# Nuclear Command Control and Communications (NC3) — Program Element 0604005F

**Program element:** 0604005F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604005F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $61.4M in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), with nothing planned by FY2031. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. Northrop Grumman leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 50.7 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 66.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 61.4 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 0.0 |

> 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 | 61.4 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 61.4 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 61.4 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 61.4 | +0.0 |

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

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640860 | Nuclear Command Control and Communications (NC3) | 50.7 | 66.2 | 61.4 | −7% |

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

### Project 640860 — Nuclear Command Control and Communications (NC3)

A. Mission Description and Budget Item Justification The Department of the Air Force (DAF) nuclear enterprise has historically used unique closed systems to provide the high degree of mission assurance and security needed for this mission. Furthermore, the rapid development of the nuclear enterprise required the fielding of the most advanced technology of that time, and in most cases utilized technology that was well ahead of the commercial sector. Today's technological world is very different and, in cases such as satellite communications and information technology (IT) systems, the commercial sector has raced ahead of government unique systems. Commercial leveraging for the nuclear enterprise will explore a range of key technologies that are either commercial, or commercial entwined with government system to quantitatively determine whether these capabilities provide increased resilience, improved reconstitution, or lower cost for applications within the Department of War (DoW) nuclear enterprise. It is not intended to replace baseline systems but rather will be prototypes to augment existing capabilities. The program will reduce risk in leveraging emerging commercial-based technologies by partnering with industry while providing access to Government analysis, testing and certification capabilities. Prime investments focus on Government-industry partnerships to influence and militarize emerging commercial capabilities to ensure US competitive advantage in key technology areas. Experimentation efforts will be employed to explore new concepts and their applications in future operating environments within a system-of-systems context, taking risks early in the acquisition process to drive a more optimized and efficient acquisition approach significantly reducing overall acquisitions costs. Prototyping of commercially derived technologies into government systems, followed by operational experimentation of the performance and security, will enable these candidate technologies to move into warfighting capability faster and at a lower cost, based on demonstrated low-risk prototypes. Efforts include a focus on communications, secure data flow, and incorporating commercial approaches for a coarse navigation capability.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** Northrop Grumman (15.0, 24%), L3Harris (13.0, 21%), Viasat (6.5, 11%), GTRI (2.6, 4.2%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Leveraging for the Nuclear Enterprise | 50.7 | 66.2 | 61.4 |

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

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 62% | 38.1 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 2.3% | 1.4 |
| Other / unspecified | 36% | 21.8 |

**Top named industry performers:** Northrop Grumman ($15.0M, 24%), L3Harris ($13.0M, 21%), Viasat ($6.5M, 11%), GTRI ($2.6M, 4.2%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

A. Mission Description and Budget Item Justification The Department of the Air Force (DAF) nuclear enterprise has historically used unique closed systems to provide the high degree of mission assurance and security needed for this mission. Furthermore, the rapid development of the nuclear enterprise required the fielding of the most advanced technology of that time, and in most cases utilized technology that was well ahead of the commercial sector. Today's technological world is very different and, in cases such as satellite communications and information technology (IT) systems, the commercial sector has raced ahead of government unique systems.

For FY24-FY26, the NC3 contractual efforts are within the scope of the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) solicitation which has an Acquisition Strategy Plan (ASP) approved by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Commander. The ceiling and scope of the ASP are sufficient for execution of the planned funds. The federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) analysis is being executed under existing contractual arrangements. Those vehicles have sufficient scope and ceiling to support the NC3 effort. Integration assessments are being executed by the existing contractor(s) aligned with each platform.

## Related program elements

- [0604004F — Advanced Engine Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604004F) (Air Force)
- [0305238F — NATO AGS](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0305238F) (Air Force)
- [0604756N — Ship Self Def (Engage: Hard Kill)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604756N) (Navy)
- [0303228K — Joint Information Environment (JIE)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0303228K) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604005F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604005F")`.

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