# Threat Simulator Development — Program Element 0604256F

**Program element:** 0604256F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604256F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $44.5M in FY2027, 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 funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 17.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 40.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 44.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 44.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 44.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 45.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 46.7 |

> 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 | 44.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 44.5 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 44.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 44.5 | +0.0 |

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

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 663321 | Electronic Warfare Ground Test Resources | 6.1 | 27.8 | 31.6 | +14% |
| 667500 | Foreign Materiel Acquisition/Analysis | 8.1 | 10.2 | 10.3 | +2% |
| 662907 | Electronic Combat Intel Support | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 | −12% |

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

### Project 663321 — Electronic Warfare Ground Test Resources

Electronic Warfare Ground Test Resources includes funding for the development and acquisition of live, virtual, and constructive threat systems that portray realistic Electronic Warfare threat environment across the entire electromagnetic spectrum during testing of weapons systems and may include Directed Energy Weapons. These funds are used for improvement and modernization (I&M) across the entire portfolio of ground test and test range capabilities used to evaluate aircraft and weapon system resilience/survivability against ever-evolving adversaries' asymmetric threats from Electronic Warfare/Cyber-attacks. Threats include resistance to jammers, Electromagnetic Interference and Compatibility, GPS-denial, surface to air missiles, etc. in labs and open-air environments. I&M efforts are for Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB) to include the National Radar Cross Section (RCS) Test Facility (NRTF) and the Central Inertial and GPS Test Facility (CIGTF) at the 704th Test Group at Holloman AFB, NM, the Guided Weapons Evaluation Facility (GWEF) and the Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems (J-PRIMES) facility at Eglin AFB, FL, the Benefield Anechoic Facility (BAF) and the Integrated Facility for Avionics System Test Facility (IFAST) at Edwards AFB, CA. Provides EW test process support, conducting requirements analyses and other studies in support of AF T&E investments in test infrastructure and capabilities. This program is in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support because this budget activity includes research, development, test and evaluation efforts and funds to sustain and/or modernize the installations or operations required for general research, development, test and evaluation.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Warfare Ground Test Resources | 6.1 | 27.8 | 31.6 |

> 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 667500 — Foreign Materiel Acquisition/Analysis

This project's specific purpose is to support DAF Foreign Materiel Program requirements through the acquisition and analysis of foreign materiel. Due to the unique capabilities of the DAF FMP, both USAF and USSF work cooperatively to support DAF FMP requirements. Items considered for these Foreign Materiel Acquisition (FMA) funds are included in the prioritized Service's FMA Top 50 list established each year. Annually, the MAJCOM and Field Commands create integrated prioritized lists of their top 50 requirements. The requirements lists are integrated and prioritized into a classified Service requirement list. System analyses are based on and driven by acquisitions. The DAF FMP provides assessments and data for threat systems to all DoW components. This program is in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support because this budget activity includes research, development, test and evaluation efforts and funds to sustain and/or modernize the installations or operations required for general research, development, test and evaluation.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMP | 8.1 | 10.2 | 10.3 |

> 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 662907 — Electronic Combat Intel Support

This project provides funding to support Foreign Materiel Operational Test and Evaluation (FMOT&E), which ensures the ability of operational commands to test and develop effective Electronic Attack/Electronic Protection (EA/EP) techniques and tactics. Funds are required for: deployment of systems to test facilities; travel of personnel to the test sites to evaluate and validate test results; range and laboratory costs; test consumables; costs for instrumentation of systems; and contracted engineering support for the conduct of tests and subsequent reporting. Funding for this program is required to prevent future aircraft losses due to improper and inaccurate aircrew tactics (e.g., lack of evasive action or proper tactics training to avoid missile attacks). This program is in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support because this budget activity includes research, development, test and evaluation efforts and funds to sustain and/or modernize the installations or operations required for general research, development, test and evaluation.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMOT&E | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Air Force requires a comprehensive set of indoor and outdoor test facilities to implement the Air Force Electronic Warfare (EW) Test Process in order to test EW systems, including Directed Energy (DE). To manage program risk effectively throughout the EW weapons system acquisition process, and to conduct T&E effectively and efficiently, a broad multi-spectrum integrated set of T&E capabilities, ranging from Modeling and Simulation (M&S), to full-scale chamber testing, to flight testing on open-air ranges (OAR), is required.

## Related program elements

- [0401130F — C-17A Aircraft](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0401130F) (Air Force)
- [0603207N — Air/Ocean Tactical Applications](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603207N) (Navy)
- [0207606F — Joint Simulation Environment](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207606F) (Air Force)
- [0604256A — Threat Simulator Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604256A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604256F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604256F")`.

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