# Afwerx — Program Element 0604009F

**Program element:** 0604009F  
**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/0604009F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding falls 95% to a $3.6M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), with nothing planned by FY2031. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House added 70% (to $6.1M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 1602% (to $61.1M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 62.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 73.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 3.6 |
| 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 | 3.6 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 6.1 | +2.5 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 3.6 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 61.1 | +57.5 |

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

## Projects (2)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640856 | AFWERX Operations and Support | 14.1 | 27.6 | 3.6 | −87% |
| 640858 | AFWERX Prime | 48.0 | 45.9 | 0.0 | −100% |

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

### Project 640856 — AFWERX Operations and Support

AFWERX helps the Department of the Air Force (DAF) address warfighter needs by leveraging flexible contracting pathways to accelerate the transition of disruptive commercial dual-use technologies into decisive, war-winning capabilities. AFWERX funds risk reduction efforts for technology agnostic capabilities and provides avenues for the DAF to leverage private capital funds as a resource multiplier, strengthen the domestic defense industrial base, and accelerate commercial preference. Funding for this program supports administrative and oversight functions for AFWERX and enables effective execution of the SBIR/STTR program. These functions include funding for core operations and support, front door innovation hubs, information technology infrastructure, outreach, and marketing. In order to manage, execute, and deliver innovative technology capabilities, this program element may include necessary expenses to support the operation and maintenance of facilities, as well as expenses related to travel, supplies, IT hardware, software and support, etc.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFWERX | 14.1 | 12.6 | 3.6 |

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

### Project 640858 — AFWERX Prime

The AFWERX Prime project is closing out, having successfully leveraged an acquisition approach that utilized government-specific resources to reduce risk in emerging technology markets and enabled the transition of dual-use technologies into Department of War capabilities. The technologies targeted by AFWERX include hybrid-electric powered Vertical and Short Take Off and Landing Aircraft; Scalable Aircraft Autonomy; Autonomous Logistics Systems; Expeditionary Combat Support Systems; Advanced Manufacturing; sUAS & Counter-sUAS; enhanced, low cost, distributed, scalable and digital Manufacturing, and an AFWERX Autonomy Proving Ground.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFWERX Prime | 6.3 | 5.9 | 0.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 100% | 3.6 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

AFWERX helps the Department of the Air Force (DAF) address warfighter needs by leveraging flexible contracting pathways to accelerate the transition of disruptive commercial dual-use technologies into decisive, war-winning capabilities. AFWERX funds risk reduction efforts for technology agnostic capabilities and provides avenues for the DAF to leverage private capital funds as a resource multiplier, strengthen the domestic defense industrial base, and accelerate commercial preference. Funding for this program supports administrative and oversight functions for AFWERX and enables effective execution of the SBIR/STTR program.

The AFWERX Prime effort will cease operations and execute a deliberate program closeout strategy, employing Department of the Air Force (DAF) approved procedures. Prior activities included: 1) investigate details regarding potential commercial markets; 2) identify technologies that are likely to result in successful prototypes and support future DAF capability needs and priorities; 3) create collaborative test plans potentially offering test assets and expertise; 4) leverage this campaign for near-term applicability and suitability as well as preparation for procurement of hardware, software, data, or services. The intent is to accelerate learning to enable early adoption, procurement, and fielding.

## Related program elements

- [0302060F — Looking Glass Next (LG-N))](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0302060F) (Air Force)
- [0203345F — Operations Security (OPSEC)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0203345F) (Air Force)
- [0901579D8Z — Office of Strategic Capital (OSC)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0901579D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0601384BP — Chemical and Biological Defense Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601384BP) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604009F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604009F")`.

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