 77.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 1,473.5 |

> 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.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0603941D8Z project 091 (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.*