# Robotics Development — Program Element 0604017A

**Program element:** 0604017A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604017A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding falls 45% to a $20.3M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 25% (to $25.3M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 12.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 36.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 20.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 21.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 21.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 21.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 21.4 |

> 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 | 20.3 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 20.3 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 20.3 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 25.3 | +5.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FD9 | Robotics Systems | 12.6 | 36.6 | 20.3 | −44% |

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

### Project FD9 — Robotics Systems

Robotics Systems funding will demonstrate new capabilities to meet current and future military needs and to determine integration potential across the Army Robotics portfolio by testing and evaluating a variety of emerging technologies. Robotics Systems (RS) improves robotic and autonomous program acquisition schedules by supporting the development of integrated and synchronized capability documents and by maturing / transitioning technology. RDT&E funds enable support to capability development of emerging requirements. Activities include collaboration with industry and government, studies, assessments, and document development such as Robotic open Interfaces, architectures, and specifications; Technology Readiness Levels, Manufacturing Readiness Levels, Trade Studies, Letter of Sufficiency determinations, draft acquisition documents, and draft contract documents. RS also supports the Army modernization strategy of the current Robotic fleets and current Army vehicles by investigating technology insertions including, but not limited to condition-based maintenance, platform and payload electronics, autonomous operations and other ground robotics technologies. FY 2027 funding will continue to demonstrate and explore technologies that support the Continuous Transformation Initiative published in 2025. Funding will also support expansion of the virtual test and evaluation capabilities for autonomous software and electronic warfare.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerging Robotics Systems | 2.9 | — | — |
| Autonomy Formation | 9.6 | 2.6 | — |
| Advanced Robotics Systems Development | — | 11.7 | 12.7 |
| Advanced Mission Software/ Autonomy Development | — | 9.7 | 7.6 |

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

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 100% | 20.3 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Robotics Systems funding will demonstrate new capabilities to meet current and future military needs and to determine integration potential across the Army Robotics portfolio by testing and evaluating a variety of emerging technologies. Robotics Systems (RS) improves robotic and autonomous program acquisition schedules by supporting the development of integrated and synchronized capability documents and by maturing / transitioning technology. RDT&E funds enable support to capability development of emerging requirements.

Robotics Systems (RS) is designed to facilitate the transition of robotics and autonomous systems technology to capability set solutions. It informs the acquisition process early in the development cycle allowing key stakeholders the ability to make integration decisions and affordability trades while writing requirements. Efforts include Capabilities Document input, capturing technical and test data, close analysis of activities that feed cost estimates, provide test support, develop Modeling and Simulation (M&S) capabilities, and develop a Software Integration Lab (SIL). Efforts will support Rapid Prototyping to inform emerging requirements and other Army systems.

## Related program elements

- [0102417F — Over-the-Horizon Backscatter Radar](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0102417F) (Air Force)
- [0607145A — Apache Future Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0607145A) (Army)
- [0603760E — Command, Control AND Communications Systems](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603760E) (Defense-Wide)
- [0605053A — Ground Robotics](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605053A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604017A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604017A")`.

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