DE Prototyping

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Architecture and Integration Directorate Directed Energy Prototyping Program develops, acquires and evaluates prototype high energy laser, high power microwave and/or other electromagnetic radiation or particle beam technologies as a future integral component of Air Force missions. The Directed Energy Prototyping Program bridges the gap between lab based technology demonstration under a controlled environment, and demonstration of a system in realistic environments with the intent of establishing successful acquisition, and operation or operational capability implementation. This prototyping effort enables the ability to integrate the directed energy prototype systems with other operational systems required for the mission (e.g. radar, command and control, etc.), conduct test and evaluation activities, and mature emerging directed energy technology systems based on prototyping activities to enable rapid fielding to the warfighter. The Directed Energy Prototyping Program allows acquisition program managers (capability developers) and warfighters (capability recipients and end users) to prototype, integrate, evaluate, and demonstrate candidate weapon technologies and assess them in an operational environment with the intent of iteratively maturing directed energy technologies to a production representative design. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program's funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F. In Prior Year 2023, 1.046M was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, and in CY 2024 1.023M is forecasted for civilian pay expenses in this program element. This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.