# Project BU9 — IFPC High Energy Laser

**Program element:** 0604019A — Expanded Mission Area Missile (EMAM)  
**Project:** BU9  
**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/0604019A/BU9  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604019A

## Summary

Project BU9 — IFPC High Energy Laser requests — in FY2027, 0.0% of the $235.6M requested for program element 0604019A, down 100% on FY2026. 1 R-2A activity decomposes the request.

**Markets:** Air & Missile Defense, Directed Energy — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 18.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 16.4 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0604019A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project BU9 buys

This funding line is directly aligned to the Army Air and Missile Defense Modernization Priority. The Directed Energy Integrated Fires Protection Capability (DE-IFPC) High Energy Laser (HEL) is an Air Defense capability for defense of fixed and semi-fixed sites from Cruise Missiles (CM); Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS); Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (RAM); Fixed Wing (FW); and Rotary Wing (RW) threats. This project will deliver an operationally effective rapid prototype capability in FY 2026. IFPC-HEL funds an improved mechanism to effectively confront emerging threats and advance the U.S. military dominance in accordance with the 2026 National Defense Strategy. Efforts include development, acquisition, test and evaluation, assessment, maturation, and potential future transition of the prototype technology to an acquisition program.

**R-3 lines of work:** Management Services; Product Development; Support; Test and Evaluation.

## Activities (R-2A) — 1

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFPC-High Energy Laser | 18.8 | 16.4 | — | −100% | — |

> 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.

### IFPC-High Energy Laser

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease from FY 2026 to FY 2027 reflects the transfer of IFPC-HEL prototype to the JLWS program.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** FY 2026 funds will support final prototype test and integration and assessment for delivery in FY 2026 and begin CONUS Contractor Logistic Support (CLS). FY 2026 funds will ensure CLS coverage into FY 2027 to transfer the prototype system and data into the Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) program to support continued lethality testing against joint threats.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Complete prototype fabrication, lab acceptance and Continuous Soldier Integration.

## 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/0604019A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0604019A project BU9 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604019A")`.

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